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By now it has become clear to most Carolina Panthers fans that again this season the free agency frenzy that applies to the rest of the league won't be entertained in Carolina. This may be upsetting to the casual Panthers fan, but for people who are really paying attention... this is no surprise. Jon Beason once told me "If you aren't getting better, you are getting worse". He was speaking about his offseason regimen, but I think the same principle applies to the Panthers this offseason. And guess what, the Panthers are better... much better... than at this point a year ago Here is how: 1. Cam Newton is healthy. How quickly we forget that Cam Newton is a year removed from ankle surgery. Last season he didn't take a legitimate practice snap until training camp. At this point last season, Cam had zero receivers he had ever thrown a pass to and zero opportunity to remedy that situation. This year... the opposite is true. 2. Those rookies. What other team in the NFL can say they made the playoffs with 8... yes 8 rookies making major contributions to the team? Kelvin Benjamin, Andrew Norwell, Trai Turner, Corey Brown, Bene Benwikere, Tre Boston, Adarius Glanton, Kony Ealy... All stepped in and not only played, but played well. These young guys should be even more improved in 2015 having benefited from actual playing time including post season snaps. That experience is invaluable. 3. Remmers and Oher. I know, I know, you are concerned about the offensive tackles. So am I. But I am not nearly as concerned as I was last season. I am not expecting this to be a pro bowl caliber combination, but I am expecting at the very least for this to be a significant improvement over the Chandler/Bell combination from last offseason. Remmers has already proved he is a marked upgrade over Chandler. Oher is the only question mark here. Put all of those things together, and the picture becomes much clearer. The Carolina Panthers do not need to rush and overpay in free agency for players that aren't the perfect fit. The areas of need that remain on the Panthers roster at this point can easily be addressed in the NFL draft in May at a fraction of the cost. Considering the number of starters GM Dave Gettleman found in last season's draft, asking him two find two or three more this year doesn't seem too daunting of a task. My advice? Sit back, relax, and enjoy the fact that the Panthers aren't a team that overpays for other team's players. It is much nicer drafting the players that other teams covet, isn't it?