Offseason Primer Thread... or "On The Assumption That Santa Claus Isn't Real"

[Bronn]

Let's face it... Nothing short of an Xmas miracle is going to get us anywhere near the post-season this year. We have to win out, and we need other teams to tank that, most likely, aren't going to tank.

So, for the past several weeks, I have been gathering info and planning out this nifty thread to help get some of you ready for what could potentially be a wild offseason.

It is going to be a pretty long post, so prepare thine replies of "tl/dr" and "cool story bro."

I've long been an armchair GM, as it fascinates me how professional sports teams, especially the Panthers, operate. We all like to criticize our staff and players to no end from time to time, but you do have to have a respect for what it really takes to assemble a team and give them the best chance at success. From free agency to the draft, each offseason brings change.

To first start addressing our weaknesses, one must identify them.

Part one: Coordinators and Rivera

To begin with, our most glaring problem is our lack of offensive production. This starts with personnel, has some relativity to execution, but primarily revolves around our Offensive Coordinator, Mike Shula. Most who have witnessed my posts on the subject know how I feel, but let’s take a look at the numbers.

In Mike Shula's tenure with the Panthers as OC, we have ranked 18th, 19th, 1st, and currently 13th in overall offense each year. It is an average of 13th best offense each year, with the first place ranking last year really skewing it. In 2011, when we brought Shula on board as QB coach with Cam as a rookie, we had the 13th best passing attack, and the 3rd best rushing attack, ranking 5th overall in offense. In 2012, the second and final year of the Chudzinski era, Cam did a little better on the QB rating line. His stats and our offense overall, however, regressed to 19th overall.

As a comparison, over the tenure of Sean McDermott, the Panthers have ranked 27th, 18th, 2nd, 21st, 6th, and currently 26th in overall defense. His rankings are skewed by the pre-Luke Kuechly 2011 season, in which we were just plain bad versus the pass and run (24th and 25th respectively.) Aside from 2011 and this year, our defense has been at least top 14 in each category. Toss out that 2011 season, and our run D has ranked 14th, 2nd, 16th, 4th, and 5th every year since we've had Luke, and 13th, 6th, 11th, 11th, and 30th (this season) against the pass those years.

My argument between both those coordinators is that McDermott has been the most consistent success when he has had overall success. What I mean by that is that he's ranked in the top 10 of either rush or pass defense 4 times out of a possible 12 times (if you count his first year,) while Shula has accomplished that once out of eight chances. Overall, I see that as McDermott being more consistently successful when he is given the personnel, while Shula is more consistently average or below average when given the same.

Yes, injuries have been a problem on the offensive line this year. I understand that. But, if a coach needs to go to send a message, and for us to be able to break bad habits, it clearly needs to be Shula at this point.

If he and Ron are some sort of inseparable pair, then it is Gettleman's job to step in and make the executive decision.

I sense a little bit of tension, especially as of late, between Ron and Dave, and that could very well be where some of our minor chemistry issues stem from. But, to have the tools we have on offense just being wasted on WRs who give little effort because they are tired of unimaginative routes, and calling RB draws up the middle when your line is clearly a weak point has just gotten so old this season that it is Cretaceous.

I feel that, if we don't do something on the offensive coaching staff, namely with Mike Shula, then we're doomed to fail moving forward.

On defense, if McDermott doesn't land an HC job this offseason, I feel he is valuable enough on our team to continue as DC.

If Ron is indeed a holdup on the Shula front, and for the tie incident alone, get rid of him for all I care. Promote McDermott to HC and sort out the rest after. Do I think it will come to that? No. We could very well be stuck with Ron and Shula for another season. I still feel like Shula has to go, but I don't know that he will.

Expect little to no change here, unless we do ourselves a favor get rid of at least Shula.

 

Part two: Cuts

In the world we’ve known as the Panthers, cuts happen. Sometimes it stings (in the case of Smitty, for some) and sometimes it doesn’t.

This offseason, I’m expecting a sting. That will be the Panthers releasing arguably one of the best, if not the best, backs they’ve ever had.

Jonathan Stewart is will give us $4.75 million in cap savings by letting him go, going into the final year of his contract.

We could use that money, for perspective, to draft who we think the best back in the NFL draft next year is, or sign a young guy due to hit free agency, like Latavius Murray. That, and we’d have money left over.

Now, there is a slim chance that we could somehow extend J. Stew and dampen the cap hit, I assume (haven’t looked into his particular guarantees for next year, but I think it is along the lines of $3.5 million.) That could happen. Or, we could just let him eat that extra $4.75 million next year, since the projected cap is going to be about $10 million more than originally thought.

But, my gut is telling me we’ll cut him.

The same applies to Mike Tolbert, who will save us $1.5 million in cap space. Unlike most here, I don’t think Tolbert is some sort of vile terrible player now. He’s just suffering, probably the most of anyone, in a terrible offensive scheme.

I still like Mike, for the record. But I think he gets the axe, too, as we attempt to revitalize the running game with new faces in the backfield.

Another cut I have expected, even since this past offseason, is Ed Dickson. I have nothing but love for Ed, but I really don’t think he is the 10^th most valuable player on our team. That’s what he gets paid as, the last time I bothered to look. I do know that he’ll save us around $2 million in cap space if he gets the axe, too.

That’ll be three players on a terrible offense that net us around $8.25 million in cap space. That’s enough to pay for two really good offensive linemen and have some left over. If we need anything on this team right now, it is really good offensive linemen.

On that note…

Part Three: External Free Agency

Yes… Offensive Linemen. Good ones. We need them. Free agency will have some.

Oher’s a question mark because of his injury. I hope he’ll be back in decent form at the LT spot, but all bets are off.

Kalil has been banged up a bit, but I’m still counting on him being the reliable Kalil we know moving forward.

Remmers has been thrown in a fire, and will likely be out of work as we allow him to hit the FA market. His contract is up, and I doubt we’re jumping at the chance to give him more money. He’s had ups and downs, but mostly downs.

Norwell will need to be re-signed pretty fast. He’ll get around $850,000 next year, and we should pay him that. I’m not saying he’s locked in as a starter, but he at least deserves good backup status money.

I think we’ll also try to work on an extension with Trai Turner, to lock him up for 5-6 years at RG. Maybe not this offseason, but hopefully before the end of the 2017-2018 season, when he is due to become a UFA.

Now, about those external FAs that I’d like to look at on the offensive line…

Matt Kalil (go ahead and roll your eyes and moan about injury/talent here) should be an option. He can play either tackle spot, or anywhere on the line really, when healthy. He’s been up and down at LT, and he has been banged up a little, but my thinking is that Minnesota won’t re-up with him. He’ll hit the market, and teams will use his injuries and seeming talent roller coaster against him, which will devalue him a bit. We have his brother. We have money, and the ability to give him more than most teams will probably offer. It should be a no-brainer. If he’ll take a back loaded, incentive based deal worth around $4.5 million a year or less, we need to sign him up.

Another free agent tackle I like is Jordan Mills, currently playing RT for the leading rushing team in the NFL, the Buffalo Bills. He stumbled a bit coming into the league, having good success for Chicago, before he broke a bone in his foot. After that he kind of floundered a bit between the Cowboys and Lions, before ending up in Buffalo halfway through the 2015 season. By the way, Buffalo led the league in rushing in 2015, too.  He’s a big dude, and versatile. We should be able to get him for around $2.5 million in the first year, if Buffalo lets him hit the market.

Other options on the line include Chance Warmack and Jonathan Cooper at Guard. I’d like to go after one of them. They should fetch around $3 and $4 million for 2017, respectively. I’d lean towards Warmack, because he hasn’t bounced around like Cooper and is cheaper, but either could be an instant starter at LG. Cooper is a product of NC, though, and could offer a hometown discount.

That should square up the offensive line for sure. Yes, it is a lot of money spent, especially if we land three of those guys like I hope. But, it will be a good, long-term investment for the health and success of our QB and, in turn, offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, I have another few guys I would like the Panthers to make a run at. No, none of them are named Eric Berry.

We need help at the DE position. Andre Branch and Devin Taylor offer lots of help. One went to Clemson, and one went to THE University of South Carolina. Both are imposing pass rushers (6’5 and 6’7) that have shown talent on somewhat overlooked teams. I think we could spend a total of about $3.25 million for 2017 and land both. Branch will fetch the bulk of that, but Taylor will be worth every penny we can send his way too. I want both of them, but I will be glad if we can get just one.

The other defensive free agent I am currently looking at is D.J. Swearinger. He’s another guy with ties to the Carolinas. He could start at either safety spot (probably stay at FS) for us, and pair with Coleman nicely. He’ll get a contract worth close to $2 million the first year, coming cheaper to us (hopefully) than other options.

That sums up who I think we should look at in the upcoming free agent class, outside of our own bubble. There’re a couple other guys we could look at if we do cut Stewart, Tolbert and Dickson (like the previously mentioned Latavius Murray.)

Now let’s look at who the Panthers upcoming free agents are…

Part Four: Internal Free Agency

The Panthers are in the fortunate position to not have too many big name free agents of their own this offseason.

Objective one should be Kawann Short. Get the deal done. He is easily top 5 talent at the position in the league, despite a seeming regression on the stat line this season. Part of that regression is lack of help on the ends. Reports were that we were offering him a contract of around $14 million a season. I think we could get him for around $14.4 million a season, over the term of a 5-6 year deal, with about half of that money guaranteed… and make him happy. The bonus is that we could make it middle heavy and incentive laden in the 3^rd and 4^th years, averaging about $16-18 million for those seasons, and still probably be on par or ahead of the curve against other top paid DTs in the league.

Other than Short and the aforementioned possible extension for Trai Turner, were relatively in good shape at having to bring back our own guys.

Here’s a briefbreakdown of our pending free agents of each type, and what I think we’ll do in their situations.

UFA

Kawann Short – See above. Bring him back.

Charles Johnson – Originally I said let him walk in the market, but with the recent projected cap increase, maybe see if he’ll come back at around $1.5 – 2 million a year for another year or two.

Ted Ginn – To me, he’s the #1 WR on the Panthers right now, and the only one really playing like he gives a damn. Bring him back for $2 million a year for a couple years.

Mario Addison – Bring him back. He’s our best DE right now. He’ll get around $1.8 million a year, but I’d like to average that out over three years.

AJ Klein – I think we need to bring him back. Not only is he Luke’s backup, but he’s been our best backup LB for a while. He’ll get around $850,000 a year.

Chris Scott – Bring him back for depth and experience. He can play Center in a pinch and is a good backup to retain, at least for camp purposes. He’ll also get around $850,000 a year.

Kyle Love – I think he’ll be back as well for depth at $800,000 a year.

Leonard Johnson – I like him as probably one of our best backup CBs. He’ll hopefully be back at $800,000 a year.

Brenton Bersin – Say what you want, but when he’s in there he produces for the most part. He’s also a player/coach. I think he’s definitely worth his $500,000 a year.

I think we let the following UFAs walk, or at least test the waters before we bring them back at near minimums:

Mike Remmers, Colin Jones, Teddy Williams, Michael Griffin, Ryan Wendell, and Ben Jacobs

Remmers has been beaten up this year, but still could provide experienced depth if we want to bring him back. Jones has been a special teamer for us for a while now, and he’s fast. He might work his way back onto the roster. Williams has had his moments, but he’s had bad ones too. Griffin is getting up there in age, and has honestly been unimpressive to me. Wendell and Jacobs were recent additions that we might decide to bring back down the road. Jacobs has hung around a while, so there is some familiarity there.

RFA

First off, let me say that, in my opinion, none of our RFAs will be worth putting a tender on. I expect that we’ll just negotiate with them to bring them back, before letting them test the waters too much.Remmers could draw a third round tender, at around $1.875 mil per year (not sure the exact number yet, my estimate,) but I doubt it.

The Fozz – Bring him back. He’s our change of pace/out of the backfield guy. He’s worth around $1 million a year.

Corey Brown – I think we’ll bring him back, at least for camp, on a $1 million or so a year offer.

Andrew Norwell –Heck yes get him a new deal. If we can get him for around $850,000 a year it will be a steal.He could draw the third round tender like I mentioned, but probably not.

Wes Horton – I like the things he does for us, especially against the run. He’s worth around $750,000 a year.

Lou Young – If he can stay healthy, he could be one of our better backups. Bring him back, at least for camp. $650,000.

 

ERFA

David Yankey, Chas Alecxih, Zach Sanchez, Michael Palardy, and Dan France round out the group of free agents this offseason.

Of those, I could see us bringing Sanchez back for another year (or more) at around $600,000 per.

The rest of the guys could get camp vet minimum contracts, especially Yankey.

Part Five: The Draft

Assuming the offseason goes, or is looking to go, the way I have guessed up until this point, we would have set ourselves up nicely going into the draft. The only real positions we would need an immediate starter at, if we indeed release Stewart, Dickson, and Tolbert, would be RB and FB. I think we could possibly look to get better and younger at DE, a younger/better option at a Safety position, a WR, a TE for depth, and maybe a Guard or Tackle project thrown in there in the later rounds.

The Panthers are currently looking at picking somewhere in the range of pick 7-12.

Here are some of the guys on my radar, and I think the Panthers should take some hard looks at them.

Round 1

Leonard Fournette – RB – LSU

Fournette is one of those backs that come along only ever-so-often. He’s got all the tools and potential to be an every down back in the NFL, and a 1,200-yards- a- season rusher. He’s drawn comparisons to Adrian Peterson. If he slides to the Panthers, I’m pretty sure he’ll be the pick.

 

 

Other potential targets for the Panthers in round one include:

Royce Freeman – RB – Oregon

This draft is very deep at RB. If Fournette isn’t there when the Panthers pick, we could move down a little. If we do, Royce Freeman is who I am advocating we go after. He’ll basically be a rookie Jonathan Stewart, but potentially better. He’s overlooked in a lot of the discussion about 2017 RBs because he plays at Oregon, known for putting out decent backs in the NFL, and because he doesn’t really offer the big play potential that guys like Dalvin Cook offer because of their open field separation ability. In today’s NFL though, you rarely have the home-run backs like Cook succeeding anymore, because the NFL game is so much faster, and the players are so much better, than in college. Freeman is a patient workhorse that keeps his legs churning and sees the lanes as they develop. While he won’t be breaking off many 30-40 yard runs, he’ll average 4 YPC and get you those tough first downs when it counts.

 

D’Onta Foreman – RB – Texas

Here’s my third favorite RB prospect. He’s growing on me a lot and could take Freeman’s spot as my number two. Foreman reminds me of a certain Beast Mode, but he’s actually slightly bigger. He, like Dalvin Cook, has a good line in front of him. But he doesn’t avoid contact, and has separation ability once he breaks away. I wouldn’t mind this guy being our back of the future, if Fournette and Freeman are off the board.

Jamal Adams – S – LSU

Here’s the other top Safety prospect. I like Adams a lot, maybe even more than Peppers in some aspects. But the same things apply to him as they do to Peppers. I’m just not sure that the Panthers will go DB in the first round again.

Jabrill Peppers – S – Michigan

All aboard the hype train! Peppers has been the conductor for a while now, deservedly so, for the most part. I think we have bigger needs than Safety at this point, but Peppers would likely come in and be an immediate starter and role-player for us. I wouldn’t be disappointed with this pick, but I think we’ll go a different route unless the guys we want more are gone.

Derek Barnett – DE – Tennessee

Barnett reminds me of Charles Johnson in his prime, but maybe better. He’s good against the run and the pass, and could add to our rotation immediately, and potentially start.

Zach Cunningham – MLB – Vanderbilt

This is a sleeper pick. Cunningham’s stock is rising pretty fast, so much so that he’s probably a first rounder. He has the potential to be a top 15 pick by the time the draft gets here. He’s tall, athletic, great at reading the play, great in coverage, and great versus the run. If there is any doubt about Luke’s health moving forward, I could see the Panthers going after this guy. Yes, the Huddle would crash.

Mike Williams – WR – Clemson

What better way to light a fire under our other WRs than to bring in a new one looking to take their job? Williams is easily the best WR in the draft, and an immediate starter. I’d be happy to see him as a Panther.

 

 

Round 2 and beyond

It is still too early to tell who’ll go where at this point. So, rather than try to pick out which guys are going to go where, I’ll give you a group, in no particular order other than position, of guys I am looking at that I hope the Panthers can land.

Daeshon Hall – DE – Texas A&M

He’s the guy opposite Myles Garrett. I think he’d be a first rounder if Garrett wasn’t there. He may be anyway.

Tanoh Kpassagnon – DE – Villanova

6’7” – 290… Raw talent. An athletic monster. He shows good stuff vs the run and in pass rush. A project, but one I want us to go after, for sure. He could be somewhere between Greg Hardy and Julius Peppers.

 

Dawuane Smoot – DE – Illinois

He has a solid bag of pass rush tricks, and he’s good against the run.

 

Tyquan Lewis – DE – Ohio State

An NC native, he could project to OLB or be in the DE rotation.

 

 

Damore’eaStringfellow – WR – Ole Miss

He runs good routes, has good hands, and does well when contact is made.

 

John Johnson – DB – Boston College

Here’s a mid-later round guy that reminds me a lot of Josh Norman. He’s more of a Safety, but he could play CB too.

Donald Payne – S/OLB - Stetson

Remember how the Panthers drafted a Safety named Thomas Davis and turned him into a Linebacker? That could happen with this guy… Or you could just leave him at SS and let him be a beast. He’s a tackling machine that isn’t on many general public radars. He’s co-holder of the record for tackles in a NCAA game with 30. I want him in the later rounds, if he makes it there. In a game this season against Campbell University, who are coached by former Panthers Safety Mike Minter, Payne tallied 13 tackles, 2.5 for loss, a sack, broke up one pass, and returned a blocked kick for a TD in overtime to get the Hatters the W. He might be considered a little short to move to LB, so I’m hoping he sticks at Strong Safety. I know you’re thinking, “wow, Stetson” but this kid is the real deal.

 

 

Tarik Cohen – RB – NC A&T

I’m not going to say much here and just give you a video.

 

Probably too small to make it in the NFL, but we’ve heard that before.

I will have to take a moment here and admit that I haven’t done much research on the TE, FB, or OL prospects in this draft. That is mostly because I don’t see us drafting one of them, and if we do, I think they’ll be a camp fodder dice throw, hoping we get a contributor, or at least someone we can turn into one. This is especially true if we cover the OL through Free Agency as I have outlined above. In other words, I don’t think these areas are going to be as big of a deal once all the other puzzle pieces work themselves out in the offseason.

Conclusion

By my estimates, we should be able to come out of the offseason outlined above with around $15-20 million left in cap space. We could use some of that money if we decide to bring in a bigger name FA like Latavius Murray (not even that big, I guess) or even a WR like Alshon Jeffery or Terrelle Pryor (hey, you never know.) Or, we could hang onto Stewart, Tolbert, and Dickson, and come out with around $8-12 million left for emergency or other needs I’m not projecting.

Any way you look at it, we still have the building blocks in place to be a successful football team. If we can make moves similar to what I’m predicting, I think we’ll see a return to championship form.

So there you have it, a guide to the upcoming offseason and some things to look forward to. I hope everyone has a good holiday season, and enjoy these last few games. Go Panthers!

 

[t96]

Matt Kalil isn't even worth vet min per year, except as a 4th tackle at the highest. Remmers is so much better than him.

[BIGH2001]

how long did it take you to write that

Sent from my SM-N920V using CarolinaHuddle mobile app

[Bronn]

10 minutes ago, thomas96 said:

Matt Kalil isn't even worth vet min per year, except as a 4th tackle at the highest. Remmers is so much better than him.

Very debatable. If he can come back after his most recent injury, he could fit in nicely with us. Remmers has been beat up, but he's not even close to Kalil's level.

My contract estimate was very generous, admittedly. He might end up back in Minnesota, but I doubt it.

Anyway, he's one of the better options out there, including the draft.

[Bronn]

8 minutes ago, BIGH2001 said:

how long did it take you to write that

Sent from my SM-N920V using CarolinaHuddle mobile app
 

Long enough. Formatting it to get it to post right here took almost as long, heh.

[BIGH2001]

Long enough. Formatting it to get it to post right here took almost as long, heh.

Good work though. At least you didn't reflexively say "Sign Berry and Deshaun Jackson" "Trade for Joe Thomas"

Sent from my SM-N920V using CarolinaHuddle mobile app

[Ricky Spanish]

Great post dude, tons of work went into it and I liked that you added the videos. A few opinions:

• I believe you are thinking too small in FA
• In year's past I have been on the sign these no name guys and see if they work out, but this year we have the cash to make things happen. We have the ability to go after guys like JPP, Berry, and Jackson, but the guys you listed aren't bad options for depth. I would expect one "big name" signing this offseason because we'll have nearly 70 million in cap space BEFORE we release anyone. 
• Why so little love for Norwell? He's been our most consistent Lineman this year hands down. Both him and Trai have taken a small step back due to the revolving door at Center and Tackle. Once you get a line gelling they play better off each other. No need to bring in a guard expecting him to start or take Norwell's job, but another guy for depth wouldn't hurt.
• Another tackle we might kick the tires on is Luke Joeckel the failed 1st rounder from the jags a few years back. He, like Kalil, has been a disappointment but it could be a depth signing.
• If we bring back Remmers, which I think we might, it will be for depth, not with the expectations to start. 
• I don't like Royce Freeman, nothing about his running style says "exceptional" to me. He avoids contact and looks pretty slow. The only thing he has going for him is experience in the read option. Would rather have Cooks or Foreman over him.
• Tarik Cohen - Jeebus, I want to take a late round flyer on that guy. He could take Fozzy's job. 

All in all, good writeup OP

[imminent rogaine]

Stellar write-up. Thanks! I really appreciate the college scouting and vids; I gave up most of my college FB watching when I started adulting, so that I can focus on NFL and still get things done.

I think Norwell is back as starting guard. Remmers is back as depth. I think we'll see both of our guards look better with better tackles. Similar logic with the DTs when we upgrade DEs. I like your plan with that group. Charles' hamstring issue worries me a little since that is what plagued him last year. We could always sign JPP. I can't imagine how dirty KK and Star would be if they were lined up with JPP and another serviceable DE like Addison, Johnson, or Ealy if he improves.

I really think Klein is going somewhere to try his hand at starting. I could see us trying to replace him with vet depth like Tulloch (who also has NC ties). This would be a good way to inject some vet leadership which we clearly lost this past offseason.

I'd like to see us go Safety, DE then RB in that order. I think we could bring in Perine with a 3rd and let Stew walk - as long as we get a legit FB.

That safety from Stetson seems like a fine late pick to me. The vid also showed that he was an Academic All-American. I interpret that to mean character and intelligence. Character, intelligence, and production? I'll take that in a late round flier. Last time we took a tackle-record setter, it worked out pretty well.

[imminent rogaine]

2 hours ago, BIGH2001 said:

 

 

 

 

Good work though. At least you didn't reflexively say "Sign Berry and Deshaun Jackson" "Trade for Joe Thomas"

Sent from my SM-N920V using CarolinaHuddle mobile app
 

 

 

I will probably choke on vomit and die if we sign Jackson.

[top dawg]

Some good speculation there, @Bronn. One thing that I take issue with though, which is not necessarily directly relevant to the OP, is that Ginn may play with effort, but he's not the only one (plus he still leaves way too much meat on the bone). Devin Funchess plays with a lot of heart, and perhaps even more than Ginn. 

[jayflip]

Great write up OP. I came in expecting someone to quote the op but I'm pleasantly surprised. Perhaps the idea of the ministry of troll defense is already working. 

 

My my only concern with cutting Stew is the rookie learning curve at blocking and pass protection. 

[Bronn]

1 hour ago, Cracka McNasty said:

Great post dude, tons of work went into it and I liked that you added the videos. A few opinions:

• I believe you are thinking too small in FA
• In year's past I have been on the sign these no name guys and see if they work out, but this year we have the cash to make things happen. We have the ability to go after guys like JPP, Berry, and Jackson, but the guys you listed aren't bad options for depth. I would expect one "big name" signing this offseason because we'll have nearly 70 million in cap space BEFORE we release anyone. 
• Why so little love for Norwell? He's been our most consistent Lineman this year hands down. Both him and Trai have taken a small step back due to the revolving door at Center and Tackle. Once you get a line gelling they play better off each other. No need to bring in a guard expecting him to start or take Norwell's job, but another guy for depth wouldn't hurt.
• Another tackle we might kick the tires on is Luke Joeckel the failed 1st rounder from the jags a few years back. He, like Kalil, has been a disappointment but it could be a depth signing.
• If we bring back Remmers, which I think we might, it will be for depth, not with the expectations to start. 
• I don't like Royce Freeman, nothing about his running style says "exceptional" to me. He avoids contact and looks pretty slow. The only thing he has going for him is experience in the read option. Would rather have Cooks or Foreman over him.
• Tarik Cohen - Jeebus, I want to take a late round flyer on that guy. He could take Fozzy's job. 

All in all, good writeup OP

We'll have to agree to disagree on Freeman. I will agree that he doesn't offer the flashy runs, which I think I alluded to... But, I think what he offers instead is consistency, strength, and vision probably as good as or better than anyone in the class.

I like Norwell and I think we'll sign him to a new deal. Guards are cheaper than tackles though, and none of our OL have done well enough to not have some competition brought in. Warmack and Cooper are borderline elite, and that's what I want blocking for Cam and our rushing offense.

I think your 70 million estimate is wrong. Sportstrac estimates around $62 million. I think at the time I was writing the bulk of this, I was working with a figure of about $58-60 million in room.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/cap/2017/

Overthecap still has us with another figure, $40 million. I'm pretty sure that isn't correct, though.

JPP is interesting, but I think he'll stay in NY or get way more money than Dave Gettleman will ever offer him.

Thanks for the props though! I appreciate them!

[Ricky Spanish]

1 minute ago, Bronn said:

We'll have to agree to disagree on Freeman. I will agree that he doesn't offer the flashy runs, which I think I alluded to... But, I think what he offers instead is consistency, strength, and vision probably as good as or better than anyone in the class.

I like Norwell and I think we'll sign him to a new deal. Guards are cheaper than tackles though, and none of our OL have done well enough to not have some competition brought in. Warmack and Cooper are borderline elite, and that's what I want blocking for Cam and our rushing offense.

I think your 70 million estimate is wrong. Sportstrac estimates around $62 million. I think at the time I was writing the bulk of this, I was working with a figure of about $58-60 million in room.

http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/cap/2017/

Overthecap still has us with another figure, $40 million. I'm pretty sure that isn't correct, though.

JPP is interesting, but I think he'll stay in NY or get way more money than Dave Gettleman will ever offer him.

Thanks for the props though! I appreciate them!

I included the bump in cap that every team will get league-wide. They're estimating a conservative $10 million but it could be even higher.

[Bronn]

8 minutes ago, top dawg said:

Some good speculation there, @Bronn. One thing that I take issue with though, which is not necessarily directly relevant to the OP, is that Ginn may play with effort, but he's not the only one (plus he still leaves way too much meat on the bone). Devin Funchess plays with a lot of heart, and perhaps even more than Ginn. 

I will agree with you there. I was more firing shots at KB with that comment, though. But, as a whole, I don't see the fire in any of our guys, aside from Ginn, that they had last year. Funch has done well recently, but earlier in the season he was kind of a ghost when it mattered.

I hope nobody takes this the wrong way. I love all our guys. They are the Panthers and I am just a fan. As an observer, though, I do try to pick up on things and make note.

I really think the whole rotten egg in the room is Shula, and once we fix that situation, then everyone is going to be better and morale will improve.