You're the GM

[DaveThePanther2008]

You have just been hired to be the GM.  You have a new owner and have been given full control of the roster.

What is your plan, who do you keep, who to you trade?  

For me. (Disclaimer I am not the expert some of you think that you are, and this is my opinion) 

Coaches Dave Canales has a plan, and I will give him the time to implement it.  it's going to take a couple of years to see it through.  Defensive Coordinator Evero is in a tough spot.  He doesn't have the talent to run a competitive defense.  The focus will be getting him players so he can run his defense. 

The O-line is our strength, which is very laughable since last year it was our weakness.  I'd try to keep all 5 together, You have some decent back-ups in Zavala and Christensen and a future center in Rahm.

QB I would try to keep Dalton for another season and look for one in the draft.  Maybe look for a QB that needs a fresh start somewhere else as a backup and let Canales work his magic with him.

Tight End Sanders is a rookie and playing like one but should develop into a good TE.  Tremble is adequate for now.  The remaining TEs I would clear out especially Thomas

WR I would try to sign Jonnson to an extension by the trade deadline. If I cannot get a deal done than I look for a trade for him. I wouldn't take anything lower than a 2nd.  He's shown he can be a very valuable WR.  It would put stress on the WR room but I would learn quickly who is going to fight to be the next top target for our QB.    We have Theilen for one more season, XL has shown flashes and Coker when given the chance seems to be keeper.   MIngo and the other WRs are going to have to prove they are NFL WRs if we trade Johnson away. 

RB.  I would release Sanders before the ink was dry on my contract.  He's a waste of a roster spot.  Hubbard would be my #1 back, Brooks would replace Sanders in the backup role for the remainder of 2024.  Get him a couple of carries per game so 2025 he has some experience.  Even fully healed I would not put him as the lead back. 

Defensively we are a mess.   We signed players that may never see the field this season and so many of our good players are on IR.   Brown and Horn are about the only two veterans that are elite. 

Defensive Line   I would keep all current players under contract.  This should be our No. 1 target if we aren't going to go for a QB in 2025.  In fact, I would take a DE only if he is a Hutchinson/Watt type DE

LB I would let Shaq finish the year out and move on. Jewell is under contract for a couple of seasons and is serviceable.  Wallace is raw and IMO needs playing time to get better.  I think he was a good pick and will pay dividends as he matures.

CB Horn is playing well and as of this writing he isn't injured.  He would be another player I would consider for a trade if we get GREAT compensation for, otherwise I would extend him.  Jackson IMO will be better if we can get some sort of a pass rush.

Safety  Woods and Franklin are our best players but Franklin is on IR.  

2024 Trade Deadline.  There are two players IMO that could give us draft capital to rebuild the Panthers.   Johnson and Horn.  Johnson will only net us a 2nd or a 3rd because most teams know he probably isn't going to stay and can just wait to sign him in 2025. Our only hope is that Johnson is the final piece for a playoff push for another team.   As GM I would make a trade if we get a 2nd or 3rd for him.

Horn on the other hand would give a team this year and next to work out a deal and we could get some nice draft capital for him.   Minimum one 1st and one 2nd.  

2025 offseason This really depends on what you plan to do with Young. I would start him the final 6 games and see if he has learned anything from being behind Dalton.  If he flounders in the final 6 games than I would trade him for whatever I could get.  I would try not to create anymore dead cap space for this team.  Those that are on the team and have one year left they would be Panthers in 2025. 2025 we might be more competitive but most likely not a playoff team.  Creating more dead cap space doesn't help.  My focus would be QB and DE as my top two priorities going into the draft.  My free agents would be limited fill only holes that require a glaring need of depth or a starter.  I would try to have as much cap space as I could for 2026. 

2025 Draft  My draft is based on we were successful in trading Horn for a 1st and a 2nd and Johnson for a 2nd.   In round one I would take DE and QB.  Round 2 thru 4 would be defensive players unless someone on offense we rated high dropped.  5 thru 7 would be BPA

OUTLOOK As GM I know it is going to take more than 2025 to fix all our issues.  But to put us in the right direction I don't go crazy on Free Agents trying to get us into the playoffs when most likely we aren't going to be there.   

WHAT'S YOUR PLAN

 

[Waldo]

I still think it's a great time for a house cleaning. They have 12 more games to prove that wrong but as of today I would pull that trigger and not look back. Top pick incoming that we still hold, possible to move past the Young mistake and plenty of reasons to make that move.

As for the team moves it would be building a roster that meshes with who is here, something they keep doing poorly no matter who is in charge. Plenty of dead weight still on the roster and they missed on too many of the middle and lower teir guys the last 2 years, that has to be improved. Don't target any of the top teir free agents, too expensive and this team needa hungry guys who want and need to prove their value. Draft guys who are not projects in the first 4 rounds while drafting to the strength of the draft vs agaisnt it like last year. Injured players and guys on the older side should be avoided next year.

It's early. I hope they change that but it's not looking good for Dan and Dave is looking meh IMO.

[LinvilleGorge]

We need a long term answer at QB and a LOT of help in the defensive front seven. We can talk about secondary all we want but as long as we can't rush the passer and can't stop the run we could have the 1st team All Pro squad as our secondary and our overall D would still suck.

[Jon Snow]

I would encourage the owner to sell the team.

[CPantherKing]

GM Morgan: Poor. Keep due to Canales relationship. They are a package deal for me. If one goes, they both go.

HC/OC Canales: Promising

DC Evero: Fire. 3 consecutive year DC failure. Can't get average production out of reserves with Dom Capers in his ear. Worst Panthers DC. Marshall, Snow and Wilks/Holcomb did more with less. Injuries are never an excuse for a DC allowing 30+ points per game consistently.

OL: LT Bakhtiari, LG Ekwonu, C Christensen, RG Hunt, RT Moton (Lewis, B. Turner, T. Turner, L. Collins)

QB: Dalton, Rush, Ridder, Glass (prepare and rotate them with a clutch redline for next. See who holds onto the job) if no one does, then release 2 and add 2 every year. You'll find the franchise QB in 3 seasons at most.

RB: Brooks, Frank Gore Jr, Mingo, Ezra Gray

WR: S. Diggs, Johnson extension, Thielen, Legette, H. Renfrow, C. Conley, J. Vann, J. Ezzard

TE: Z. Kuntz, Sanders, C. Latu, Matthews, S. Surratt

 

(35 defense)

DL: D. Brown, Tuttle, O. Odighizuwa, S. Ika, E. Ogbah, Q. Jefferson

Edge: Clowney, D. Fowler Jr, Barno, J. Moon

LB: Thompson , J. Sanborn, Jewell, Ja. Houston IV, J. Kearse, Wallace

CB: Horn, M. Jackson, S. Gilmore, Hill, A. Samuel Jr

ST: Piñeiro, Hekker, Jansen

Draft is still being evaluated. Add competion and stay away from luxury picks and project players on day 1 or 2. These types of picks will turn a rebuilding team into a farm team for the playoff contending teams. Use the draft to fill the roster for players above who couldn't be signed for contract/cap reasons or refuse to play for the Panthers.

I'd focus on EDGE, TE and LB in the draft to improve the roster. All other positions will fall into place with a good draft strategty/system.

[PanthersNCSU]

Dan gets 3 years IMO to prove it. Same with Canales, so they're safe. For the team...

1. Get the 1st pick 

2. Trade down from the 1st pick, collect a haul (preferably Bears style with picks and a proven player)

3. Act like Gettleman and draft Hog Mollies and defense

4. Re-sign Dalton or a similar bridge QB, draft a QB in the middle rounds to develop 

5. Win 5-7 games next year, take your swing at another high draft pick QB in 2026 if needed

[AggieLean]

If I’m the GM, we’re starting fresh. Canales is outta here. I know he didn’t get a fair shot, but it is what it is. 
 

We’re going to start the process of cycling these scouts outta here, and replacing. I know this could take a couple of off-seasons. 
 

When it comes to personnel, we’ve got to get a QB in here, and we’ve got to get the d line rebuilt. That is priority. 

[DeAngelo Beason]

I have the exact plan that would work to perfection:

 

Remainder of this season: Tank for a high pick, trade Bryce for whatever we can get, roll with Dalton. Extend current playmakers asap. No one on the team that's really worth a bank breaking sum except potentially Diontae, so they should focus on him asap. 

Offseason: Trade the high pick for a package of other picks, use picks to rebuild the defensive line.

2025 season: Tank again.  #1 pick.  Go get the franchise QB.  Potentially could trade down a few spots and still get a franchise QB plus fill in some inevitable roster spots. 

 

There is no path to success for this team this season or next season, so we need to embrace the suck and take full advantage of it.

[ProcessBlue2]

This wouldn't fix everything, but would be a step in the right direction. It would still take 1-2 more offseasons to be a real competitor. But this is a 5-7 win roster.

 

Coaches: I would give Canales another season unless he has some Urban Meyer level blunders between now and then. However, I would push for a 4-3 style defense/coordinator change and be very critical of Evero. If Canales truly had confidence in EE, I would support it. However, it would be an opportunity to bring in a guy like Saleh or Leslie Frazier and move back to a 4-3 scheme. 

The O-line 4/5 starting OL are under contract next season. I would probably let Corbett go into FA just due to recent injuries. I would look for a veteran C to pair with a younger guy in the 2nd or 3rd round. I would also resign Christensen as a depth piece and add another 1-2 depth guys in FA like we did with Nijman this season.

QB: I would keep Dalton on another year deal. I would offload Bryce to the highest bidder. I would bring in a younger Veteran QB (Rudolph, Lock, etc) and let Canales work his magic with him. Would also keep Plummer around as a development project.

Tight End: I would keep Thomas if I can get a super cheap deal done, just for run blocking purposes. Sanders of course would stay on the roster and I would have him compete with Tremble for the TE2 role, which he would probably win. I would go after one of the top TE Free Agents in the market.

WR: I too would try to keep Johnson but wouldn't be afraid to walk away if the price was too ridiculous. Thielen can hang around another season just for his veteran leadership, but I wouldn't be expecting a lot. Considering Johnson stays, I would be looking for a 3-4 round guy, if he leaves I'm looking in the 2-3 round. Either way, I'm still likely bringing in a mid-tier FA from outside. I'll leave Mingo on the roster for an opportunity to improve this season but my patience would be thin. My focus would be on Johnson*, Legette, New FA, Rookie, Coker, with Thielen around. 

RB.  Sanders would be gone, and I would pay for the moving service personally. I'd like to bring Hubbard back to pair with Brooks. I would also target a big back in rounds 4-6 like Braelon Allen this past draft and hope we find the next Rhamondre Stevenson. 

Defensively: Hopefully Canales agrees that EE isn't the best path for the team, and we bring in a guy like Saleh or Frazier and switch to their 4-3 defense.

Defensive Line: I'm using our 1st round pick for DL help. Somebody like Mason Graham, James Pearce, or Mykel Williams. If I can get one of them and still trade back I would. For this exercise, I'll say that we drafted Mykel Williams, and I would stick him in the WDE role, keep Derrick Brown in the center of the line with Robinson. Some of our Edge rushers can convert to 4-3 DEs. Wonnum and Clowney would fit fine in the 4-3 SDE role to play. I would still bring in more DT depth, and DE depth from mid-to lower tier guys in FA.

LB: I would offer Shaq a cheap deal, and I mean CHEAP. He would have the opportunity to hang around, but more as depth/rotational piece. I would invest heavily in Trevin Wallace and try to bring him into WLB role. Jewell is under contract, so I would try to push him into the SLB role. I would try to target one of the top MLBs on the market (along with TE).

CB: Horn and Dane Jackson are returning. I would try to get Mike Jackson back as well. Smith-Wade is still on a rookie deal, but I would probably draft some Day 3 help and get another veteran FA in the mix.

Safety  I would keep Woods/Franklin for the SS role. Robinson can kick rocks. I would be open to Fuller returning on the right deal, but wouldn't be opposed to bringing in another 1 year rental for FS. Nick Scott is G-O-N-E.

2024 Trade Deadline. I wouldn't exercise the trade deadline this season.

2025 offseason:

FA Additions (Realistic with Cap)

• Drew Lock QB
• John Cominsky DE
• Tyler Conklin TE
• Chris Godwin WR
• Connor Williams C
• Jedrick Wills T
• Greg Gaines, DT
• Andre Cisco S
• Jerome Baker LB
• Rasul Douglas CB
• Garrett Wallow LB
• Chazz Surratt LB

2025 Draft:

Something like this (First 5 Rounds):

• 1st Round- Mykel Williams, DE Georgia
• 2nd Round- Xavier Restrepo, WR Miami
• 3rd Round- Parker Brailsford, C Alabama
• 4th Round-Dorian Strong, CB Virginia Tech
• 5th Round-Kalel Mullings, RB Michigan
• 5th Round-Deontae Lawson, LB Alabama

OUTLOOK:

QB: Andy Dalton, Drew Lock, Jack Plummer

RB: Chuba Hubbard, Jonathan Brooks, Kalel Mullings*

WR: Diontae Johnson, Chris Godwin, Jalen Coker

WR: Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen, Xavier Restrepo*

TE: Tyler Conklin, JT Sanders, Ian Thomas

LT: Ikem Ekwonu, Jedrick Wills

LG: Damien Lewis, Chandler Zavala

C Connor Williams

RG: Robert Hunt, Parker Brailsford* (C)

RT: Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen

DE: Mykel Williams*, DJ Wonnum, Amare Barno

DT: Derrick Brown, Jaden Crumedy

DT: Greg Gaines, A’Shawn Robinson

DE: Jadaveon Clowney, John Cominsky

WLB: Jerome Baker, Chazz Surratt

MLB: Trevin Wallace, Deonte Lawson*, Jackson Mitchell

SLB: Josey Jewell, Garrett Wallow

CB: Jaycee Horn, Dane Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade

CB: Mike Jackson, Rasul Douglas, Dorian Strong*

SS: Xavier Woods, Sam Franklin

FS: Jordan Fuller, Andre Cisco

P: Johnny Hekker

K: Eddie Piniero

LS: JJ Jansen

Edited October 9 by ProcessBlue2

[kungfoodude]

I am hired as GM.

Day one, I walked to the office next to mine:

I proceed down the hall to the next office:

I hit the next few offices on this floor of the building:

Over the next few hours I make my way through the various positions in the building:

 

Eventually, as I survey the empty offices and I sit and say to myself, "Well, time to get to work."

[CarolinaRideorDie]

Agree with a lot of your points. I would try to clear as much cap space as possible, the product on the field doesn't justify the debt. Only way we get quality free agents is to overpay but our team doesn't even have enough talent to compete. In the draft, we just need best player available regardless of position, we can't continue to miss. When you are building a team from scratch, you have to prioritize both sides of the line, it's not sexy but it's foundational. After the line, then you can add the playmakers. 

Franchises can turn things around in one season with the right leadership and direction. Look at Houston and Washington as recent examples. 

 

[CamWhoaaCam]

34 minutes ago, kungfoodude said:

I am hired as GM.

Day one, I walked to the office next to mine:

I proceed down the hall to the next office:

I hit the next few offices on this floor of the building:

Over the next few hours I make my way through the various positions in the building:

 

Eventually, as I survey the empty offices and I sit and say to myself, "Well, time to get to work."

This is hilarious and I agree 100%

[kungfoodude]

2 minutes ago, CarolinaRideorDie said:

Agree with a lot of your points. I would try to clear as much cap space as possible, the product on the field doesn't justify the debt. Only way we get quality free agents is to overpay but our team doesn't even have enough talent to compete. In the draft, we just need best player available regardless of position, we can't continue to miss. When you are building a team from scratch, you have to prioritize both sides of the line, it's not sexy but it's foundational. After the line, then you can add the playmakers. 

Franchises can turn things around in one season with the right leadership and direction. Look at Houston and Washington as recent examples. 

 

We are not a one season fixer upper and we should not approach fixing our situation as a "one year fix." That's literally how we ended up where we are with the worst roster in franchise history. We had successive years of "Oh we are building for the long ter.......fug IT!!!! WE NEED TO WIN NOW!!!" moves.

Just focus on getting foundational elements for the future, be it through the draft(preferable) or through free agency(do not lean in on overpaying). The focus should be to add at least 2 multi-year starters every offseason. Not project players, no 34 year old journeymen, foundational elements of the franchise. Core players.

Until we can actually start to pile those up, this is never gonna work at all. That allows the sort of luxury picks like taking a Brooks in the 2nd round and not worrying about the injury or PT. But bad teams with no core players cannot afford to "build" like that.

Same with crazy reaches or trades(up or down) to get "your guy." That's not a successful strategy for a bad team, that's a luxury that a talent loaded team has.

[kungfoodude]

2 minutes ago, CamWhoaaCam said:

This is hilarious and I agree 100%

We have to assume based on the personality of the owner that there are a fugload of yes men in that building just shaking their heads up and down at every suggestion, without any idea other than protecting their own jobs.

We are never gonna be successful that way. Never.