NFL free agency grades: How did each team do?

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers need to nail their draft, because they are having a poor offseason. Pushing Cam Newton out the door was not a wise decision, to say the least.

They didn’t help matters by losing other key players, such as star cornerback James Bradberry. Carolina also released fan favorite Eric Reid, but, to be fair, it’s not like they were getting the most out of him.

The Panthers are in trouble as an organization, because everyone else in the NFC South did considerably better in free agency. Carolina mostly wasted their time signing replacement-level players to one-year deals.

John Miller, Pharoh Cooper, Seth Devalve, and Seth Roberts are all middling talents who should not be starting for any team in this league. Perhaps Devalve can provide some upside as a hyper-athletic tight end, but Roberts is a waste of a roster spot for the Panthers.

The silver lining for Carolina will be Teddy Bridgewater, who has the accuracy, poise under pressure, and football IQ to be a great quarterback in this league. Bridgewater is affordable at $63 million over three years, but it’s on him to prove he has the arm talent and playmaking ability to be a true star at quarterback. Otherwise, the Panthers may have made a huge mistake parting ways with Newton.

This is an organization on the decline, and a motivated Newton will likely have the last laugh in the end. The Panthers approached this offseason with no plan, were gutted of their best players, and need to forge ahead with a complete rebuild in mind. And they need to build this new team around Bridgewater.

Grade: D