RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesFor just about the entirety of their existence, the Carolina Panthers have hardly ever been considered a real factor in NFL free agency. During the legal tampering period, they would often sit idly by while other teams splurged on big contracts for big names.
But that hasn't been the case under the reign of general manager Dan Morgan.
In his first offseason, Morgan spent a boatload of money to improve the team's interior offensive line—handing out lucrative long-term deals to left guard Damien Lewis and right guard Robert Hunt. This past spring, Morgan went even further—dishing out the bucks to bring in two huge new pieces for Carolina's long-suffering defensive front seven.
Both of those adds have been ranked among ESPN's top-50 most-impactful offseason moves.
Signing outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips to his massive four-year, $120 million deal came in at No. 14. Former NFL safety and writer Matt Bowen notes:
Phillips should be a versatile contributor with edge-setting toughness, pass-rush production and the ability to drop or disguise in coverage. Injuries have been a factor with Phillips, but he did play all 17 games in 2025 with the Dolphins and Eagles. According to ESPN Research, his 12% pressure rate ranks fourth highest among players with at least 1,000 pass rushes over the past four seasons.
There are questions about Phillips' injury history and his ability to turn those pressures into sacks, something Phillips says he his focused on changing . But the 27-year-old may be ready to hit his peak under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, a disciple of Phillips' previous play-caller from Philadelphia—Vic Fangio.
The other big move the Panthers made in free agency was inking inside linebacker Devin Lloyd to a three-year, $42 million pact. His addition was ranked 39th on ESPN's list:
Lloyd can command the middle of the Panthers' defense, and he brings more upside in coverage as a three-down defender with ball skills and zone awareness. Lloyd showed his playmaking ability last season in Jacksonville, grabbing five interceptions and returning one for a score.
Lloyd is, by far, the best off-ball linebacker the Panthers have brought in since Luke Kuechly's retirement. He's fresh off his first Pro Bowl campaign, where he notched career-highs in interceptions (five) and pressures (21).
With Phillips and Lloyd in the mix, Carolina could end up having a top-10 defense by year's end. But they'll have to stay healthy, which has been pretty difficult for them to do here at the start of training camp.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers made 2 of ESPN's top-50 high-impact moves from 2026 offseason
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