Panthers’ top free agent has made his stance clear, plus a quick look at the other looming departures
Dan Morgan will have a lot of big decisions to make to retain the majority of this playoff team.
The Carolina Panthers had their season come to an end longer than many anticipated after backing into the playoffs and even giving the Los Angeles Rams a run for their money in the first round.
There was no disappointment in Charlotte, NC with how this weekend ended. The Panthers took major strides of growth this season and now have some major decisions coming up to help take that next step as a franchise and continue building a playoff-caliber roster.
With the season now over, the Panthers have 18 pending unrestricted free agents, and some of them are impactful pieces set to potentially depart in March. Let’s take a look at the full entire list and see which players could be brought back in the coming weeks.
Unrestricted free agents
- RB Rico Dowdle
- OT Yosh Nijman
- C Austin Corbett
- IOL Brady Christensen
- LB Christian Rozeboom
- S Nick Scott
- LS J.J. Jansen
- P Sam Martin
- WR Hunter Renfrow
- C Cade Mays
- DL D.J. Wonnum
- WR David Moore
- LB Isaiah Simmons
- CB Damarri Mathis
- CB Akayleb Evans
- S D’Anthony Bell
- DL LaBryan Ray
- S Demani Richardson
Rico Dowdle is the player on this list everyone has been talking about. The NC native signed a very team-friendly deal this offseason after a strong year with the Dallas Cowboys. Dowdle had some impressive games, including two games as the lead back in which he totaled 389 rushing yards.
Unfortunately, the Panthers running back room is crowded with Chuba Hubbard under a large contract with two young players behind him in Trevor Etienne and Jonathon Brooks. There’s just no possible way to pay Dowdle the money he’ll be looking for and parting ways is a mutual decision.
“That definitely is a factor,’’ Dowdle said on Sunday. “There’s options for me. I just want to be a guy who can go out there and just get the bulk [of the carries].”
As for the rest of the UFAs, the Panthers will have to make sure a couple of those guys come back, including the bulk of the team’s offensive line depth. Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen would be two players I’d strongly consider bringing back and after Ikem Ekwonu’s injury, bringing back Yosh Nijman wouldn’t be a bad idea either. Christian Rozeboom is a toss up, the Panthers could be in the market for a younger and more explosive linebacker in the draft instead of re-signing him.
Restricted free agents
- LB Claudin Cherelus
- ED Thomas Incoom
- TE James Mitchell
All three of these players played mostly special teams roles during the 2025-26 season with Claudin Cherelus getting some solid work on defense as a reserve linebacker. Since none of these players are big starters, the Panthers wouldn’t have to place any big tenders, and likely don’t apply one at all, making all three players unrestricted free agents. This would allow the Panthers to sign them back at a cheaper price, or just let them hit the open market.
Exclusive-rights free agents
- WR Jalen Coker
- WR Brycen Tremayne
Both of these players are easy decisions for the Panthers. Carolina can simply apply the ERFA tender for the price of the minimum salary (based on experience in the league). In Coker’s case, coming off a big playoff performance, the Panthers will likely just offer him a sizable extension and lock him in as the WR2 behind Tetairoa McMillan. Head coach Dave Canales seemed to indicate that will happen.
“I’m really excited about his chemistry with Bryce and where they’ve grown,” Canales said of Coker. “When Jalen came back to us middle of the season (in Week 7), finding ways to get him on routes that he can execute and, he just finds a way to win. And generally, the ball goes his direction, you can count it as a catch, and he and Bryce have just worked tirelessly on a daily basis to get that chemistry to the point where this game was a huge one for him.”
As for Tremayne, the training camp and preseason standout, will likely receive the ERFA tender, allowing him to come back and add even more depth to the position.
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