The Carolina Panthers were big spenders during the first week of free agency, a sign that general manager Dan Morgan isn’t playing around and sure isn’t complacent after watching his team win the NFC South and put up a fight in the playoffs last season.

Seven new faces are set to join head coach Dave Canales’ squad, including some big-ticket signings such as DE Jaelan Phillips, LB Devin Lloyd, and LT Rasheed Walker. Carolina is starting to prove they’re an ascending team that players want to join and the new additions have continued to strength the team’s roster before we even get to the 2026 NFL Draft. Let’s see how the current roster could look based on the 71 players in the building.

Carolina Panthers way-to-early 2026 53-man roster projection

Quarterback (3)

In: Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett, and Andy Dalton
Out: N/A

Skinny: Bryce Young is going into a pivotal fourth season as the Panthers starting quarterback and with another strong season can earn his first big-time extension with the team. Behind him, Morgan landed a younger, more athletic backup in Kenny Pickett that even comes with starting experience. That signing made the hot seat for veteran quarterback Andy Dalton even hotter, although the team isn’t in any rush to part ways with him just yet and could wait out a trade.

Running Back (3)

In: Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks, and Trevor Etienne
Out: Montrell Johnson and Anthony Tyus III

Skinny: On paper, you might think the Panthers backfield is regressing after letting Rico Dowdle walk out of the door. However, that decision is a sign of trust for Jonathon Brooks. He is the new 1B behind Chuba Hubbard and once healthy will bring a lot more speed and juice to the offense while Trevor Etienne continues to develop as the RB3.

Wide Receiver (7)

In: Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, John Metchie, Jimmy Horn Jr., Brycen Tremayne, and David Moore
Out: Dan Chisena, Ainias Smith, Ja’Sheem Reed

Skinny: Going with a 7-man wide receiver room for another season. Most teams don’t tend to keep this many receivers but the Panthers are loaded at the position. Tetairoa McMillan is a stud and Jalen Coker showed promising flashes to be a starter for this offense. The magnifying glass will be on Xavier Legette in Year 3 to see if he can get past his sophomore slump. John Metchie was a sneaky signing to reunite with his former college quarterback while Jimmy Horn brings some serious speed to the mix. We’ll keep the two trusted special teamers in Brycen Tremayne and David Moore as well.

Tight End (3)

In: Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Mitchell Evans
Out: Bryce Pierre

Skinny: The Panthers continue to be connected to TE Kenyon Sadiq in the first-round mocks, so we’ll see if an addition eventually gets made to this room. For the time being, we’ll keep all three tight ends in Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, and Mitchell Evans. The latter of the three really started to come into his own late in the season and I’m excited to see the next step Evans can take.

Offensive Tackle (3)

In: Taylor Moton, Rasheed Walker, and Stone Forsythe
Out: N/A
PUP: Ickey Ekwonu

Skinny: Clearly, the Panthers could very much benefit from adding another offensive tackle to the mix in the draft. Ickey Ekwonu will miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season after suffering a patellar tendon injury in the postseason. In his place, the Panthers got a great deal on Rasheed Walker to be the starter at left tackle opposite Taylor Moton. I’m not thrilled about Stone Forsythe being the swing tackle and it’s a major downgrade from Yosh Nijman, who announced his retirement last week.

Interior Offensive Line (6)

In: Damien Lewis, Rob Hunt, Luke Fortner, Nick Samac, Chandler Zavala, and Saahdiq Charles
Out: Ja’Tyre Carter and Joshua Gray

Skinny: The interior of Carolina’s offensive front has a new starter with Luke Fortner coming in a center to play beside Damien Lewis and Rob Hunt. Behind that group, Chandler Zavala and Nick Samac provide nice depth. I’d love to see another solid depth addition get added here, whether that’s by re-signing Brady Christensen or using a mid-late round draft pick.

Defensive Linemen (6)

In: Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown III, Tershawn Warton, Cam Jackson, Trevis Gipson, and LaBryan Ray
Out: Jared Harrison-Hunte

Skinny: The release of A’Shawn Robinson opens the door for Cam Jackson to earn more of a role in his second season with the team while Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown III, and Tershawn Warton are locked in as the main interior players.

Outside Linebacker (5)

In: Jaelan Phillips, Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen, Patrick Jones II, and Thomas Incoom
Out: Maema Njongmeta and Jamil Muhammad

Skinny: This room certainly got a major boost with Jaelan Phillips coming to town as the team’s top free agent acquisition. Carolina paid Phillips like a Top-10 edge rusher and will be banking on that kind of performance while 2025 draft picks Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen rotate in the other spot. The staff was also high on Patrick Jones II prior to his season-ending back injury.

Inside Linebacker (5)

In: Devin Lloyd, Trevin Wallace, Claudin Cherelus, Isaiah Simmons, and Bam Martin-Scott
Out: Jacoby Windmon, Mapalo Mwansa, and Jared Bartlett

Skinny: Devin Lloyd was a massive addition that gives Carolina a legit franchise linebacker once again and Dan Morgan’s comments about this position made it sound like another addition will be expected in the draft. The Panthers also opted to bring back Claudin Cherelus and Isaiah Simmons as depth / special teams bodies. Bam Martin-Scott, the UDFA signing out of South Carolina, impressed as well.

Cornerback (5)

In: Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Robert Rochell, and Akayleb Evans
Out: Corey Thornton, Michael Reid, and Tyrek Funderburk

Skinny: Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson proved to be a top cornerback duo on the outside in 2025 but it sounds like the Panthers are sniffing around adding an upgrade in the slot. That could push a player out like Robert Rochell with Chau Smith-Wade being a reserve. Akayleb Evans is another trusted special teams player to keep in the fold.

Safety (4)

In: Tre’von Moehrig, Nick Scott, Lathan Ransom, and Demani Richardson
Out: N/A

Skinny: Rolling with the same four players at safety. Tre’von Moehrig was an awesome signing after his first year in Carolina and Nick Scott is an underrated leader for the secondary. Lathan Ransom also showed some really encouraging stuff as a rookie.

Specialists (3)

In: Ryan Fitzgerald (K), Sam Martin (P), and J.J. Jansen (LS)
Out: N/A

Skinny: Again, no changes here. Carolina made sure to retain this trio of specialists for the 2026 season. It’s a solid group and one that’s hard to replace.

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