Key off-season moves made by the Panthers this offseason

1. Traded for the first overall pick in this year’s draft
2. Signed Adam Thielen to a 3-year deal
3. Signed Miles Sanders to a 4-year deal
4. Signed DJ Chark to a 1-year deal

The Panthers start the NFL new year with a SPLASH

When the 2022 NFL season came to a close, the Chicago Bears owned the #1 pick for the 2023 draft. That all changed once legal tampering and the NFL new year kicked off. The Panthers have been in desperate need of a quarterback and wasted no time by trading a haul of draft picks plus D.J. Moore to the Bears. This was a strategic off-season move made by the Panthers even though they had to move on from their WR1. My prediction is that the Panthers go after C.J. Stroud and begin their rebuild from there. If the Panthers get Stroud, this off-season move would result in an A+ grade. The rookie quarterback will have a bunch of veteran options to use on the Panther’s new offense thanks to the other off-season moves they made. C.J. is projected to be the first QB taken in dynasty rookie drafts and is expected to have immediate results. I think there will be some growing pains with Stroud, especially at the beginning of the year. Long term, however, this is the right move for any fantasy owner that needs a QB – Especially in superflex leagues. Regardless, the fact the Panthers traded for the first overall pick the moment legal tampering began results in an A grade. But this move was only the beginning.

Panthers get their new WR1

Carolina did the right thing by building around their future quarterback with veterans in their respective positions. For starters, the Panthers went ahead and grabbed 32-year-old free agent Adam Thielen. He spent his whole career with the Minnesota Vikings, averaging 10 touchdowns per year since 2020. The veteran will lead their WR corps as being the main red zone threat and should remain the safety blanket for whoever their rookie QB is. You can buy Thielen at a discount in dynasty leagues because of his age. I would look to sell any 3rd-round picks for Adam Thielen while you can. Why risk a 3rd-round pick when you can get the WR1 on the Panthers who also happens to be the main red-zone threat? Seems easy to me. Panthers signing Adam Thielen gets a B+ grade for me.

Panthers find their Running Back

Miles Sanders said get out of the way 😤 pic.twitter.com/Hz4NfffhBl

— Michael Rimmer (@avl_mike) April 1, 2023

A day after the Panthers signed Adam Thielen, they went and got a new RB in Miles Sanders. Sanders had a breakout year in 2022, scoring 11 touchdowns in 17 games with the Eagles. He was the RB15 in PPR leagues. What helped Miles Sanders last year was not just the fact that he stayed healthy for the first time since 2019, but the offensive line he had in front of him too. Sanders heading to Carolina means he’s going to be the workhorse back, but it also means he has to say goodbye to that all-time great Philadelphia Eagles offensive line. This landing spot for Miles is going to hurt his fantasy value. Sanders hasn’t been a full-on workhorse in his career and I believe too many reps will result in a low-end RB2 kind of year. Pair that with the fact the Panther’s O-Line doesn’t even come close to what Philadelphia has, I see Miles as a flex option for most fantasy leagues. Miles would need to outperform 11 touchdowns and 1,269 yards to be better than last year, and I just can’t see it happening. Panthers signing Miles Sanders gets a C grade from me.

Panthers sign their deep-threat Wide Receiver

I’m sure you’re noticing a theme here: the Panther’s off-season moves have mainly favored the offense. Rightfully so, considering they only had 5,206 total yards of offense (29th in the league). DJ Chark wasn’t getting any love over in Detroit, especially with the emergence of first-round draft pick Jameson Williams. He finds himself on a 1-year deal with Carolina and will serve as their WR2 and deep threat on the offense. Chark played a career-high 15 games in 2019 and hasn’t stayed healthy since. This will be his third team since joining the league back in 2018 and I believe this is due to production. He’s never put up WR1 numbers and I don’t see that changing in 2023. Although a better team to be on than Detroit, Chark will remain a boom-or-bust player in Carolina. Panthers signing D.J. Chark gets a C grade for me.

Overall Grade: B-

The Panther’s off-season moves have been decent so far. They should produce more total yards than last year especially if they draft C.J. Stroud. Expect Thielen to get more targets now that Justin Jefferson is out of the equation. Sanders could be a sneaky running back in your fantasy draft where if he falls to the 5th or 6th you draft him and hope for the best. DJ Chark is someone I would stay away from and could be a possible waiver wire pickup at best.

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