Team news: Carolina Panthers | Page 4

Panthers free-agent acquisition Miles Sanders is back —he hopes— to being a three-down back. Sanders, now 26, is confident that reuniting with running backs coach Duce Staley, who was a Pederson assistant in Philly, will help him re-emerge as a receiving threat out of the backfield.

Related Players: Chuba Hubbard, Raheem Blackshear

Sanders bottomed out as a pass-catcher in 2022, with new career lows in receptions (20), yards (78), and receptions for first downs (two). He's really got nowhere to go but up after finishing the season, ranking 49th/49 qualifying backs with a 0.28 yards per route run mark. Leaving a team that has a quarterback that is prone to taking off with the ball on third downs should help, but his efficiency marks last year were stark. The good news is, he doesn't have a ton of competition for backfield touches with the way the depth chart is set up at the moment. Sanders is currently ranked as a mid-tier RB2.

The Carolina Panthers have elevated rookie Bryce Young to the No. 1 quarterback spot, a move coach Frank Reich said Thursday is "the next step" in the top pick of this year's draft, becoming the Week 1 starter.

These are all semantics at this point. The only thing we were worried about was Young coming in and having a terrible camp, and it doesn't look like he is trending in that direction. He should be drafted as the Panthers' QB1, which puts him on the radar in 2QB and SuperFlex leagues.

The Panthers aren’t done adding on offense, agreeing to terms with WR D.J. Chark on a 1-year deal. A complete remake of the Carolina offense is underway, and Chark will be a big part. As will their new rookie QB.

Related Players: Adam Thielen, Terrace Marshall

This signing immensely helps in shaping the team's three-wide sets with Chark, Thielen and Marshall. None of the three are necessarily fantasy targets until we see how the market for them plays out, but it's looking better for the soon-to-be rookie quarterback.

Three-time Pro Bowl WR Adam Thielen announced on Instagram he’s joining the Panthers. A big veteran addition for whatever young QB is headed to Carolina with the No. 1 pick.

Thielen will help fill the hole left by D.J. Moore. One would assume this is just the first of many moves at the position ahead of the 2023 season.

Bears are signing former Panthers’ RB D’Onta Foreman to a 1-year, $3 million deal.

Related Players: Khalil Herbert, Chuba Hubbard

The writing was on the wall for Foreman after the Miles Sanders signing in Carolina, as they both operate in the same part of the running game. Foreman, in turn, will likely operate as a Diet David Montgomery in Chicago, but Khalil Herbert should still be getting a healthy share of the work.

Miles Sanders is headed to the Carolina Panthers on a four-year deal. The exact specifics of the contract have not been revealed yet.

(update: the deal is purportedly for $25M over four years, no word on guaranteed money yet.)

Related Players: Chuba Hubbard, D'Onta Foreman

Even with the very good year D'Onta Foreman, this likely closes the possibility of the team re-signing him. Foreman and Sanders would be redundant assets, so for now it looks like a two-headed backfield of Sanders and Chuba Hubbard with Sanders acting as the 1a. It's not a great spot for fantasy purposes but at the least, it offers a veteran presence for their soon-to-be No. 1 quarterback.

The Panthers are expected to sign former first-round pick Hayden Hurst to a three-year deal.

Related Players: Ian Thomas, Tommy Tremble

Hurst had a one-year "prove it" deal in Cincinnati and delivered, accruing 400+ yards on 50+ catches through 13 games. Carolina will be his fourth home in five seasons, but he provides an offensive crutch for the Pathers' future rookie.

Veteran free-agent QB Andy Dalton is expected to reach an agreement on a two-year, $10 million deal that includes $8 million fully guaranteed with the Carolina Panthers. The contract max value is $17 million.

Dalton had a bit of a career resurgence with New Orleans and makes for a good backup with Carolina. If for some reason, the Panthers don't feel comfortable rolling out their No. 1 pick for Week 1; there are plenty of worse options as a bridge quarterback.

The Eagles aren’t done in the backfield: The team agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth about $2 million with RB Boston Scott.

Related Players: Miles Sanders

It would seem —at this point— that the Eagles are going to reload their backfield from 2022 but swap Miles Sanders for Rashaad Penny. We will see what they do during the NFL Draft.

The Eagles have agreed to terms with Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny.

Related Players: Ken Walker, Kenneth Gainwell, Miles Sanders

For the Eagles, this could put a damper on the prospects of Philadelphia re-signing Miles Sanders. Though with Penny's injury history, it's improbable that he will be the only back they add in the offseason.

In Seattle, Ken Walker is setting up for a pure bellcow role with only the likes of DeeJay Dallas, Godwin Igwevuike, etc. sitting behind him.