Cat Scratch Reader
The Panthers are looking at a total reset at their safety position in 2025.
The Panthers enter the 2025 Offseason looking to rebuild one of the worst statistical defenses in NFL history. And while the front seven, mainly defensive line, has become the focal point for many fans and analysts, the Panthers safety position might be in an even worse spot. Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller entered the season as the starters, with Nick Scott being a key backup and special teams ace Sam Franklin eventually returned to the lineup after starting the year on injured/reserve. All are set to hit free agency, leaving only UDFA Demani Richardson at the position, with depth safety Lonnie Johnson also joining said list of departing players. As you may know, most NFL defenses field two starting safeties, which means at the bare minimum the Panthers need to find a starter opposite Richardson, though there’s an argument to be made whether he should be a presumed starter in 2025 as well. So, where does the team go from here?
The Panthers currently have about $22 million in cap space for 2025, though they could easily restructure some contracts, sign extensions, or cut players to make that figure higher. Regardless, they aren’t sitting on a huge pile of money to address all of their needs for the regular season. Luckily, one of the positions they can address without shelling out top dollar is the safety position. In recent years, many starter caliber safeties sign pretty team friendly deals in the early goings of this phase of the off-season, or find themselves on the outside looking in for months until the preseason rolls around.
The Panthers could (and should) take advantage of the recent safety market to help shore up this position. After all, they need to add at least 3 safeties just to hit the bare minimum going into the regular season. Here’s a few options I think they should consider in free agency:
