I do this every year now. Naturally, before I start writing this year’s post, I go back to my previous free agency post and try to figure out how ridiculous I might have been that year…
It looks like I was pretty reasonable in 2014, actually. Look, the bottom line is that it’s not rocket science to understand David Gettleman’s approach to free agency.
- Gettleman takes a look at his wallet
- Gettleman takes a look at the pool of free agents
- Gettleman assigns a dollar value to each guy, based on his talent and tier amongst his peers - NOT our team’s need
- Gettleman determines if the assigned dollar value and player fit our team
- He waits
This is the part that annoys most of our fans. Dave Gettleman won’t be the first GM to sign a player in free agency. It just won’t happen. I’d be willing to bet that even if we had the most cap space in the league, Gettleman still wouldn’t be the first to sign a player. Financially, it simply doesn’t make sense. Did that statement confuse you and/or sound like a contradiction? Let me say it again - Financially, it simply doesn’t make sense.
Our GM uses free agency to fill gaps, not concerning himself with making the big splash. Let the market set itself, and bring in guys that can help us without hampering our ability to retain our core players. By joining in on the first wave of signings, you are setting the market, and your chances at getting true value lessen. When your strategy is to fill gaps, you are looking to hit on many free agents, not just one or two.
Now, let’s get into the 2015 free agent signings.
- RB Jordan Todman
- WR Ted Ginn Jr.
- WR Jarrett Boykin
- OT Michael Oher
- OT Johnathan Martin (waivers)
- CB Charles Tillman
- CB Teddy Williams
- S Kurt Coleman
- LB Jason Trusnik
What I like
Most of the media that follows and write about the Panthers have noted that the players we opted to re-sign are more significant than guys that will be new to the team. We’ll get into that a little later. For now, what I really like about this free agency period is that we’ve brought 9 guys. For the amount of money spent and the level of experience brought in, to bring in 9 guys of that caliber - I think the value is high.
Last season it was very evident that our offensive line was weak, particularly in the beginning of the season. In turn, our running game and overall offense struggled. What many people overlook, is that our special teams was horrific as well. In our 2013 season (12-4), our special teams play was probably the best I’ve ever seen out of a Carolina Panthers team. I don’t think the correlation between ST play and our record can be overlooked. With exception of the OTs brought in, all of the signings made are very capable/high-end special teams players. From the coverage units to the return guys, I expect that we will see much better play in the 3rd phase of the game.
I also really like that we’ve brought in Charles Tillman. Many are saying that he’s old and lost a few steps. Evidently this is supported by the tape as well - I just haven’t had a look myself. Those things considered, the Bears defense certainly is not the Panthers defense. Our defensive front allows for guys in the secondary to shine in ways they simply won’t in other units. But that’s not really why I like the Tillman signing. The fact is, Tillman is a “pro’s pro”. Charles Tillman is a savvy veteran, being added to a young group of cornerbacks that are already talented, but could use tips and guidance. Regardless of how Charles Tillman plays, we can expect that Josh Norman and Bene’ Benwikere will be that much better under the tutelage of Mr. Peanut himself. Norman made a comment last year to the Charlotte Observer that Captain Munnerlyn didn’t try to help him much when he was a rookie. Whether that is true or not, I’m not sure, but I’ll take Norman at his word on this one. At the time, Munnerlyn wanted a job as an outside corner. Norman was his competition. I can understand why he may have felt threatened and not wanted to reach out and help out the youngster. I can assure you of one thing, that won’t be the case with Charles Tillman. Peanut Tillman will be the mentor that these guys need, it’s up to Josh and Bene to soak it in.
What I don’t like
I thought there was an opportunity to bring in a WR to pair with Kelvin Benjamin this free agency period. Torre Smith, Michael Crabtree, Randall Cobb, Andre Johnson, and Percy Harvin all became available at some point. Reggie Wayne is still out there. I understand that not all of those guys are fits, and even the guys that may be fits (Smith) cost too much. Yet and still, it’s disappointing to watch everyone sign elsewhere, and be seemingly left holding the bag. It was pretty reminisant of our offensive tackle situation last offseason. I can appreciate bringing Teddy Ginn back, but he won’t be a WR2. I’m not so sure what to expect out of Boykin, but I know enough not to expect that he will be a viable option at WR2.
I also would have loved to see us bring in a more proven offensive tackle to start at left tackle. Do not get me wrong here, I actually like the Michael Oher signing. Lots of folks don’t. Michael Oher really hasn’t been very good since his rookie season so I understand why someone may be down on him. What I like about the Oher signing is that we have a guy that has played this position in the league before and done reasonably well. Last year, we didn’t sign any tackles. By week 4 of last season we had 3 tackles that were active, one of which was a guy from Canada that never played a down in the NFL. There weren’t many options for us to choose from…Bulaga and Free were probably the top choices and they both were re-signed by their respective teams…oh well I guess. We’ll look towards the draft.
This was a relatively quiet free agency period, even for us. I can appreciate that we kept our guys and we have some continuity going into next season. We also will be adding 9 guys through the draft. I’m looking forward to seeing what we do in the draft. I see our needs as OT, WR, S, CB…in that order.