FOXSports.com News for Panthers

NFL Transaction Wire Blog (3/15-3/21)

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 14:27:40 GMT

NFL Transaction Wire Blog (3/8-3/14)

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:58:01 GMT

Ex-coach Dungy speaks to inmates in South Carolina

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:53:03 GMT

Browns see QB Delhomme as veteran presence

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:11:07 GMT

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:07:45 GMT

One of the positions the Panthers will need to develop this off-season is the defensive line where they're replacing four starters. Presumably Charles Johnson and Everette Brown will start on the ends, while some combination of Tank Tyler, Louis Leonard and Ed Johnson will hold down the middle. The Panthers don't have much depth behind them. OFFSEASON STRATEGY The Carolina Panthers have signed free agent special teams standout and wide receiver Wallace Wright. Wright, 6-1, 197 pounds, recorded 45 special teams tackles over the last two years with the New York Jets. He tied for the team lead in special teams tackles in 2008 and had 23 last season. In limited play at wide receiver, Wright had eight receptions for 108 yards with the Jets. A native of Fayetteville, N.C., Wright played at the University of North Carolina and signed with the Jets in 2006 as a free agent. The lack of movement in the free agent market is not sitting well with fans of the team. TEAM NEEDS 1. Wide receiver: Of all of the needs, this remains the biggest one because, unlike the other positions of needs, the Panthers don't really have anyone ready to step in to play the No. 2 receiver spot opposite Steve Smith. Dwayne Jarrett has had one really good game in three years (it just so happens to be last year's season finale) and tends to struggle getting off the line of scrimmage. Without someone to take the pressure off Smith, the Panthers passing game and running game struggled early on last season. 2. Defensive line. We'll just group tackle and end together here because the Panthers need both. Starters Julius Peppers and Maake Kemoeatu have already signed with other teams, while Damione Lewis was cut and Tyler Brayton and Hollis Thomas are exploring the free agent market. That means all for four starters over the past two seasons are gone. 3. Quarterback. Matt Moore is penciled in as the starter, but the Panthers will clearly be looking to add a quarterback or two down the road -- probably one via trade and the other in the NFL draft. MEDICAL WATCH: No updates. FRANCHISE PLAYER: None. TRANSITION PLAYER: None. UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS --DE Tyler Brayton has resurrected his career in Carolina and the team loves his work ethic and he's a high motor guy. Brayton said last season he'd be "heartbroken" if the Panthers don't re-sign him. --QB Josh McCown will likely be squeezed out with Matt Moore and Jake Delhomme expected to return and the team almost certainly ready to draft a younger quarterback. He had his chance last season, but broke his ankle and wound up on injured reserve. --WR Muhsin Muhammad turns 37 in May and while he had a decent season (53 catches, 581 yards, one TD) the Panthers need to upgrade at the No. 2 wide receiver position to help reduce double coverage on Steve Smith. That doesn't mean, however, the Panthers won't bring Muhammad back to give them some depth at the position if the price is right. --DT Hollis Thomas was a quality one-year fill-in who helped solidify a nose tackle position devastated by injuries. But with Thomas turning 36 last month, the Panthers have younger alternatives so it's hard to imagine the big man returning for a 15th NFL season. --OG Keydrick Vincent has been a quality starter for the Panthers the past two seasons and as much as they'd hate to break up their starting five, the reality is they've been grooming Mackenzy Bernadeau and Duke Robinson as eventual replacements. The Panthers may try to re-sign Vincent, but they won't break the bank trying to do it. --CB Dante Wesley is not only a quality special-teams player, but he also contributed on defense as a hybrid linebacker/defensive back. Wesley, who doesn't normally play on defense, liked his new role and defensive coordinator Ron Meeks liked what he brought to the team so this would seem like a perfect match as long as the price is right. UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (not tendered offers) --S Quinton Teal (not tendered as RFA) has proven to be a solid special-teams player over the past three seasons and might return at league minimum. RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (*indicates restricted because of uncapped year) --*LB James Anderson (tendered at $1.176M with third-round pick as compensation) actually made a case for his return by playing well the last month of the season in place of the injured Thomas Davis and Landon Johnson. --*LB Thomas Davis (tendered at $3.2686M with first- and third-round picks as compensation) should be fine after tearing ligaments in his knee last year. --*TE Jeff King (tendered at $1.759M with second-round pick as compensation) will likely return because of his ability to catch and block. --DT Louis Leonard (tendered at $1.684M with second-round pick as compensation) was playing well before a broken ankle in Week 2 forced him to go on injured reserve. But in an effort to get younger, the Panthers will almost certainly keep him around. --*CB Richard Marshall (tendered at $1.759M with second-round pick as compensation) had a good first season as a regular starter. --QB Matt Moore (tendered at $3.043M with first-round pick as compensation) has a future after getting high tender. --DT Tank Tyler (tendered at $1.101M with third-round pick as compensation) is part of a youth movement at defensive tackle and that is certainly needed with Damione Lewis turning 32 next season and Maake Kemoeatu, coming off a torn Achilles, already 30. --CB C.J. Wilson (tendered at $1.101M with seventh-round pick as compensation) appeared to have the inside track last season at the nickel position, but got beat out by rookie Captain Munnerlyn. Still, the team may look to keep him around for another season. EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS --DT Nick Hayden managed to stick around the last two years but the Panthers are much deeper at defensive tackle this year with Maake Kemoeatu, Louis Leonard, Tank Tyler and Corvey Irvin expected to return from injured reserve, so Hayden's chances of making the roster are limited. --WR Charly Martin got a shot late in the season but was it enough to impress? --WR Kenneth Moore was kind of the Cinderella kid last year in training camp, but didn't do much in games when it counted the most. --LB Jordan Senn was picked up midway through last season but didn't play. He may have a tough time earning a roster spot. PLAYERS RE-SIGNED: --OT Rob Petitti has re-signed with the Panthers, according to agent Ralph Cindrich's Twitter feed. Terms were not disclosed. He was signed in December after playing in the UFL's inaugural season. PLAYERS ACQUIRED --CB Marcus Hudson (not tendered as RFA by 49ers) signed with Carolina, according to ESPN. Terms were not disclosed. --DT Ed Johnson: FA; terms unknown. --WR Wallace Wright: Not tendered as RFA by Jets; $2M/2 yrs. PLAYERS LOST --QB Jake Delhomme (released). --LB Na'il Diggs (released). --QB A.J. Feeley: UFA Rams; $6M/2 yrs, $2.25M RB 2010/$500,000 RB 2011. --FB Brad Hoover (released). --DT Maake Kemoeatu (released). --DT Damione Lewis (released). --K Rhys Lloyd: Not tendered as RFA/Vikings; 2 yrs, terms unknown. --DE Julius Peppers: UFA Bears; $79.8M/6 yrs, $42M guaranteed.

NOTES, QUOTES

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:07:43 GMT

--Former Carolina Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme will visit with the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Delhomme's agent, Rick Smith, would not comment on any of Delhomme's potential suitors. Cleveland GM Mike Holmgren recently traded for Seattle's Seneca Wallace, but it's believed Delhomme would be given a chance to compete for the Browns starting job. Cleveland cut former starter Derek Anderson on Tuesday and there are rumors the team will trade or release unproven youngster Brady Quinn. Anderson or Quinn could be possible replacements with the Panthers as they look for a backup to Matt Moore, although there is no indication the Panthers have shown interest in either player. Denver, Arizona and Buffalo could also be interested in Delhomme. --The Panthers continue to be bystanders in free agency for the most part. Wide receiver Antonio Bryant, who was so good when he played at Bank of America Stadium while with Tampa Bay, signed a free agent contract with the Cincinnati Bengals worth $28 million over four years. By all appearances, the Panthers never entered the Bryant Sweepstakes since they don't want to spend any money even though they desperately need to upgrade their No. 2 receiver position. Meanwhile, the list of available free agent wide receivers is growing thin. Along with Bryant, Anquan Boldin, Nate Burleson and Kassim Osgood have also found new homes, while Chris Chambers, Kevin Walter and Greg Lewis have re-signed with their own teams, leaving Terrell Owens, Laveranues Coles and Josh Reed as probably the top options, although it's safe to say Owens is too old (and too much hassle) for Carolina's taste. There are a few quality restricted free agents on the market -- Brandon Marshall, Vincent Jackson and Miles Austin -- but they would all require the Panthers giving up a first-round pick as compensation. The Panthers likely aren't players for them since they don't have a first-round pick. --The Washington Redskins have signed defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu to a two-year, $7 million contract, making him the fourth Carolina free agent to sign with another team. The 370-pound Kemoeatu will be paired with Albert Haynesworth on the defensive line, giving the Redskins plenty of beef up front. Kemoeatu was part of a purge of players who'd hit age 30. There were concerns about his ability to return from a torn Achilles tendon. Defensive end Julius Peppers (Chicago), kicker Rhys Lloyd (Minnesota) and quarterback A.J. Feeley (St. Louis) have also found new homes. The Panthers have signed only one free agent, wide receiver Wallace Wright, a special teams player from the New York Jets. --Defensive end Charles Grant, formerly of New Orleans, says he'd prefer to play for Carolina, Atlanta or Tennessee. "If I play in Atlanta I get to play New Orleans two times in a row. If I play in Carolina I get to play New Orleans two times in a row. Those are two great teams, Carolina, and Atlanta is one of those teams that's going to be in the race to win that Super Bowl next year," Grant told Sirius radio. "Tennessee, I just like their defensive coordinator, his philosophy." The problem is Grant is 31 and the Panthers have just purged themselves of all but three players over the age of 30 -- and two of those are kickers. --Proving once again that nobody over the age of 30 is safe on the Carolina Panthers roster, the team on Monday informed fan favorite Brad Hoover he's been released. "I want to thank the organization for 10 great years and the fans that supported me," Hoover said in a statement released through his agent Tim Irwin. "I leave with a heavy heart. But I will be trying to play somewhere else." "Brad has been here since the day I arrived in Carolina," said Panthers coach John Fox. "When things were difficult he was a leader and someone the players and coaches always knew would be accountable. On the field, he was the ultimate competitor and set a physical tone in both his style and attitude." QUOTE TO NOTE: "The guy has been spectacular for us. He's the kind of player and person that we look for. It's hard not to get emotional when you talk about him because he epitomizes everything that we want. He's been an excellent player, a leader and everybody talks about role models and I don't know whether you can get a better role model for your children than Jake Delhomme. We struggled with this one a lot and we got to the point where we made the decision that Matt Moore would be number one. It was time. I don't think there has ever been a harder decision we've made here." -- GM Marty Hurney on the release of QB Jake Delhomme.

INSIDE SLANT

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:07:40 GMT

Nine of the 22 starters from last year's team are gone. What we saw last Friday was the beginning of a youth movement, a purging of 30-something-year-old players with an eye toward the future. The team parted ways with quarterback Jake Delhomme, defensive tackles Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu and linebackers Na'il Diggs and Landon Johnson and figure to replace them with younger players. A few days later, they dumped 33-year-old fullback Brad Hoover, leaving them with only three players older than 30 and two of those are kickers. Steve Smith, 30, is the only positional player who isn't in his twenties. It was the result of self-scouting and a self-realization that they were beginning to get a little old at some positions. Last year the Panthers sensed, erroneously as it turns out, they were close to a Super Bowl championship and hung on to 21 of 22 starters. Of course, the philosophy backfired as the Panthers went 8-8. It turns out the Panthers should have replaced some of those 21 starters. Quite frankly, were lucky to finish .500. This year, they realize they're not on the Super Bowl doorstep and they're blowing things up. "The common theme around it is, as I alluded to last week, we have some young players who have shown the potential and the ability to step up and fill those spots," general manager Marty Hurney said of the decision to cut five players, four of whom were on the wrong side of 30. That is why you haven't seen the Panthers fire off the blocks in free agency. They haven't signed any players other than special teams player Wallace Wright and haven't visited with any either. To be an unrestricted free agent you need six years of NFL experience, which means most of the guys available are, at the very youngest, 28, but in most cases closing in on 30 or already there. It makes no sense to sign guys like Leonard Little (35) when you're in the midst of a youth movement. That's why you never heard their name linked to players like Kyle Vanden Bosch or Aaron Kampman or Terrell Owens. Sure, the Panthers may wind up signing a handful of mid-level veteran players to fill in down the road on the cheap, but they won't be making a big splash like the Chicago Bears did on the first day of free agency. The Panthers will stay the course, continuing to build through the draft and develop their younger players. They feel like they have many of the replacements already on hand. Defensively, it's Tank Tyler and Louis Leonard for Kemoeatu and Lewis at tackle. Everette Brown and Charles Johnson for Peppers and Tyler Brayton at end. And Dan Connor or James Anderson for Diggs at strong side linebacker. On offense, it's Matt Moore for Delhomme at quarterback. Mackenzy Bernadeau for Keydrick Vincent at right guard. Tony Fiammetta for Hoover at fullback. The only big question is at wide receiver, where they team needs to find a replacement for Muhsin Muhammad since that guy isn't currently on the roster.

NFL Free Agent Signings List

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:05:07 GMT

Remaining Unrestricted Free Agents

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:03:08 GMT

Week in Preview: Bad newz for Vick

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:57:41 GMT

Barring a drastic turnaround in 2010, Mike Vick is just a career backup.

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Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:57:41 GMT