Carolina Panthers
– Find a new blindside blocker for Cam Newton
– Move on from DeAngelo Williams
Left tackle became an immediate issue for the Carolina Panthers when Jordan Gross left, and though Byron Bell was solid for them last year, they should look into locking down a new guy for the blindside. The draft has a nice crop of prospects this year, and the Panthers should be able to get a solid guy when they select late in the first round.
Worst case, they could roll with Bell for another year, but it’d be smart to find Gross’ long-term replacement sooner than later.
Speaking of moving on from players, DeAngelo Williams just took his exit papers from Carolina. He’s had a nice career with them and is certainly one of their better runners all-time, but it doesn’t seem like he’s got much gas in the tank and is probably more trouble than he’s worth. His inconsistency as a runner makes him an obsolete piece of the offense, but the fact that his backup Jonathan Stewart helped the team make that late-season playoff push, well, it made him completely disposable.