Over the course of free agency and during the NFL Draft, Morgan and the Panthers were one of the more aggressive teams in the league, spending big at premium positions on premium players potentially capable of making immediate and significant upgrades, and during the draft, moving around the board to bring in young talent to raise the overall talent across the roster.

In a division with no clear-cut favorite, with a roster in place around a 24-year-old former No. 1 overall draft pick who finally seems to be trending upwards, Morgan and the Panthers committed upwards of $119 million in guaranteed money in free agency, investing in the kind of infrastructure that fast-tracks a quarterback and a franchise, taking the next steps.

Here’s a comprehensive look at the Panthers’ offseason, and an overall grade for Carolina’s potentially franchise-altering moves that just might have created some separation on the rest of the NFC South and maybe just put the rest of the NFL on notice that a contender is rising …

Jaelan Phillips (EDGE), Devin Lloyd (LB), Luke Fortner (C)

Morgan clearly was not satisfied by watching Young and the offense dragging a defense that ranked 16th in the league, and third in the NFC South, to a backdoor division title and playoff appearance last season.

Within the first hours of free agency, the Panthers set the top of the market at edge rusher and linebacker, securing two of the premier players available at their respective positions, in Phillips and Lloyd to significantly upgrade the talent at the position.

Phillips’ $120 million contract stunned the Philadelphia Eagles in the 11th hour of the legal tampering period, which we reported previously, and is a massive bet that his disruptiveness off the edge won’t just maximize the impact made by Derrick Brown up front but be a force multiplier across all three levels of the defense.

Last season, in a scheme that’s very similar to Ejiro Evero’s, Phillips produced a pair of sacks in Philadelphia while finishing the season with five sacks and 73 total quarterback pressures. The Panthers’ defense managed just 30 sacks all last season, the fourth-fewest in the league.

Lloyd, meanwhile, is an instant attitude adjustment for the entire defense, with a player who doesn’t shy away from imposing his will on opponents, with the talent to finish last season as Pro Football Focus’ third-highest graded linebacker in the NFL.

At 27, Lloyd still seems to have significant upside, even from here, after producing 81 total tackles, 1.5 sacks, five interceptions — returning one for a touchdown, and one fumble recovery, in 15 games last season.

Likely Evero’s green-dot player, Lloyd has an elite nose for the football, closes like an express train, and on top of his production value on the field, he arrives in Charlotte as a culture-driving leadership voice for a young roster, as well.

Meanwhile, Fortner, 28, is a plug-and-play starter and stabilizing force in front of Young. Last season, according to PFF, Fortner allowed three sacks but finished as the outlet’s No. 7 ranked center in the sport.

Eliminating a-gap pressure on Young, and adding an experienced anchor along a relatively young offensive line that now features two former first-round offensive tackles, is a significant investment in the future of the franchise and the trajectory of the offense in 2026.

Rico Dowdle (RB), A’Shawn Robinson (DT)

Dowdle was a revelation last season, falling three yards shy of setting a new career-high with 1,076 rushing yards while scoring a personal-best six touchdowns playing out a one-year prove it contract.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, though, will now pay $12.25 million over the next three seasons for the privilege of seeing whether Dowdle was a one-year flash in the pan, a product of the Panthers’ system, or merely just beginning a career renaissance over the past two seasons.

In Carolina, though, the Panthers could sit out the Dowdle spending spree because of Chuba Hubbard’s consistency, the potential that Jonathon Brooks and his immense potential are finally healthy, and Trevor Etienne is in place to round out the stable as the backfield’s change of pace.

Losing Robinson along the defensive line may only sting because he landed with the bitter rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Last season, Robinson produced three sacks while plugging up significant space as a difference-maker against the run.

However, the Panthers’ big spending on defense, and an increased belief in Derrick Brown’s upside, makes allowing Robinson to walk out the door a bit more palatable.

Monroe Freeling (OT), Lee Hunter (DT), Chris Brazzell (WR), Zakee Wheatley (S)

Morgan and the Panthers were among the most aggressive teams, when it comes to trades, throughout the NFL Draft, and netted what are seemingly three to four immediate contributors.

Freeling, 6-foot-7 and 315 pounds, is a colossal presence who will emerge immediately as a bookend opposite former first-round pick Ikey Ewkonu. Last season, at the University of Georgia, Freeling only allowed one sack and five total pressures. This pick was an investment both in the future of the offensive line, continuing to build around homegrown talent as well as in Young’s development.

Likewise, Brazzell 6-foot-4 and 198 pounds, is a big-bodied red-zone target and possession receiver with an insane catch radius. Stepping in alongside emerging stars Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, Brazzell’s prowess on contested catches and moving the chains after the catch simply adds more firepower to Young’s arsenal.

Meanwhlie, defensively, Hunter is a potentially seamless replacement for A’Shawn Robinson, while getting younger, cheaper, and potentially more explosive along the defensive line.

Similarly, Zakee Wheatley could become one of the bigger steals of the NFL Draft. The former Penn State standout has exceptional instincts in coverage, closes on the football quickly, with the athleticism and ball skills to push Tre’Von Moehrig for the starting job alongside Nick Scott, immediately.

Critics will point to the obscene money the Panthers paid Phillips, but when a defense is so inept at wreaking havoc in the backfield, and the franchise knows it has a limited window around a quarterback who seems to be ascending but they still need to finish evaluating, money becomes secondary to fixing a glaring problem at a premium position and going all in to set a young passer up for success.

Sure, the Panthers could have signed Odafe Oweh or Boye Mafe, or Kwity Paye, but do they really offer Phillips’ upside? Are any of the second-tier edge rushers a better scheme fit than Phillips appears to be?

Otherwise, there is little argument that the Panthers didn’t raise the talent level almost across the board this offseason, both with targeted free agent signings and a draft class where the first six picks will have the chance to, if not to compete for a starting job, infuse some youth at positions that desperately needed depth.

Carolina was far closer last season than many anticipated, and Morgan and the Panthers are acting like an organization intent on quickly taking the next steps in a division where there’s no tangible reason they can’t emerge as the team to beat for the foreseeable future.

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