Carolina Panthers Offseason Moves—Wide Reciever

We all know that Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad are the No. 1 and No. 2 receivers for the Carolina Panthers. But what about the other spots? D.J. Hackett was a disappointment and Dwayne Jarrett has yet to fulfill his potential like we all had hoped. 

Muhammad is getting up there in age and it is possible that the Panthers release Hackett this off-season.

Mark Jones is becoming a free agent, so that leaves the Panthers with some decisions to make.

The Panthers will likely keep a Wide Receiver strictly as a returner, and that will likely be Mark Jones. But what about the third slot? in my opinion Carolina needs to utilize the slot receiver more often next season to help Smith, Muhammad, and even Delhomme.

So should they keep Dwayne Jarrett another year and hope he develops into a star like a lot of Panther fans thought when he was drafted? Should they sign another receiver? Or should they draft one?

As of now the Panthers don't have a first round draft pick, and if they do trade for one it's more than likely that the Panthers won't draft a receiver in the first round. I think a good pick in a later round might be Brandon Tate, who was the star receiver at North Carolina before being injured earlier in the season. He is a great return man and a good receiver, so that could free up a spot on the roster for someone else.

However, that would mean that we would have to cut ties with Mark Jones who did a great job returning kicks this season.

The other North Carolina receiver, Hakeem Nicks, is a late-first to early-second round draft pick, and he would also be a great pick. He has arguably the best hands in the draft and he has a knack for making plays.

Other big name WR prospects in the draft include: Michael Crabtree (Texas Tech), Jeremy Maclin (Missouri), Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy (both from Florida), Darius Hayward-Bey (Maryland), Juaquin Iglesias (Oklahoma), Derrick Williams (Penn State), Demetrius Byrd (LSU), Kenny Britt (Rutgers) and a guy that the Panthers could very possibly draft in the second round is Brian Robiskie (Ohio State).

And the upcoming free agent Wide Receivers this offseason include: TJ Houshmandzadeh (UFA), Antonio Bryant (UFA), Greg Camarillo (RFA), Hank Baskett (RFA), Nate Washington (UFA), Devery Henderson (UFA). Lance Moore (RFA) and Amani Toomer (UFA).

I don't think that the Panthers would be able to go after Houshmandzadeh because the Panthers wont have the cap room for him if they re-sign Jordan Gross and/or Julius Peppers. I don't think it would be too much of a problem to have any of these other guys in a Panther uniform.

So what do the Panthers do this off-season with the Wide Receiver position? We will wait and see.