When the Carolina Panthers traded all the way up to the No. 1 overall pick a little over two weeks ago, the feelings of excitement and relief were quickly met by a bit of anxiety. Even though the organization put themselves in the best position possible to finally nab a franchise quarterback, the bold move came at some steep costs—with wide receiver DJ Moore, perhaps, chief among them.
Carolina’s offense, even with Moore, was already relatively thin at the spot. So losing not only your No. 1 guy, but also your only proven pass-catching commodity with no clear replacement on hand or in sight was, of course, concerning.
But the braintrust has made some headway since. While they haven’t, by any means, replaced Moore—the Panthers refilled some of the void with a much-needed veteran presence and another type of DJ.
The first addition came two Sundays ago, with Adam Thielen. The big fish of this free agency group, the 32-year-old adds a layer of experience and route-running finesse that is not had by any other player in the receiver room.
Even though he’s not the two-time Pro Bowler he was four years ago, Thielen remains a consistent chain mover and legitimate threat in the red zone—thanks to his size, quick feet and ability to wear corners in the short portion of the field. All of those tools, which haven’t been lost with age, have resulted in pretty hefty 30 touchdowns over the past three seasons.
As for their second signing at the position, DJ Chark, the Panthers finally have a big-bodied receiver who is a certified downfield threat. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder—who ran his 40-yard dash at a time of 4.34 seconds—will complement fellow LSU Tiger Terrace Marshall Jr. nicely on the outside. Plus, his ability to open up the deeper ends of the field will also allow room for Thielen to work underneath from the slot.
Chark is a clear problem if left unaccounted for, and has proven he can be a potent deep option in this league. While he has suffered from some injuries over the last few seasons, he is still explosive and can still be part of the key that opens up and legitimizes the passing game for the franchise’s new quarterback.
So maybe, after swinging for the fences to land atop the 2023 NFL draft, general manager Scott Fitterer has settled for some slick “Moneyball” tactics to piece this unit together.
