Spending large amounts of money every March isn’t a sustainable way of doing business.

Every once in a blue moon? Sure.

But annually? Not ideal.

This marks the third consecutive March that the Carolina Panthers have dolled out a ton of cash.

I’m sure Dan Morgan and the rest of the Panthers front office would prefer not to continue filling key roster spots this way.

The reality is they kind of have to right now.

Consistent misses in the draft and mismanagement of those assets from 2020 to 2023 have led to three consecutive spending sprees in March.

In fairness, most of the big money that was spent in 2025 and 2025 panned out. Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis and Tre'von Moehrig have helped the Panthers crawl out of the wreckage of the 2023 season that could’ve kept the franchise spiraling in the abyss.

The Panthers are hoping that Jaelen Phillips and Devin Lloyd can help their defense take another step forward in 2026.

We covered the Panthers nonexistent pressure rates last month here. A quick recap per FTN:

• Pressures: 32nd (121)

  • The New York Jets were 31st with 137 pressures.

• Pressure rate: 32nd (21.4 percent) - 32nd.

  • The San Francisco 49ers were 31st at 22.6 percent.

• Sacks: Tied for 30th (30)

• Clean Pocket Throw Percentage: 32nd (78.6 percent).

• QB hits: 32nd (53).

Phillips had 73 pressures alone in 2025. Lloyd brings a major talent infusion to the linebacker group and is coming off his best year as a pro.

There’s still a lot of work to do, but these move should improve the team and give the Panthers more flexibility in the draft next month.

While the jury is still out on the 2024 draft, the 2025 class had a big impact on the field for the Panthers.

They’ll need to continue to stack good classes in the draft to avoid breaking the bank each March.

However, the biggest question they’ll navigate over the coming weeks is how to retool the offensive line.

Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu’s ruptured patellar tendon in the playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams was unfortunate on multiple fronts.

It stunk for Ekwonu as he was in line for an extension and massive pay day as he was entering the final year of his rookie contract.

Ekwonu’s injury also added a complex variable to the Panthers offseason equation.

This isn’t the Panthers first rodeo when it comes to key offensive linemen suffering significant injuries in the final game of the season.

In their 2022 finale at New Orleans, starters Austin Corbett and Brady Christensen suffered a torn ACL and broken ankle.

That offseason, the Panthers invested minimally into the offensive line. General Manager Scott Fitterer’s only offseason additions to that group were Justin McCray (free agency) and guard Chandler Zavala via the fourth round of the draft.

Even for the most optimistic person, expecting both Corbett and Christensen to be ready by September was a tall ask given the severity of the injuries.

That decision - along with many others - turned out to be disastrous and led to Fitterer’s dismissal.

Even before Ekwonu’s injury, Dan Morgan was likely going to address the group in some form given current personnel and pending free agents.

Right tackle Taylor Moton is entering his 10th season. Starting center Cade Mays is a free agent along with Corbett, Christensen, Yosh Nijman and Jake Curhan.

Mays has been a consistent starter ever since returning to the Panthers in October 2024. Corbett and Christensen have battled injuries since that 2022 finale.

The question is which avenue will the Panthers utilize more to address their offensive line?

The Panthers rank 19th in cap space with $12,574,504 for 2026 as of February 21 per Over The Cap and have eight picks for April’s draft, with three in the top 100.

Morgan has shown he’s not afraid to spend big money in free agency. His first big moves as general manager was to pay over $100 million in guaranteed money to guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt to shore up the middle. Those investments have been worthwhile, even with Hunt missing most of the 2025 season.

Would Morgan want to pay a premium again to address the offensive line - especially at tackle?

The NFL Combine is this week and you can expect the Panthers - and the rest of the league - to be paying close attention to each offensive lineman prospect in attendance.

The Panthers top 100 picks currently sit at 19, 51 and 83. While it may be too early to know what teams may target in April, you can likely assume multiple offensive linemen will be taken in the top 20.

Here are the number of offensive linemen taken in the top 20 of the draft since 2022:

• 2025: Five

• 2024: Six

• 2023: Four

• 2022: Six

We’ll see how the Panthers navigate addressing the group in the coming weeks. Unlike 2023, you can guarantee that they’ll make investments into this group in 2026.

“With the 240th pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select Michael Barrett, linebacker, Michigan.”

The Panthers didn’t even have a seventh round draft pick1 in their arsenal until March 13, 2024.

You remember that deal? The Panthers made a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers on that day for wide receiver Diontae Johnson. The Panthers traded corner Donte Jackson and a sixth round draft choice to the Steelers for Johnson and their 7th round selection.

It’s a good thing that the Panthers made that deal on March 13 as Barrett’s selection has netted the Panthers their biggest return on investment for that draft class at the moment.

Barrett never played a regular season down for the Panthers. He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks on August 22, 2024.

The Panthers return in that trade? Corner Mike Jackson.

Barrett was cut by Seattle a few weeks later and has bounced around on a few practice squads since. He has not played a regular season snap.

Meanwhile, Jackson has started 35 games and played nearly every defensive snap. In 2025, he tied for the NFL lead with 19 defended passes and added four interceptions, returning one for a touchdown in the regular season victory over the Rams.

He didn’t slow down in the Panthers lone playoff game either. He had four defended passes and another interception of Matthew Stafford.

That transaction has proven to be one of Dan Morgan’s best since being named President of Football Operations and General Manager.

Although Diontae Johnson quickly flamed out in 2024, the Panthers clearly made the most out of the other asset they received in that trade.

It has complexities like any other sport.

But like anything else in life, it always goes back to the fundamentals.

Advanced statistics, trick plays and complex schemes are fine and dandy. None of those things matter if your team cannot kick ass in the trenches.

The Seattle Seahawks reminded everybody of that in Super Bowl LX on Sunday as they made Drake Maye’s life a living hell for three hours.

The Philadelphia Eagles did the same to Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIX. You can find other examples in other Super Bowls as well.

Here’s how the Panthers ranked in several key pressure statistics per FTN’s Stats Hub:

• Pressures: 32nd (121)

  • The New York Jets were 31st with 137 pressures.

• Pressure rate: 32nd (21.4 percent) - 32nd.

  • The San Francisco 49ers were 31st at 22.6 percent.

• Sacks: Tied for 30th (30)

• Clean Pocket Throw Percentage: 32nd (78.6 percent).

• QB hits: 32nd (53).

Needless to say those numbers have to be pumped up. For the Carolina Panthers, President of Football Operations/General Manager Dan Morgan knows he has to acquire more talent to improve the Panthers pass rush.

The good news is that the Panthers invested draft capital into edge players Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen in the second and third rounds in 2025. Both made contributions as rookies and Scourton had five of the Panthers 30 sacks.

Progression isn’t always linear but the Panthers have to be excited about the potential improvement they show in year two.

The Panthers have stalwart Derrick Brown at defensive tackle. They added Bobby Brown and Tershawn Wharton in free agency last March. Cam Jackson was drafted in the fifth round but did not play much as a rookie given what the Panthers had in the room.

The question is what method will the Panthers decide to use to add to the room. Will they utilize the draft, free agency or by trade? Will they add via all three?

Some of the top options in free agency are over 30, such as Trey Hendrickson.

Picking at No. 19 in the draft means the Panthers likely won’t be in a position to take the best edge prospects. Could they trade up? Sure. But it’s hard to envision this organization trading future assets for one player. They don’t want to part ways with draft picks.

Maxx Crosby was not happy how the Raiders deactivated him at the end of the year and reportedly wants out. Crosby is a beast but this too would cost the Panthers future draft capital.

Every team wants players that can get after the quarterback and make their life miserable every Sunday. The Panthers are no different.