QB Joe Webb:
Became fast friends with QB Cam Newton and the Panthers like the flexibility he brings. Webb can help out at receiver and on special teams, plus he provides good insurance behind Newton and backup QB Derek Anderson. Would make sense if the Panthers brought him back.
TE Ed Dickson:
During the summer, it looked like Dickson and Greg Olsen could be the new Olsen and Jeremy Shockey, but that didn’t happen until the final weeks of the season when Dickson finally got himself more involved in the passing game. After four seasons in Baltimore, he set career lows in receptions (10) and receiving yards (115). It’s tough to judge him for the chunk of the season he had to spend playing a hybrid TE/FB role while FB Mike Tolbert was out, but it’s also tough to argue the Panthers have to bring him back.
Dickson on Sunday:
“I feel like this is a home for me. My reasons for coming here was exactly what got fulfilled this year. Being able to play with one of the best quarterbacks in the league in Cam, a dual-threat guy. It started to look more like I wanted it to at the end of the season, but I’m patiently waiting. I feel like the sky’s the limit for this tight end group, this offense, and the whole team.”
OT Byron Bell:
When he wasn’t dealing with a couple midseason injuries, Bell wasn’t as bad as many made him out to be. But he wasn’t good. The Panthers may make him an offer, but if they do, it won’t be for much. After Saturday’s loss in Seattle, Bell said he felt worthy of keeping his spot in Carolina, but the Panthers can’t go into another summer with Bell as their top option at left tackle.
DE Greg Hardy:
Some fans continue to hold out hope they’ll see the ‘Kraken’ in a Carolina uniform again, but it’s not going to happen. The outcome of his legal situation won’t matter. CB Josh Norman was adamant Sunday that he wants Hardy back, and that Hardy told him he’d play for free, but there’s nothing Hardy craves more than money. He may not get a gigantic deal somewhere, but his next deal will be elsewhere.
DT Dwan Edwards:
He’ll turn 34 in May, and there’s a chance he could end up calling it quits if he doesn’t find a situation he likes. Edwards played 16 games for the first time since he came to Carolina in 2012, and he provides good depth with solid production. But DT Kyle Love, a four-year veteran who was signed last month, can help fill the void if Edwards isn’t back.
Edwards on Sunday:
“I feel great. It’s probably the healthiest I’ve been at the end of the season, … [Carolina] is a great place to play. A great place for my family. Obviously, if you’ve got an opportunity to go to the playoffs, that’s a place you want to be. I don’t want to go anywhere and rebuild. I’m too old for that.”
DT Colin Cole:
The Panthers may re-sign Edwards or Cole, but with Love waiting in the wings, it’s hard to see them bringing both back. After he was out of football for two years, Cole helped make DT one of the deepest positions on the roster, but he won’t be a Panthers’ priority.
LB Chase Blackburn:
A knee injury limited the 10-year veteran to six games. With the presence of A.J. Klein, and undrafted rookie Adarius Glanton’s late-season emergence, it may be tough for the Panthers to find room for Blackburn. But he is great for the locker room, and the Panthers missed his contributions on special teams.
Blackburn on Sunday:
“Even if I am starting, I’m playing mostly special teams because, as a third linebacker here, you don’t play much anyway. Being on special teams, I think that was one of the hardest things this year was watching that and not being able to really get out there and help and contribute.”