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Injuries can derail even the most promising and potentially dominant NFL teams. The Carolina Panthers aren't dead yet—and won't be unless it happens to either quarterback Bryce Young or defensive lineman Derrick Brown—but they are getting absolutely ravaged by injuries early on at training camp.
The latest bad news on this front came yesterday, when we learned that rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II will undergo season-ending LCL surgery after being carted off at Wednesday's practice. That development popped up less than a week following the ACL tear to second-year outside linebacker Nic Scourton, who will also miss the upcoming campaign.
On top of those two deflating losses, Carolina is also currently without three more starters in offensive tackles Ikem Ekwonu (patellar tendon) and Taylor Moton (blood clot) and defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton (neck)—all of whom are expected to miss time into the regular-season slate.
While none of those players will be simple to replace, there are a few intriguing options that may help with their most recent setback.
Here, in the absence of Brazzell, are four free-agent receivers the Panthers might want to consider . . .
With Deebo Samuel returning to the San Francisco 49ers and Tyreek Hill recently revealing he has "no power" in his left leg, the best name on the market is that of Stefon Diggs—a four-time Pro Bowler with over 11,500 career yards and 74 touchdowns. And the 32-year-old is still performing at a high level—having posted 1,013 yards and four scores with the New England Patriots last season.
Diggs has been known to be a locker room problem, though—and he will be the most expensive receiver to sign of those remaining on the market. Plus, he would, at the very least, probably have his sights set on the No. 2 spot behind Tetairoa McMillan—a role the Panthers are hoping the freshly-extended Jalen Coker will fill.
Another big name to consider is Allen, who's made six Pro Bowl teams and totaled over 12,000 yards and 70 touchdowns during his 13-year NFL career. At 34 years old, the Greensboro, N.C. native appears to be slowing down a bit—but he still has managed to average over 750 receiving yards and five touchdowns over the last two seasons.
Allen is a superb slot receiver who would fit very nicely as a third option on the depth chart beneath McMillan and Coker.
If the Panthers are in the mood to bring back a familiar face, they could sign Samuel—one of their two second-round draft picks from 2017. Since he left the Panthers, he's put in three years with Washington and two more in Buffalo.
Samuel did miss half of last season with an elbow injury and is now well past his prime. Still, the versatile speedster could function as a solid fourth option if head coach Dave Canales is unimpressed by what he gets from the candidates currently on the roster.
If the Panthers brass would rather roll with the group they have and let them duke it out to see who will get the targets that would otherwise have gone to Brazzell, they could bring back another familiar face in Renfrow.
After getting cut following the preseason, the Panthers brought Renfrow back in 2025 under similar circumstances. He posted 89 yards and two touchdowns early in the campaign, but fell out of the rotation and the roster as the season progressed.
If nothing else, Renfrow offers experience and another proven option in the slot.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 4 free-agent WRs the Panthers might want to consider after losing Chris Brazzell II
Continue reading...
The latest bad news on this front came yesterday, when we learned that rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II will undergo season-ending LCL surgery after being carted off at Wednesday's practice. That development popped up less than a week following the ACL tear to second-year outside linebacker Nic Scourton, who will also miss the upcoming campaign.
On top of those two deflating losses, Carolina is also currently without three more starters in offensive tackles Ikem Ekwonu (patellar tendon) and Taylor Moton (blood clot) and defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton (neck)—all of whom are expected to miss time into the regular-season slate.
While none of those players will be simple to replace, there are a few intriguing options that may help with their most recent setback.
Here, in the absence of Brazzell, are four free-agent receivers the Panthers might want to consider . . .
Stefon Diggs
With Deebo Samuel returning to the San Francisco 49ers and Tyreek Hill recently revealing he has "no power" in his left leg, the best name on the market is that of Stefon Diggs—a four-time Pro Bowler with over 11,500 career yards and 74 touchdowns. And the 32-year-old is still performing at a high level—having posted 1,013 yards and four scores with the New England Patriots last season.
Diggs has been known to be a locker room problem, though—and he will be the most expensive receiver to sign of those remaining on the market. Plus, he would, at the very least, probably have his sights set on the No. 2 spot behind Tetairoa McMillan—a role the Panthers are hoping the freshly-extended Jalen Coker will fill.
Keenan Allen
Another big name to consider is Allen, who's made six Pro Bowl teams and totaled over 12,000 yards and 70 touchdowns during his 13-year NFL career. At 34 years old, the Greensboro, N.C. native appears to be slowing down a bit—but he still has managed to average over 750 receiving yards and five touchdowns over the last two seasons.
Allen is a superb slot receiver who would fit very nicely as a third option on the depth chart beneath McMillan and Coker.
Curtis Samuel
If the Panthers are in the mood to bring back a familiar face, they could sign Samuel—one of their two second-round draft picks from 2017. Since he left the Panthers, he's put in three years with Washington and two more in Buffalo.
Samuel did miss half of last season with an elbow injury and is now well past his prime. Still, the versatile speedster could function as a solid fourth option if head coach Dave Canales is unimpressed by what he gets from the candidates currently on the roster.
Hunter Renfrow
If the Panthers brass would rather roll with the group they have and let them duke it out to see who will get the targets that would otherwise have gone to Brazzell, they could bring back another familiar face in Renfrow.
After getting cut following the preseason, the Panthers brought Renfrow back in 2025 under similar circumstances. He posted 89 yards and two touchdowns early in the campaign, but fell out of the rotation and the roster as the season progressed.
If nothing else, Renfrow offers experience and another proven option in the slot.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: 4 free-agent WRs the Panthers might want to consider after losing Chris Brazzell II
Continue reading...
