The Panthers were one of the most active teams in the free agency market Wednesday. Just a day after inking breakout defensive end Charles Johnson to a six-year, $78 million contract, the Panthers locked up running back DeAngelo Williams for five years with a $43 million deal, $21 million of which is guaranteed. But they didn’t stop there.

Carolina continued signing current Panthers by agreeing to five-year deals with linebackers James Anderson and Thomas Davis. Anderson is coming off of a stellar 2010 season whereas Davis spent all of last season on the physically-unable-to-perform list after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in his career.

Then, the Panthers went out and added several pieces from the free agent pool, including, most surprisingly, former Seahawk kicker Olindo Mare. The deal might signal the end of the John Kasay era in Charlotte if not the NFL. Kasay, 41, is the only original Panther still on the roster (for now).

GM Marty Hurney and company also brought in several players with smaller names but potentially equally large impacts. To replace Jeff King, who is now an Arizona Cardinal, tight end Ben Hartsock was signed. The former Jet is considered an upgrade who will play a big role blocking for Cam Newton and the rest of the backfield. Other new members of the Carolina squad include safety Kevin Payne and defensive tackle Ron Edwards.

The team has also agreed to sign several undrafted free agents of interest. Former Tar Heel Kendric Burney will compete in training camp to become the nickel cornerback, although he has the obvious disadvantage of standing in at only 5-9. Former Auburn center Ryan Pugh should help Newton transition to the pro game, as will wide receiver Darvin Adams, another former teammate of Newton's at Auburn.

Technically, none of these players will officially be Carolina Panthers until Friday when they are allowed to sign new contracts. However, it's inconceivable to imagine any of them reneging on their handshake deals at this point.

Despite the flurry of moves that went down Wednesday, there are still many personnel questions left to be answered. At QB, it's quite possible that new head coach Ron Rivera signs Matt Moore, an unrestricted free agent, to return to Charlotte in order to mentor Jimmy Clausen and Newton. On the other hand, it's unlikely that cornerback Richard Marshall will be a Panther this year. Marshall is also unrestricted and said at the end of last season that he did not expect to return to the team for the 2011 season. If he isn’t kept in Charlotte, team management will have a large hole in the defensive backfield to deal with, as well as gaps at wide receiver and along the offensive line.

More clarity is expected after teams are allowed to release players Thursday afternoon. Stay tuned to BlogBlitz for continuing Carolina Panthers coverage.

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-- JACOB FELDMAN
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After targeting what may have been the team's biggest need by drafting Cam Newton with the first pick of the 2011 draft, Ron Rivera continued to fill multitudinous needs on both sides of the ball. Then again, when a team has as many holes as Carolina did last season, you could throw a dart at the list of available prospects and hit a position of need.

Knowing this, it is significant that Rivera chose to fill several areas of weakness on defense even though that unit was much stronger than the offense in 2010. Specifically, he addressed the defensive line by drafting defensive tackles Terrell McClain and Sione Fua in the third round. The two complement each other well, but McClain has a much better chance of starting immediately and making a larger impact in the near future than the slower Fua.

Brandon Hogan (pictured), a former West Virginia CB, was picked by Carolina in the fourth round despite character questions and concerns over a recently torn ACL. In the sixth round, the Panthers again bolstered the defense, this time by nabbing linebacker Lawrence Wilson; a pick that many consider to be Carolina's best this year. He will bring impressive coverage skills to a linebacking corps that was arguably the strongest unit in Charlotte last year.

Clearly, Rivera is looking to strengthen the defense and build from there. Still, he couldn’t just ignore an historically bad offense and hope it magically improves. Besides bringing in Newton, Rivera and the Panthers also drafted Hawaii WR Kealoha Pilares. Even though his name wasn’t called until the fifth round, he could have an immediate impact as a slot reciever and will pose serious competition to Armanti Edwards, a wideout drafted last year.

Carolina also added options to an offensive line group that was abysmal last year. However, C Frank Thomas and OT Lee Ziemba have about as much upside as one can expect from sixth and seventh round picks.

All that said, Rivera's first draft in Charlotte will almost certainly be solely judged on the success or failure of Newton. If he matures into a reliable starter in the NFL, this draft will be looked back upon with smiles. However, if he fails to live up to any of the hype, the 2011 draft will be to blame for several more years of disappointment in the Queen City.

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-- JACOB FELDMAN
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I was fortunate to attend the NFL's Play 60 Program the day before the draft. Play 60 is a terrific program that encourages youngsters to be active, eat healthy and, of course, play football.

A bunch of the top prospects coached the youngsters, and then answered questions from the media. Among the players, Cam Newton had the most fun at the Play 60. He was smiling, cheering and really worked up a nice sweat. Showing his competitive nature, he was really into winning when his team scrimmaged.



I was able to sneak into the prospect's tent/green room but didn't see anything really cool. The event, however, was a smash with 100s of kids that participated. Kudos to the NFL for putting on the event and having this great program.

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-- MATTHEW WEISS
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As if things weren't bad enough in Charlotte, the new Panthers regime found out Tuesday that their 2011 season will be even more difficult than expected. The Panthers' opponents combine to form the highest winning percentage of any schedule in the upcoming season at .555.

The Panthers' most notable non-division game comes early when the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers come to the Queen City in Week 2. But the Pack is far from the only playoff team that the Panthers will have to face in 2011. In fact, Carolina will play seven games against teams that made the postseason in 2010, including two each against division rivals Atlanta and New Orleans.

Also of note, the Panthers will be going up against the Arizona Cardinals once again this fall. It will be their 10th regular-season matchup with the Cards in the past 11 years. Carolina has played more non-division games against Arizona than against any other team in the league. Most likely, Panthers players won’t be complaining about getting another shot at the Cardinals as Arizona was one of the two teams that Carolina topped last year.

To fill out the schedule, the Panthers will be facing each member of the AFC South and NFC North as well as the Washington Redskins. Clearly, whoever starts behind center -- whether that man is Jimmy Clausen, Cam Newton or a player to be named later -– will have worlds of work to do if the Panthers are going to sniff success in 2011.

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-- JACOB FELDMAN
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As the Panthers management continues to prepare for the NFL Draft on April 28, the plan for the No. 1 overall pick is no clearer than it was two months ago. Last week, the Panthers watched top QB prospects Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert audition, and both reportedly impressed onlookers.

Unlike years past, there are as many as nine players Roger Goodell could name when he steps to the podium to announce the top pick this year. At this point, many analysts predict Newton will end up in Blue and Black, mainly due to his spectacular physical gifts. Recently, he’s drawn comparisons to Michael Vick and Ben Roethlisberger.

That said, Gabbert took a tremendous leap with a very impressive pro day performance. Even though he was throwing to a weak corps of wide receivers at the pro day, the Mizzou QB did well enough to be considered a fairly likely choice at No. 1. Some analysts have even gone as far as comparing him to Peyton Manning and Drew Bledsoe.

And, if Ron Rivera decides to hold off on selecting a quarterback from a below-average pool, he has several other viable options. The most likely defender to be taken by Carolina is probably Alabama

DT Marcell Dareus. Out of the discussion before the combine, Dareus bounded up draft boards in February by putting up gaudy numbers. He also fills (literally and figuratively) one of the Panthers biggest needs, DT. At that position, Nick Fairley is also an option. If they end up choosing a different defender, it would likely be LSU’s Patrick Peterson, the top CB prospect. While it would be the first time a corner has ever been taken at No. 1, he could be the most talented prospect in the draft.

On the other side of the ball, standout wide receivers Julio Jones and A.J. Green can each make a case for being the best option for Carolina, especially considering the ticking clock that looms over Steve Smith’s career.

Two outsiders in the race are local defensive ends Da’Quan Bowers from Clemson, whose stock has dropped due to health concerns, and Robert Quinn from UNC. These players are more likely to be selected if the Panthers trade the No. 1 pick and slide down a few rungs. But the odds of that happening are lower this year because teams will not be able to trade players in addition to draft picks unless there is a new CBA before draft day.

Check here on Blog Blitz for any Panthers buzz leading up the draft.

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-- JACOB FELDMAN
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