Dave Canales and Dan Morgan faced a predicament this offseason. The Carolina Panthers desperately needed to fix their porous defense. They also had to surround Bryce Young with more productive weapons in the passing game in Year 3 for the improving quarterback.
The Panthers went about this on two fronts. They used every major financial asset on defensive reinforcements in free agency. They also went against the grain by betting the house on wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This raised a few eyebrows around the league.