Five free agents who might make sense for Carolina Panthers before training camp
The Carolina Panthers want to field their most competitive training camp roster of the Dan Morgan-Dave Canales era this summer. And while the team clearly upgraded the depth chart through free agency and the draft this offseason, there are aspects of the talent pool that could use some enhancements.
As the Panthers prepare for training camp and the preseason, Morgan — a third-year general manager — could look to go bargain hunting on the open market. While teams are signing United Football League (UFL) talent left and right this month, Morgan could be more enticed by players who had roles on NFL squads in 2025.
If Morgan decides to go that route, there are some worthwhile options left in free agency. The Charlotte Observer has found a handful of available targets for Carolina:
LB Kenneth Murray
Murray, a 2020 first-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers, has started 30 games over the past two seasons for the Tennessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys. While he’s probably a fringe-starter talent at this point, he’d make a lot of sense as an upgrade for the third inside linebacker role. Claudin Cherelus, now in his fourth campaign with Carolina, is currently in that spot behind Devin Lloyd and Trevin Wallace.
Murray, 27, could push Wallace, who is coming off season-ending shoulder surgery, throughout camp and the preseason. Wallace participated in OTAs with a red non-contact jersey, and he’s struggled with durability since arriving in town as a 2024 third-round pick.
With the investment the team has made in Lloyd, the squad can’t afford to have his tag-team partner be a letdown. Murray could be experienced insurance and a summer foil for Wallace, who isn’t facing particularly notable competition entering his third year.
G Alex Cappa
Similar to Murray, Cappa is an experienced starter who has become a journeyman of sorts. However, unlike Murray, Cappa has a couple of notable connections to the Panthers’ coaching staff. Cappa won a Super Bowl in Tampa Bay while working with run game coordinator Harold Goodwin and offensive line coach Joe Gilbert.
The 31-year-old lineman would provide worthwhile insurance behind Pro Bowl-level starting guards Damien Lewis and Rob Hunt. He’s not an ideal first-team option at this point in his career, but Cappa — who can also play center — has started 104 games over the past eight years.
At worst, he’d be able to push current backups Chandler Zavala and Saahdiq Charles in camp this summer.
DE Yetur Gross-Matos
Gross-Matos, a 2020 second-round pick of the Panthers, spent the past two seasons in San Francisco. Gross-Matos’ 2025 campaign was marred by a hamstring injury, which limited him to just eight regular-season games. However, in 2024, he produced four sacks in just 11 games as a rotational down lineman.
Gross-Matos was able to land a two-year, $18 million deal with the 49ers after producing 36 tackles (seven for loss) and 4.5 sacks in 2023 with the Panthers. Gross-Matos had a career year that season under then-first-year defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, who remains in charge of that side of the ball in 2026. The 28-year-old lineman could make sense as a temporary replacement for Turk Wharton, who is recovering from a neck procedure.
Gross-Matos profiles similarly to Pat Jones and Nic Scourton as a player who can win as a pass rusher and run stopper at two different spots. He also knows the defense. After dealing with some durability issues, he could also be a cheap solution for a notable depth problem on the roster.
G/T Brady Christensen
Christensen (Achilles) is expected to be fully cleared for contact in early July, a league source told The Charlotte Observer in March and reiterated last week.
The versatile lineman has started at all five positions on the offensive line over the past five years with the Panthers. And while durability issues have been a massive pitfall for the BYU alum over the past two years, he offers rare dependability at both guard and tackle. He can also provide emergency support at center.
Christensen, 29, could be particularly appealing to the Panthers as an immediate backup behind Lewis and Hunt. He could also be an immediate backup at right tackle if the Panthers decide to move on from free-agent addition Stone Forsythe after training camp and the preseason. The bottom line is he can push multiple aspects of the line’s depth chart and knows the blocking scheme as well as anyone on the roster.
TE Josiah Deguara
The Panthers only have five tight ends on their roster entering camp. After waiving former Nebraska playmaker Heinrich Haarberg before mandatory minicamp, the padding on that positional depth chart is quite thin. So there’s reason to believe that the Panthers might want to add a player or two to take reps in joint practices and the four-game preseason slate.
Deguara, who turned 29 in February, has six years of playing experience. While he hasn’t proven to be a consistent playmaker, he knows what he’s doing after stints with the Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals. The 2020 third-round pick has played in 77 games (12 starts) during his career, posting 53 catches for 471 yards and three touchdowns.
Deguara has some versatility, too, as he can line up at fullback at 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds. He’s also played 972 career special-teams snaps in the NFL.
Deguara, in theory, could take on reps in the early preseason schedule and push James Mitchell and Feleipe Franks in practice. While he might just be an experienced body for workouts, he could at least be proven insurance in case there’s an injury within the core three (Tommy Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders and Mitchell Evans) at the position.
This story was originally published June 22, 2026 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Five free agents who might make sense for Carolina Panthers before training camp."
