Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers want to make the 2024 draft about a larger point, rather than anything as granular as finding weapons for quarterback Bryce Young after he struggled mightily in his rookie season in 2023. "I think it's not about surrounding Bryce with great players; it's about building a great team, and then Bryce can just do his part of it," new head coach Dave Canales said. Even if the Panthers aren't specifically just looking to add weapons for Young, they'll surely need to bolster what was a terrible offensive line and running game. Carolina already traded for receiver Diontae Johnson this offseason and spent some money to upgrade the O-line. "It's not about getting playmakers for Bryce, it's about getting playmakers for our team," general manager Dan Morgan said.

The Seattle Seahawks reportedly visited with unrestricted free-agent running back Rashaad Penny on Wednesday. Seattle is pretty familiar with Penny after taking him with the 27th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of San Diego State. The 28-year-old flashed moments of brilliance in the first five seasons with the Seahawks but just was never able to stay healthy enough to stay on the field for long stretches. Penny averaged 5.7 yards per carry with 1,918 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on 337 carries in Seattle while also catching 27 passes for 222 yards and another score. He had his smallest role yet with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023, carrying the ball 11 times for 33 yards in three regular-season games. A move back to Seattle would have Penny serving as backfield depth behind Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman predicts that the Arizona Cardinals will trade down to pick No. 11 in a swap with the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of this year's NFL draft to take LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas. The 21-year-old pass-catcher has been in the shadow of fellow wideout Malik Nabers, but he was terrific at the scouting combine in February to raise his draft stock tremendously. He also had 68 receptions for 1,177 yards and led the FBS with 17 touchdowns in 2023. "Potentially, I think can be really good in the NFL. He was a red zone nightmare. Even if you were in great position, he could still win those 50-50 balls. But he didn't scare you with (yards after catch) like Nabers did," one coach said. Adding another receiving weapon for quarterback Kyler Murray makes a lot of sense, especially when considering Arizona's top-three receivers are currently Michael Wilson, Chris Moore and Greg Dortch.

The Dallas Cowboys are hosting Texas running back Jonathon Brooks (knee), tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders and defensive tackle Byron Murphy for visits on Wednesday, according to a source. Brooks is recovering from surgery to fix a torn ACL that he suffered on Nov. 12 but said at the beginning of March that he's ahead of schedule and expects to be cleared by July 1. Despite coming off a serious knee injury, the 20-year-old running back could be the first player off the board at the position in April's NFL draft in what is considered a weak class for RBs in 2024. The Cowboys are in need of RB depth after seeing Tony Pollard walk in free agency. Brooks is expected to be a Day 2 pick this year.

The Carolina Panthers have agreed on a deal with running back Raheem Blackshear. The two sides have agreed on a one year deal worth $985,000 for the 2024 season. The 24-year-old will return to Carolina after spending each of the last two seasons with the organization. He has mainly been used as a reserve back and special teams player. Through two seasons, Blackshear has 37 carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns in 25 games. There is unlikely to be fantasy value here unless Carolina loses one or two running backs due to injury.