CHARLOTTE — From a five-win season to the first playoff berth in almost a decade, Carolina Panthers General Manager Dan Morgan is putting his stamp on this team, and things are only trending up.
As active as Morgan has been trading draft picks, his best move was keeping the eighth pick in the 2025 Draft and selecting wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
He had a fantastic offseason this year, as well. The two biggest needs for the Panthers were addressed emphatically in free agency. A lackluster pass rush was bolstered by signing Jaelan Phillips, perhaps the most coveted defensive free agent. The linebacker room also got an upgrade with Morgan signing All-Pro middle linebacker Devin Lloyd.
Channel 9’s DaShawn Brown spoke with Morgan about the team’s growth and his vision for the future.
DaShawn Brown: Dan, back for another training camp from your seat what excites you most about the opportunity to start new?
Dan Morgan: Every season is a new season and we know that we got to go out there we got to earn everything that’s given to us.
Our players know that, our staff knows that. So we’re excited we’re excited to go out there, attack it, put the work in, come together as a team, come together as an organization and hopefully have a great season.
Brown: There is that balance between turning the page but also what you can take from last year’s success. How do you manage that?
Morgan: I think last year’s success is last year’s success so you know I think that’s the way we look at it to where again. We got to earn our arrival you know just because we went to the playoffs last year and we accomplished what we did last year we don’t have the right to just be in the playoffs again so I think everybody knows that hey let’s go out there put that work in and you know if we do that and we c ome together as a team that we can do a lot of great things together.
Brown: With Taylor Moton, certainly, our hope is that his recovery continues to progress in a positive direction there’s obviously the business side of this and also the human side. What was your immediate reaction just knowing what he was facing?
Morgan: A guy like Taylor, any of our players, like you’re very concerned about it and you know you just want to know what’s going on if he’s okay. Our doctors did a great job of attacking it, getting him to the right facility, getting them the right medications and everything he needs to get better. He’s in a really good place right now, he’s feeling good headed in the right direction so we’re optimistic that you know we’ll get him back sooner and later.
Brown: There is no way that you can game plan for everything but you’ve always prioritized depth and a competitive roster. In hindsight how much more impactful is that right now?
Morgan: Yeah I mean it’s huge and you know I think depth is the biggest thing in this league between, you know, winning and competing, and losing. So you know if we didn’t draft Monroe if we didn’t sign Rasheed Walker in free agency I think things would look a little different right now I think I’d be a little scared right now but you have to plan for all scenarios you know expect the unexpected and in this business you have to do that if you don’t do that you could catch yourself in some bad situations.
Brown: So heading into a new season a new round of training camp priority number one for you is what?
Morgan: The number one thing I want to see when I go out there is just the guys competing, you know, there’s going to be a lot of competition out there you just want to see guys compete you know you want to see them in their element and I know our guys are going to do that they’re excited you know in the building today you could feel the energy in the building today, the excitement, a little bit of angst, you know if you want to say with them. But they’re excited, they’re ready to go. There’s a quiet confidence about them that I really like a focus so I feel really good about where we’re at.