TIER 3: QUESTIONABLE PROCESS, VARYING RESULTS

Scott Fitterer, Carolina Panthers (since 2021) It’s very tough to put Fitterer here because from the outside looking in, it appears he was first hired by Matt Rhule, who had a lot of power and control, and we also know that owner David Tepper is as hands-on as any owner in the league — just ask Frank Reich.

This is true for many general managers, and it should be mentioned that we as fans so often get caught up in trying to find a sacrificial lamb, when in reality, the NFL is just the 32 most expensive fantasy football teams in the world.

Nevertheless, Carolina has probably the least talented weaponry in the NFL, with the inclusion of wide receiver D.J. Moore in the Bryce Young trade necessary to push the deal through but also remarkably detrimental to Young’s acclimation to the NFL.

The 2021 and 2022 draft classes might produce only two meaningful contributors in cornerback Jaycee Horn and tackle Ikem Ekwonu, and that’s if both former top-10 picks can get healthy and play up to the ability we’ve seen in flashes.

In free agency, they have largely overpaid older veterans, with the one big hit on Haason Reddick not followed up with an extension. Carolina signed Reddick off a double-digit sack season to a one-year, $6 million flier for 2021 amid skepticism that he could repeat the feat in a full-time transition to edge rusher. Sure enough, he repeated the feat, albeit with a lower pressure rate and pass-rush grade, but if possible, Carolina absolutely should have worked to match the three-year, $45 million deal Reddick ultimately took in Philadelphia.

Carolina’s offensive line looked much better on paper but has struggled, and the defense has regressed over time and needs multiple significant additions on the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary. These additions could be made with a top-five draft pick, but that is likely what Carolina will be sending to Chicago. We won’t knock making a splash to get a franchise quarterback, and it’s still very early for Bryce Young, but this roster is so far away.

Perhaps the most puzzling decision across the NFL over the last few years is Carolina turning down an offer from the Los Angeles Rams of two first-round picks and a second-round pick for edge defender Brian Burns and then not extending him this offseason. You view Burns as so valuable you won’t take a starting-quarterback trade haul for his services but not valuable enough to sign him to a market-rate deal, the value of which will only rise as more players like Rashan Gary and Montez Sweat sign extensions?

Long story short, we’re really not sure how much of this is even Fitterer’s fault, and it could be a very small amount. Still, the situation is bleak in Carolina, and he holds the title.