You can make a case for wide receiver or edge, but for our money the interior defensive line is the Carolina Panthers‘ greatest roster need going into the 2025 offseason. Most analysts seem to expect that the Panthers will wait until the NFL draft to address this hole – and Michigan’s Mason Graham is one of the most-popular mock draft picks for Carolina.

However, there’s at least a decent chance that Graham will no longer be on the board by the time the Panthers are on the clock at number eight overall. The front office would be wise to at least try to add some firepower inside in free agency before they go into the draft.

It seems Jordan Dajani at CBS Sports agrees. He has a new column naming one free agent every NFL team should prioritize most, and for the Panthers he picked Denver Broncos defensive tackle D.J. Jones.

“Maybe the numbers don’t show it, but D.J. Jones was an important member of the Broncos defense in 2024. The Panthers have work to do on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, as they allowed a league-worst 179.8 rushing yards per game, and allowed 534 points in 2024 — the most by any team in a season in NFL history.”

Jones also comes with loads of experience. Since entering the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers back in 2017 he’s appeared in over 100 regular season games. Jones has proven durable as well, only missing three games over the last four years.

Best of all, Jones likely wouldn’t break the bank to sign given his age (he just turned 30 years old).

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