It has been a while since the Carolina Panthers have been competitive, and they’re looking to find the right combination to get them back into the hunt for a playoff spot.
Last season, they finished 31st in points scored and last in passing yards and total yards gained, which was a big factor in them finishing with a 2-15 record.
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick in 2023, struggled mightily, and adding another major threat at wide receiver would help speed up his development.
On Thursday, Ian Rapoport tweeted that the Panthers are expected to sign Daewood Davis, a wide receiver who spent this past season with the Memphis Showboats of the United Football League (UFL).
The #Panthers are expected to sign Memphis Showboats WR Daewood Davis, pending physical, source said. Davis also spent time with the #Dolphins. He was recently named to the All-UFL team.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 6, 2024
The UFL, which consists of teams from the now-defunct USFL and XFL, has produced a handful of players who ended up moving up into the NFL.
With Memphis, Davis put up 446 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games this past season.
In college, he played three seasons at the University of Oregon and the following two at Western Kentucky University, and in his final NCAA season, he had 63 catches, 872 yards, and seven touchdowns.
He went undrafted in 2023 and was picked up by the Miami Dolphins, but during a preseason game, he sustained a helmet-to-helmet collision with Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Dequan Jackson and ended up in the hospital.
Davis was cut by the Dolphins just three days later.
In 2023, Carolina got plenty of production from wideout Adam Thielen, who caught 103 passes for 1,014 yards, but their second-most productive player at that position was DJ Chark, who had a modest 525 yards.
