The Carolina Panthers have their sights set on making a big leap in 2023, with a few underrated sleepers that will make them very competitive. But they need to make another splash to reach their potential.

Despite being held back by a game of musical chairs at quarterback with Baker Mayfield, P.J. Walker, and Sam Darnold that produced the fifth-fewest yards through the air in the league last year, the Panthers ground game delivered with the 10th-most rushing yards behind an up-and-coming offensive line.

Carolina's defense was middle-of-the-pack against the run last season and struggled through the air, giving up the 10th-most passing yards while tying for the seventh-fewest sacks and sixth-fewest interceptions.

Fortunately, some of the top remaining NFL free agents could still provide an impact for the Panthers.

After breaking down the Panthers’ game-by-game predictions, let's examine a perfect move the team can make to fill out the roster before training camp kicks off in a few weeks.

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Panthers sign EDGE Jadeveon Clowney

Derrick Brown has already established himself as a game-wrecker in the run game and a menace as a pass rusher, but he doesn't have many reinforcements in getting after the quarterback beyond Brian Burns.

DeShawn Williams and Henry Anderson certainly don't inspire much confidence in the trenches.

Yetur Gross-Matos makes some plays against the run, but he doesn't bring very much to the table as a pass rusher. Marquis Haynes has been fine in a depth role, but he turns 30 this season and he's played just 28 percent of the snaps on defense over the last four years. Carolina added third-round rookie edge defender DJ Johnson to the rotation, but if this team wants to take the next step and contend for the division crown, upgrades are needed along the front seven.

New defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero is one of the top defensive minds in the game but there will likely be some initial growing pains as the Panthers transition to a new scheme. Nevertheless, Carolina will deploy multiple fronts and Jadeveon Clowney has plenty of experience in both alignments.

This would also be a homecoming for Jadeveon Clowney, who grew up in the area before becoming a star at South Carolina. Ordinarily, that wouldn't really be worth highlighting, but if Carolina signs Clowney, he would be the third free agent defensive lineman to receive a homecoming from the Panthers this offseason.

The Panthers previously signed Midway, North Carolina native and defensive tackle Shy Tuttle, along with the aforementioned DeShawn Williams, who played at Clemson and grew up in Central, South Carolina.

Jadeveon Clowney, 30, was named to three consecutive Pro Bowls with the Houston Texans before being shipped off to Seattle in a trade in 2019. Despite having a reputation as an injury-prone player that often takes plays off, Clowney has been alarmingly consistent year over year, based on the advanced metrics, per PFF.

Clowney's play has regressed a little bit over the last three years in Tennessee and Cleveland, but he's been remarkably consistent for the majority of his career.

Clowney's unlikely to command the multi-year contract he's been seeking on the open market for the last few years, in part because there's some legitimacy to the narrative that he's an injury-prone player that takes plays off and can become a distraction if he doesn't feel like he's getting enough credit or enough favorable matchups.

His eyebrow-raising comments towards the end of last season led to him being a healthy scratch in Week 18 and might've led to a smaller pool of interested teams this offseason.

The root of his beef with the Browns stemmed from his feeling that Cleveland removed him from favorable matchups with offensive linemen, which prevented him from producing as many sacks and pressures, while All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett was able to pad the stats sheet against inferior competition.

“You’re all trying to get somebody into the Hall of Fame when all that matters is winning,” Clowney said, via Cleveland.com. “Everybody got here for a reason, and we can all make plays. I know I am.”

Clowney said it started to boil over last October when he discovered the Browns made a pre-game adjustment, opting to line him up against Ravens All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley.

“We practiced all week, and we get in the game and they want to move me,” Clowney said. “I’m not doing that (sh—). I’m old. I done my job.”

Because of the switch, Clowney chose to take himself out of the game on early downs.

“I don't have time for that,” Clowney said. “I've made my money. I'm doing this because I love the game, but keep [doing things like that] and making me not love the game.”

Jadeveon Clowney obviously still has plenty left in the tank—he racked up nine sacks and 53 pressures in his first season in Cleveland in 2021. He's always been a dominant run defender and strong edge setter, and he's more than capable of wreaking havoc as a pass rusher, albeit with less consistency. But he needs to be in the right situation.

“I just feel like I need to be around somebody that believes in me and my ability,” Clowney said. “[It can't] just be me believing in myself. I believe in myself more than anybody.”

If Clowney does return to his old stomping grounds, he'll be playing for his fifth team in six years.

Currently sitting with the second-most projected cap space among its top 51 players, Carolina can afford to make the big splash and sign Clowney to take its talented defense to the next level.

Could the Panthers target anyone else?

A case can be made for adding a top receiver for rookie quarterback and No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young, who would benefit from a stronger supporting cast. But we already know he can excel with a less-than-stellar receiving corps.

Young's already an elite processor with excellent field vision, plus athleticism, a quick release, and terrific composure from the pocket. The top receivers on the Panthers' depth chart are also talented.

Adam Thielen is clearly past his prime, but he's still a very reliable possession receiver, while D.J. Chark profiles as the opposite—an injury-prone field-stretcher that's never played a full season but offers big-play ability downfield. Moreover, Terrace Marshall still has untapped potential.

And second-round rookie Jonathan Mingo, who has a legitimate shot to be the rookie receiving yards leader, has been clicking really well with Bryce Young ever since they were drafted and paired together.

Mingo is a very solid blocker, strong route runner, and a prototypical height-weight-speed specimen with elite ball-tracking skills and legitimate inside-outside versatility. He also earned the stamp of approval from Panthers legend Steve Smith Sr., who told team owner David Tepper to draft him about an hour before they selected him with the No. 39 overall pick.

If there was another top free agent to consider here, it would be DeAndre Hopkins. But he's only met with the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans so far since he was released from the Arizona Cardinals, and we don't get the sense that the Panthers will jump in the D-Hop sweepstakes.