By PFW staff
March 17, 2008

D.J. Hackett

The Panthers made a major upgrade in their receiving corps Monday, coming to terms with UFA WR D.J. Hackett on a two-year, $3.5 million deal. Hackett, a former Seahawk, was largely considered the best free-agent receiver still available and had met with the Redskins and Bucs within the last week. He will likely become the No. 2 receiver in Carolina, starting alongside one of the league’s best, Steve Smith. Muhsin Muhammad, another addition from this offseason, steps into the No. 3 role.

Hackett has been slowed by injuries throughout his career and has never played a full 16-game season. In six games last season, he had 32 catches for 384 yards and three touchdowns.

The PFW spin

If Hackett stays healthy, the Panthers may have solved a problem that has dogged them for years — finding a sidekick for Steve Smith. Last season, Drew Carter and Keary Colbert were unable to adequately fill that role, and both have signed with different teams (the Raiders and Broncos, respectively) in the past few weeks. Hackett’s agent, Kevin Robinson, told the Charlotte Observer that the high ankle sprain that kept the four-year veteran out of 10 games in 2007 is completely healed and “not a concern, whatsoever.”

Hackett’s size — 6-foot-2, 208 pounds — and deceptive speed will be a welcome complement to Smith’s game-breaking ability. Muhammad, who brings to the table a big body, albeit a soon-to-be 35-year-old one, is a nice fit, as well. Last season, as the Panthers shuffled through four different quarterbacks, Smith, though he’s typically fiery anyway, appeared to grow more and more agitated as the season went on. The pressure on him to make plays rose as the team fell further out of the playoff picture. However, with the Panthers’ additions of the past few weeks, his load has been lightened.

Dwayne Jarrett, entering his second season, figures to be a factor at receiver for the Panthers, too, but a recent arrest for driving while impaired didn’t help his case. If the USC product is able to rebound from the incident and make great strides after a disappointing rookie campaign, Carolina will have about as much depth at receiver as any team in the NFC, which would be a huge reversal from last season.