Robert Hunt Mentioned in Top 10 'Most Likely' Free Agent Busts

Dan Morgan had a bunch of areas on the roster to address this offseason, but none more imporant than the offensive line. Bryce Young ran for his life seemingly every week during his rookie season and was sacked 62 times. To get a true evaluation on him as the franchise quarterback, that can’t happen again.

To help prevent the interior leakage, the Panthers signed guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt for a combined $153 million. It’s a lot of money, and maybe the organization overspent but if it works out, every penny will be well worth it. 

According to Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated, there is some risk with the contract which makes him a candidate as a free agent bust, ranking ninth on Manzano’s list. 

“Every young quarterback should have a bodyguard like Hunt, a rugged blocker in many aspects who doesn’t allow his signal-caller to take extra hits. Bryce Young will benefit from having Hunt in the middle of the Panthers’ offensive line. But the Panthers overpaid for his services, with a whopping five-year, $100 million contract with $63 million guaranteed.

“With the lucrative contract, comes added pressure for Hunt, 27, who didn't make an All-Pro team nor a Pro Bowl during his first four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Now Hunt will need to play like the best guard in the NFL to live up to this hefty contract. That’s a high bar, but the Panthers probably won’t care if Young excels in Year 2 and takes a lot fewer sacks than the 62 he had last season.”

Personally, I feel like Hunt will be a perfect fit for the Panthers and while he may not quite live up to the $100M price tag, he'll solve a lot of the pass protection issues along with being a force in the run game. Again, if Young is on his feet more than his back, it's money well spent.