The Sports Xchange

CHARLOTTE — The Carolina Panthers entered another offseason with limited finances and tempered expectations. Their to-do list wasn’t exciting, but completing it before the draft was essential to their continued trek toward sustained success.

As other teams signed high-profile free agents, Carolina again sat mostly on the sidelines, instead opting to patch up holes. Nine guys were signed to cost-conscious contracts. Nine others re-signed. And perhaps most important, quarterback Cam Newton isn’t walking around in a boot after undergoing ankle surgery like he was last spring.

“Sometimes you don’t always get better by addition. Sometimes you just get better by continuity, keeping guys the same, and healthy guys that are coming back,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “I think sometimes they’re the same faces everybody sees, but there is still improvement from guy to guy, regardless if you’re in year one or year 10. That’s the nature of the NFL.

“That continuity that we’ve been able to keep this year, if we can progress at the level that we think we can, I think that will provide great value for us and allow us to take the next step.”

The Panthers now head into the upcoming draft armed with a bundle of choices. While their free-agent additions helped plug the most glaring holes, the 2015 offseason will ultimately be judged by how they use their nine picks.

Ted Ginn’s return fills a void at returner, but Carolina can’t depend on him to be its go-to vertical threat.

Michael Oher and Jonathan Martin are more well-known for their off-the-field storylines, so there’s still a huge need at offensive tackle.

Charles Tillman feels younger than his age, but there’s a reason not many 34 year olds are playing cornerback in the NFL.

Running back, safety and linebacker could also use more depth, so while the Panthers completed one checklist already this offseason, it’s still way too early to start thinking about an NFC South three-peat.

“Everyone’s first goal is to win our division. The fact that we won it two years in a row has no bearing on our ability to win it this year. History probably says we’re going to have to be a little bit better than we were last year record-wise to win our division. That was kind of an outlier,” Olsen admitted.

“We have a lot of things that need to get done between now and February of next year, so to even start throwing those things out there is probably premature. I just think that’s a lot of hot air at this point.”

2014 Record: 7-8-1, 1st in NFC South

First Draft Pick: #25 Overall

BEST FIT: T Andrus Peat, Stanford

Offseason additions Michael Oher and Jonathan Martin are temporary solutions to help Carolina’s mess at offensive tackle. The Panthers need something more permanent, and if he lasts until the 25th pick, Peat could be the best player on their board who would also fill a glaring need.

TEAM NEEDS

1. Offensive tackle: After adding free agent Michael Oher in March, the Panthers grabbed Jonathan Martin off waivers. The plan is to plug in Oher at left tackle with Martin as a backup there and behind Mike Remmers. That’s a suspect trio, though, so the Panthers need to draft at least one tackle they can groom.

2. Wide receiver: The Panthers signed free agents Ted Ginn and Jarrett Boykin, but they are just two more No. 3 wideouts at best on a roster full of guys like that. The offense desperately needs a receiver that can fill the No. 2 role behind Kelvin Benjamin.

3. Cornerback: Free-agent pickup Charles Tillman would start across from Josh Norman if the season started now, but fortunately for the Panthers, it doesn’t. The 34-year-old Tillman is nice insurance in case Carolina doesn’t land a corner in the draft, but that’s something they’re hoping to do.