Carolina Panthers: Three big-name receivers to consider

Dec 28, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Wes Welker (83) runs the ball in the fourth quarter against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos defeated the Raiders 47-14. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Wes Welker

If you were to ask a wide receiver which quarterbacks he’d want to play with, odds are Tom Brady and Peyton Manning would be listed pretty often. Wes Welker is lucky enough to have only caught passes from those guys since the 2007 season – but that’s likely to change.

The Broncos franchise-tagged their leading receiver, Demaryius Thomas, and have a bonafide star in Emmanuel Sanders to play second fiddle. Factor in John Elway‘s desire to get youngster, Cody Latimer, into the mix, and all of a sudden Welker doesn’t seem to fit into the picture.

Signing Welker would be a risk, as he has dealt with a lot of concussion issues, but it just might be one worth taking.

If you toss out last season, he’s eclipsed the 1,000 yard mark five of the seven previous seasons – and the two that he didn’t came during years in which he didn’t play in all 16 games. During those seven campaigns, Welker caught a total of 47 regular-season touchdowns, including a career-high 10 last year.

There’s no denying that Welker was once one of – if not the – most dominant slot receivers in recent history. Whether or not he still can be remains to be seen.

His price likely won’t be too high thanks to his age and injury history, so the Panthers may want to roll the dice on a short-term deal.

Next: Leaving the Windy City?