TAMPA Game Christian McCaffrey Jersey , Fla. (AP) — Cam Newton and Jameis Winston know there’s no surefire way for a quarterback to lead a team out of a funk.What works in one situation may not necessarily be the answer in another.Newton’s second-place Carolina Panthers (6-5) have lost three straight games following a 6-2 start, moving closer to the bottom of the NFC South than the top.Winston’s getting another chance to lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) out of the division cellar after spending a month on the bench because of his propensity for making costly mistakes.“In the NFL, part of winning is not losing, not beating yourself,” Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said, reflecting on Winston delivering his best performance of the season to help Tampa Bay stop a four-game skid last week.“You have to just keep it simple,” said Winston, who lost his starting job after turning the ball over 11 times in 14 quarters.The fourth-year pro said the difference during last week’s 27-9 rout of San Francisco was his decisiveness with the football.“I’m thinking about one play at a time, one completion at a time, one game at a time,” Winston said. “It’s easier to keep it simple when you’re decisive, making quick decisions and getting the ball out of your hands.”The Panthers haven’t won since beating the Bucs 42-28 at home on Nov. 4. Kicking woes factored in narrow losses the past two weeks to Detroit and Seattle, however, and Newton said he’s focused on the next opportunity to get back on track.Win or lose, he has learned you give yourself 24 hours to get over the excitement or disappointment.“You can either celebrate or sulk and sob,” the Carolina quarterback said. “After that 24 hours is up, let it go. That has been so helpful for me in my growth as a man.”For Winston, Sunday’s game against the Panthers represents the next test in what amounts to an audition to determine if he’s Tampa Bay’s quarterback of the future.The 24-year-old didn’t face the Panthers last time. He was benched after throwing four interceptions the previous week at Cincinnati.Some things to watch when the NFC South rivals meet:NEWTON LIKES WHERE HE’S ATNewton said this week he’s playing the best football of his career, despite a three-game losing streak.Newton has thrown at least two TD passes in 10 straight games and seems to be thriving in Norv Turner’s offensive scheme.“I’m just feeling in control,” Newton said. “There are no question marks. My assuredness of every single play I know exactly what I’m supposed to do.”McCAFFREY ON THE RUNChristian McCaffrey last week became the first Panthers running back to eclipse 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in the same game. His 237 yards from scrimmage against the Seahawks were the most in franchise history.McCaffrey had 157 yards from scrimmage and two TDs rushing in the last meeting with the Bucs.Newton joked that you shouldn’t call the 5-foot-10, 205-pound McCaffrey “small,” because he hates being labeled a small back.“C-Mac has defied all odds,” Newton said. “With C-Mac, he has always been a workhorse. He’s always been a playmaker. There’s no denying that. My thing is when you draft a person Christian McCaffrey Womens Jersey , is he comfortable with the game on the line?”WHERE ARE THE TURNOVERSCarolina’s defense has thrived on takeaways over the years, but they have been struggling in that area of late. The Panthers haven’t forced a turnover in the three games since they last played the Buccaneers. In that game they intercepted Ryan Fitzpatrick twice.EVANS VS. BRADBERRYIn the last meeting, Carolina cornerback James Bradberry put the clamps on Bucs receiver Mike Evans, holding Tampa Bay’s top receiver to one catch for 16 yards on 10 targets in a 42-28 victory at home.However, Bradberry has struggled in three games since giving up big plays in each of those games in losses to Pittsburgh, Detroit and Seattle.Bradberry is expected to draw Evans again.“They game-planned really well,” Evans said. “Even though they’re a one-high team, it felt like Eric Reid was just coming to me no matter what. And then Bradberry was underneath just pressing. So, I’ve got to be better, more physical, faster and stronger, and I think I will be this time around.” The Panthers have several needs and there are still some good free agents out there for them to sign."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Keep Sounding PodcastPanthers 2019 NFL DraftCSR Film RoomCarolina Panthers free agency 2019Top free agents remaining at positions of need for the Carolina PanthersNew,109commentsThe Panthers have several needs and there are still some good free agents out there for them to sign.EDTShareTweetShareShareTop free agents remaining at positions of need for the Carolina PanthersAs of this writing, the Carolina Panthers have $15.7 million in cap space to sign free agents. That puts them in the bottom 10 teams (there are only seven teams with less cap space than the Panthers right now) and will probably make it difficult for them to add any quality free agents to the roster.While the Panthers aren’t expected to go on a huge shopping spree during free agency, there are still some good players out there who could be in Carolina’s price range. SB Nation has put together a ranking of the Top 103 free agents for fans to see who’s available to be signed, so let’s dive into it and see who’s available at some of Carolina’s positions of need.I’ve excluded any free agents who have already signed contracts, since the Panthers wouldn’t be able to sign them anyway.Offensive tackleThere are only two free agents remaining in SB Nation’s Top 103 list. One of them is a familiar face to Panthers fans.Best free agents remainingDaryl Williams (No. 12 overall) — UFA, 26 years oldGeorge Fant (No. 99 overall) — RFA, 26 years oldGiven how much money offensive tackles are getting in today’s NFL, the Panthers are probably not going to be able to afford either one of the two remaining free agents on the list. They’re either going to have to shop in the bargain bin, or use one of their draft picks to get someone to protect Cam Newton’s blind side. The Panthers and Williams have reportedly been too far apart during contract talks for us to expect him to stay in Carolina, so there’s a good chance the Panthers stay away from the left tackle aisle in free agency this year. That might be a good thing, because the last time they spent big money on a left tackle it went so well that we’re still happy about it to this day.Defensive endThis is where the Panthers could really make an impact. There are plenty of quality guys left to choose from.Best free agents remainingEzekiel Ansah (No. 20 overall) — UFA, 29 years oldAlex Okafor (No. 34 overall) — UFA Youth Christian McCaffrey Jersey , 28 years oldBruce Irvin (No. 48 overall) — UFA, 31 years oldMuhammad Wilkerson (No. 56 overall) — UFA, 29 years oldCameron Wake (No. 61 overall) — UFA, 37 years oldAllen Bailey (No. 63 overall) — UFA, 29 years oldMichael Johnson (No. 69 overall) — UFA, 32 years oldShane Ray (No. 103 overall) — UFA, 25 years oldThe Panthers should absolutely check in on Shane Ray to see if he’s affordable and willing to play in Carolina. He’s a versatile outside linebacker/defensive end who would fit well in Ron Rivera’s new ‘hybrid defense’ that is reportedly coming in 2019. The Panthers desperately need a pass rush, and I don’t know about anyone else but I’m not really concerned with how they get it. Whether it’s an outside linebacker in a 3-4 or a defensive end in a 4-3 doesn’t matter to me. If the Panthers bring in a player who can put pressure on the quarterback, I’m all for it.CenterThe Panthers need to replace the retiring Ryan Kalil and could do so in free agency if they choose to use their draft picks on other positions of need.Best free agents remainingMatt Paradis (No. 16 overall) — UFA, 29 years oldJohn Sullivan (No. 83 overall) — UFA, 33 years oldNick Easton (No. 84 overall) — UFA, 26 years oldGarrett Bradbury is the best center prospect in this year’s draft class, but I’m not sure he’s worth taking No. 16 overall and I don’t think he’ll still be available by the time the Panthers are on the clock in the second round. I think the Panthers would be better served taking a look at either Easton or Paradis to see if they can be had for an affordable deal. GuardThe Panthers should probably look for at least one guard in either the draft or free agency. Greg Van Roten and Tyler Larsen are good, but they’re not great. The Panthers could also use some depth on the interior. Best free agents remainingRodger Saffold (No. 36 overall) — UFA, 30 years oldRamon Foster (No. 42 overall) — UFA, 33 years oldAndy Levitre (No. 46 overall) — UFA, 32 years oldMike Iupati (No. 55 overall) — UFA, 31 years oldJames Carpenter (No. 68 overall) — UFA, 29 years oldBilly Turner (No. 93 overall) — UFA, 27 years oldThere are several names on this list to choose from, but I would lean towards the bottom half just based on the cost:value ratio. The Panthers can’t afford to tie up all their available cap space into a guard, but if they can find the right deal it wouldn’t hurt to add one to the roster for depth.Wide receiverThe Panthers only have four receivers on the roster who are projected to make the 53-man roster. Devin Funchess is leaving via free agency after signing a one-year deal with the Colts, so the Panthers will need to add at least one player to the wide receiver room. There’s a chance they’ll just draft someone on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft, but there are a few decent options available in free agency if they wanted to go that route.Best free agents remainingGolden Tate (No. 27 overall) — UFA Christian McCaffrey Men Jersey , 30 years oldRandall Cobb (No. 67 overall) — UFA, 28 years oldCole Beasley (No. 76 overall) — UFA, 29 years oldTyrell Williams (No. 86 overall) — UFA, 27 years oldCordarrelle Patterson (No. 91 overall) — UFA, 27 years oldI don’t know if any of these guys are worth signing other than Tate and Cobb, and they’re probably too expensive for the Panthers. I suppose they could sign Beasley or Williams, but if they’re going to sign Beasley I’d rather them just bring Brenton Bersin back to be honest. Patterson wouldn’t be a bad signing, but I don’t think the Panthers would bring him in. The Patriots will probably keep him anyway.Free safetyUnfortunately there’s only one name on the Top 103 list and he’s going to be so far out of the Panthers’ price range that it’s really pointless for me to even mention it, but I’m sure someone would complain if I didn’t.Best free agents remainingEarl Thomas (No. 6 overall) — UFA, 29 years oldTre Boston (Not ranked) — UFA, 26 years oldHa Ha Clinton-Dix (Not ranked) — UFA, 26 years oldThe Panthers can’t afford Thomas unless they offload some of their current players to make cap space, but doing that creates even more holes than they already had. Thomas has said he wants at least a two-year deal worth at least $14 million per year to sign anywhere, and while he’s an amazing talent and one of the best free safeties in the league he’s simply out of Marty Hurney’s price range. While he’s the only one left on SBN’s Top 103 list, Thomas isn’t the only free safety available. Tre Boston and Ha Ha Clinton Dix are two other names the Panthers could consider to pair with Eric Reid.Clinton-Dix is a free agent after spending last year in Washington. He was drafted by Green Bay in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and played his first four years there, but was traded to Washington in October 2018. Washington signed Landon Collins to a massive six-year, $84 million contract yesterday, so there’s a good chance they’re going to let Clinton-Dix go in free agency. He’s a player the Panthers should probably keep an eye on since he can probably be had for a relatively cheap deal.Boston isn’t the best free safety in the league, but he’s better than anything else the Panthers currently have on their roster and he’ll probably be affordable since he signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Cardinals last year. That’s the kind of shopping Hurney has to do if he’s going to use free agency to fill holes on this roster. If the Panthers are not willing to go after Boston but want to get a free safety, they’re probably going to have to grab one in the draft.Which free agents would you like to sign, Panthers fans? Let’s hear what you have to say!