CHARLOTTE – David Moore knows he has the chance to step into a considerable role for the Panthers, but he's not trying to fill the shoes of anyone in particular.

But the more he thinks about it, the more he realizes there are some similarities.

The free agent wide receiver doesn't want to create the expectation that he's a like-for-like replacement for Curtis Samuel, though he does have the best chance to slide into the third-receiver role vacated when Samuel signed with Washington.

"I see what he did, and I see other players in the wide receivers room I can learn from and grow," Moore said. "I know I'm not going to coming in to take over doing everything he did, I didn't plan on doing that.

"I just planned on coming in and playing my role, hopefully fitting in with the room and help the team however I can."

But Moore did say he's got a little running back experience from his younger days, and loves working in open spaces, so he's not going to completely turn away from the comparisons.

"I like going deep, being the deep threat, that's fun," Moore said. "Going for 50-50 catches, that's exciting, keeps the game moving. I like to run a little bit. I have a little running back in my past. Like to get in some open areas and freestyle a little bit. That brings the fun to it."

Samuel had 851 receiving yards and another 200 rushing in 2020, one of the four Panthers to top 1,000 yards from scrimmage last year. Of course, that happened with running back Christian McCaffrey missing most of the year because of injuries, which forced them to spread the ball around more.

While the Panthers aren't getting the same kind of hybrid player as Samuel, Moore has played a number of spots for the Seahawks in the past, a varied experience that will serve him well here.

There was a bit of a culture shock coming from East Central University in Oklahoma, but he said Seahawks' coaches worked with him over the years, and he became more and more comfortable with playing different roles in the offense.

"Coming from a D-II, I had to overcome things, and learn a lot of things," he said. "The coaches in Seattle really developed me into more of a complete receiver, and pushed me to my limits to get me to be able to do more things."

He's also made his share of big plays in the past, averaging over 17 yards per reception his second and third seasons in the league. That averaged dipped last year, though Moore caught a career-high 35 passes for 417 yards and six touchdowns.

But for all the catches he made while fitting into complementary roles with the Seahawks, one in particular stands out now.

In 2018, Moore caught a 35-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson to bring the Seahawks back to a 27-27 tie in the fourth quarter against the Panthers in Bank of America Stadium, and minutes later, they won on a last-second field goal by Sebastian Janikowski. Moore also had a 54-yard catch that day, a glimpse of the big-play ability the Panthers hope he can build on now that he's in their colors.

"Yeah, it stands out pretty high on the list, especially now," Moore said with a laugh. "But I'm hoping I can change it around, and not just win a game here, but win it for here, that will be fun."