Carolina Panthers: Veterans Taylor Heinicke, Elder among roster cuts
The Carolina Panthers began trimming their roster on Friday.
Friday, the Carolina Panthers made a bunch of roster moves. Quarterback Taylor Heinicke and cornerback Corn Elder were among the cuts.
Heinicke signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Panthers earlier this offseason. He was thought to be the backup quarterback heading into the preseason, but the emergence of Kyle Allen and Will Grier have changed the outlook at the position.
More from Cat Crave
- Ranking the top-five QB prospects the Panthers could draft in 2023
- 4 remaining Carolina Panthers cap crunches after Damien Wilson release
- Could Duce Staley help Carolina Panthers land Jamaal Williams in 2023?
- How much could the Carolina Panthers afford to offer Lamar Jackson?
- 4 Panthers rumors to emerge from 2023 NFL Scouting Combine
The quarterback took to Instagram to express his thanks. It’s a tough, saddening post to read. However, hopefully he will land on his feet in no time. He certainly has talent, he has just never gotten a fair shot at things being a backup.
Elder was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in 2017 in the fifth round. He was thought to maybe have a shot in the secondary this season, but right now, the position is too deep. He never really caught on with the Panthers. He would show flashes of what he could do but he was never really consistent, nor did he get significant playing time.
With Heinicke gone, this adds one last name to the quarterback room. Along with Newton, Allen and Grier should be able to compete for the second spot. It’s interesting how the quarterback room has changed in a just a year. Between the emergence of Allen in the final regular-season game and the drafting of Grier, the future looks a lot better at the position than it did a year ago.
The secondary has shown flashes of good play as well. Many think that Javien Elliott is going to end up winning the slot cornerback role. He has impressed over the course of the preseason, and he has shown athleticism and capability to play. Thursday night, he seemed to be all over the field. That’s exactly what he needed to do in the file preseason game. Between his hard work in games and on the practice field, his work seems to have paid off.
It’s tough to see a player cut, but hopefully all Carolina Panthers who are cut have a chance to play for other teams in the future. It’s the nature of life in the National Football League. It’s not always pretty, but teams have to narrow down their rosters.