Has Stephen Weatherly played his last down for the Carolina Panthers?
By Dean Jones
Has Stephen Weatherly played his last game for the Carolina Panthers?
The Carolina Panthers will be without the services of Stephen Weatherly for the remainder of the 2020 season after they placed him on the reserve/injured list. This is a big blow for the free-agent signing and one that has thrown his future with the franchise into doubt.
Big things were expected of Weatherly after he signed a deal with the Carolina Panthers this offseason. He performed well on a rotational basis behind Pro Bowl duo Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen on the Minnesota Vikings, so few would deny that he wasn’t deserving of a shot to become a prominent starter.
Sadly for the Panthers and the player, things haven’t gone according to plan.
Weatherly struggled to make the sort of impact expected when he penned a two-year, $12.5 million deal that also included a $4 million signing bonus and $6.25 million guaranteed. He’s struggled to generate any pressure consistently and this is something that’s been a glaring omission from Carolina’s play throughout the campaign.
Where Weatherly and the Panthers go from here remains to be seen. It is sure to be another important preparation period in 2021 that will result in big calls being made by the decision-makers and the subject of trading or releasing the former seventh-round pick will definitely be in the discussion.