4 Panthers players who should be easy cuts this offseason

There are plenty of big decisions for the Carolina Panthers during the 2021 offseason, but cutting these five players should be easy.

It is going to be another dramatic offseason period for the Carolina Panthers as they look to make the strides needed to get themselves back into playoff contention. Matt Rhule made an encouraging start to life as an NFL head coach overall, so another strong period of recruitment and the introduction of new general manager Scott Fitterer into the mix could bring a fresh set of vital ideas in their pursuit of getting even better next time around.

There are some complications involved with the salary-cap coming down, which no team in the league probably planned for this time last year. Couple this with some doubts surrounding Teddy Bridgewater’s future at the quarterback, an offensive line that has four out of five players looking for a new deal and a defense that needs more depth, and it’s not hard to see why the Panthers have a busy few weeks and months ahead.

Rhule got something of a pass for the team’s 5-11 record, and there were plenty of positives to take from the campaign. But now owner David Tepper has his men in place for the first time since he bought the Panthers, it won’t be long before he wants to see the organization competing for Super Bowls.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at four Panthers players who will be some of the easier cuts to make this offseason.

Player No. 1

Michael Schofield – Carolina Panthers OG

Michael Schofield had a big chance with the Panthers in 2020. He was brought in just before training camp and managed to secure the starting berth at guard opposite John Miller after Dennis Daley’s hopes were dashed by an unfortunate injury.

However, it didn’t take long to see that the free-agent signing was not up to the required standard.

Schofield was sluggish from the outset and was replaced by Chris Reed once the veteran returned from a spell on the reserve/COVID-19 list. This is a trend that continued throughout the campaign and his level of production when thrust into the left tackle role went as badly as expected.

The lineman allowed four sacks and conceded three penalties from 270 snaps this season on his way to a lowly 50.3 grade from Pro Football Focus. Schofield will be one of the first names cut and it will come as no shock to the player.