4 Panthers players who should be easy cuts this offseason
By Dean Jones
Chris Manhertz – Carolina Panthers TE
Chris Manhertz is never going to blow you away with exceptional pass-catching prowess. The Carolina Panthers know what they have in the player, which is a strong blocker who offers little in the way of effective route-running or ability to get open.
That is all well and good if there was another useful option.
But this is something the Panthers simply don’t have.
Veteran Greg Olsen departed in free agency last year and recently announced his retirement after one season with the Seattle Seahawks. Ian Thomas and Manhertz failed to make the most of extra responsibility on their shoulders, so it wouldn’t be the biggest shock in the world to see the Panthers go in a completely different direction before competitive action gets underway in 2021.
Manhertz is serviceable in what he does.
However, if Carolina wants to be considered as a legitimate playoff contender, they need more from the tight end position.
Players like Manhertz are a dying breed and have been for a while in today’s NFL. It’s more about pass-catching than blocking at the position these days and it shouldn’t be a tough call for the Panthers to make regarding moving him on once his contract expires this spring.