5 former Panthers who might’ve already played their last NFL season
By Dean Jones
Dontari Poe – Former Carolina Panthers DT
Another veteran player formerly of the Carolina Panthers who faces an uncertain future is Dontari Poe. The defensive tackle wasn’t brought back by the organization in 2020 free agency, which ended with a move to the Dallas Cowboys on a short-term arrangement.
Things didn’t exactly work out as all parties hoped. Poe’s conditioning and overall interest were questioned throughout his time in Dallas and the Cowboys cut him loose in October citing weight issues and injury problems.
This was a blow for Poe after two seasons on the Panthers that finished with five sacks, 39 tackles, nine quarterback hits, and 11 tackles for loss. Another team has yet to take the plunge and secure his services, meaning his time on the Cowboys could be his final taste of being around an NFL franchise.
Much was expected of Poe when the Kansas City Chiefs selected the imposing Memphis product at No. 11 overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. He is a two-time Pro Bowler who demonstrated flashes of brilliance in the early part of his career, but things have tailed off pretty dramatically since departing Arrowhead Stadium.
Realistically speaking, it doesn’t appear likely Poe will get another shot and he would need a lot of work from a conditioning standpoint to become a valuable asset at this stage.