5 Marty Hurney draft picks who could be cut by the Panthers in 2021
By Dean Jones
Dennis Daley – Carolina Panthers OL
- 6th round pick (2019)
Considering Dennis Daley is now entering his third season with the Carolina Panthers, it’s hard to gauge just what the team has in the offensive lineman currently. Injury problems set his progress back considerably in 2020 after he was tipped to earn a starting spot at guard, so it’s a big summer for the player and a situation worth monitoring closely.
Daley is versatile and has enough athleticism to play a part. But the former sixth-round pick has some serious competition for a starting spot on the interior to reach his goals.
Perhaps the Panthers threw Daley into the lineup a little too soon as a rookie in 2019. Even if they didn’t have much of a choice considering their options available.
Playing just 135 snaps last season is another stumbling block Daley needs to overcome. Gaining meaningful reps during the preseason games will help, but it’s a big ask for the player to potentially secure a prominent protection role at this juncture.
The ball is in Daley’s court, so to speak.
As stated previously, the Panthers aren’t blessed with many quality options on their offensive line outside of stud right tackle Taylor Moton. So it might just come down to who performs better in the lead-up to Week 1.
Cutting Daley with two years remaining on his deal would save Carolina $850,000 and come with a dead-cap total of just $31,960. So this decision will be performance-based and nothing to do with any financial implications.