4 free agent do-overs for the Carolina Panthers during 2022
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers shouldn’t have released Morgan Fox
The Carolina Panthers needed to save cash from somewhere. In the end, the primary decision-makers decided that Morgan Fox was surplus to requirements and released him with one year remaining on his deal.
Cutting Fox ahead of time saved Carolina $3 million in cap space with a $2.5 million dead-cap figure. This was done primarily to fund their controversial trade attempt for Deshaun Watson, which thankfully ended in failure given what’s transpired with the quarterback since.
The Panthers got some solid if not spectacular production from Fox during his one and only season with the franchise. But considering their lack of defensive line depth currently, this is a call they’d probably like to have back.
Even if Fox didn’t earn starting responsibilities again, there’s no denying he’d be an asset on the rotation given his experience and versatility to play anywhere on the defensive front. Carolina is expecting a lot more from their young guns in 2022 and if they cannot raise their games accordingly, it’s going to be a real problem.
As it turned out, everything worked out well for Fox, who signed with the Los Angeles Chargers to bolster their options. Something that could end up with a deep postseason run if Brandon Staley’s team performs as expected.