5 Panthers players unlikely to return in 2023 through Week 4
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers are unlikely to be back in 2023 after their contributions through the opening four weeks of the 2022 season?
We are just a month into the 2022 season, but it appears as if significant changes might be coming to the Carolina Panthers once the campaign comes to a conclusion. Matt Rhule’s men cannot generate any meaningful consistency in terms of results and with some championship-caliber teams upcoming over the next few weeks, the picture could be a lot bleaker leading into midseason.
Nobody expected the Panthers to mount a Super Bowl challenge this season. However, fans wanted to see some encouragement after three-straight five win campaigns, which hasn’t materialized as yet with Carolina sitting at 1-3.
Carolina’s locker room remains defiant, which is some solace for Rhule. The defense is also coming along, the offensive line has improved dramatically, and special teams also seem to be enhanced under Chris Tabor – leaving the blame squarely on coaching and the inept offense regarding what’s rapidly turning into another lost season.
Taking a look at the opening four weeks, we picked out five Panthers players who might not be back in 2023 for differing reasons.
Player No. 1
Cam Erving – Carolina Panthers OL
As stated previously, the Carolina Panthers are enjoying much-improved consistency across the offensive line after a significant revamp this offseason. More importantly, the starting unit remains healthy, which is keeping the likes of Cam Erving off the field.
Erving’s first season in Carolina was disastrous. The former first-round pick is rightfully part of the second-string unit in 2022, but he’s getting paid handsomely with a $6.51 million salary-cap hit on the final year of his deal.
Backup-caliber linemen come a lot cheaper than this. So expect Erving to be shown the door in 2023 and nobody will be that sad to see him go.