4 Carolina Panthers players with tumbling stock at the 2022 bye week

Yetur Gross-Matos – Carolina Panthers DE

This was supposed to be the year where Yetur Gross-Matos firmly established himself as a force opposite Brian Burns on the defensive line. The former second-round selection flashed on a rotational role during his first two seasons in the league despite injury problems, which left hopes high that more could be on the way with additional involvement.

The Carolina Panthers have been pretty patient with Gross-Matos. There are strides being made against the run – especially over the last month or so – but defensive ends are also expected to generate pressure consistently and this is something the Penn State product has trouble with.

One could argue that Marquis Haynes is doing more with less and could be deserving of starting responsibilities down the stretch. But even if Gross-Matos keeps the job over the next five games, his prospects of filling a similar role in 2023 are slim at best.

The Panthers are blessed with an abundance of draft picks after trading Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers before the deadline. This gives them the freedom to perhaps use one of their top selections on a prolific pass-rusher from the college level and slot Gross-Matos into a rotational role once again.

This is probably where he’s best suited based on what’s transpired in 2022. Gross-Matos hasn’t reached the heights expected of a No. 38 overall selection and one cannot deny how much lower his stock is now than before competitive action began.