5 Panthers players who could be shocking cuts under new regime in 2023

C.J. Henderson – Carolina Panthers CB

• 2023 cap saving – $0 ($3.4 million dead money)
• 2022 season stats (through Week 17): 54 total tackles (career-high), 2 interceptions, 78 targets, 55 completions allowed, 5 receiving touchdowns allowed.

With high expectations coming into the season following his arrival via trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2021, cornerback C.J. Henderson has been very disappointing. Something that cast further doubts on the decision to bring him on board in the first place.

After injuries to Jaycee Horn and Donte Jackson, the Florida product was asked to step up and struggled in his new role as No. 1 cornerback during the Carolina Panthers’ defeat at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 17. A result that confirmed their elimination from playoff contention despite the team’s turnaround under Steve Wilks.

After a few abysmal performances and Henderson’s refusal to speak with media as of late, it looks as if the former first-round selection will be elsewhere in 2023. Whether the Panthers can get anything for him on the trade market is anyone’s guess, but it certainly won’t be anything like the third-rounder they coughed up to Jacksonville that’s for sure.

While cutting Henderson would not open up more cap space for the Panthers, it does help the team shrink a crowded cornerback room. This would also allow those in power to acquire potentially better options in free agency or the 2023 NFL Draft.