4 Carolina Panthers players who don’t deserve another season in 2023
By Dean Jones
Damien Wilson – Carolina Panthers LB
When the Carolina Panthers lost the services of Luke Kuechly to a shock retirement after the 2019 campaign, it left a gaping hole on and off the field. One that has yet to be replaced after a series of failed acquisitions that couldn’t lace the perennial All-Pro’s cleats.
The latest of these was Damien Wilson – a former Super Bowl winner with the Kansas City Chiefs that attained more than 100 tackles in 2021. Unfortunately, this was unable to transition into a different environment.
Wilson struggled to fit in and lacked the consistency needed right out of the gate. This was often exploited by opposing defenses and once Matt Rhule left the franchise, it didn’t take long for Steve Wilks to shift him to the fringes.
With one year remaining on his deal and a new coaching staff on board, Wilson simply didn’t do enough to see out his contract.
That might sound harsh, but the NFL is a business. And general manager Scott Fitterer needs every available cent to make the moves needed to strengthen this team’s short and long-term aspirations.
Cutting Wilson represents a cap saving of $3.61 million and $1.07 million in dead money. Couple this with the promise of reinforcements and the development of Brandon Smith, it should be an easy decision for the Panthers to make.