5 certified Carolina Panthers 2025 cut candidates at the bye week
By Dean Jones
Dan Morgan made some drastic and necessary changes to the Carolina Panthers roster during his first offseason as general manager.
It wasn't an easy situation given the financial constraints and the fact he didn't have the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft to utilize. Even so, the front-office leader handled himself well in difficult circumstances to stabilize this perennial struggler.
This is the first stage of Morgan's long-term plans to get the Panthers back to respectability and into contention. It's not been great in terms of on-field results. However, the moves made in free agency and the draft are slowly starting to bear fruit.
Carolina showed some signs of life before the bye, but there is still a lot of hard work ahead before this team becomes consistently competitive. Morgan also has some big decisions upcoming regarding current personnel and how best to take the franchise forward in Year 2 of his tenure.
With this in mind, here are five Panthers players who look like certified cut candidates in 2025 based on how things have unfolded so far this season.
Carolina Panthers 2025 cut candidates at the bye week
Yosh Nijman - Carolina Panthers OT
- 2025 cap savings: $3.67 million
- 2025 dead money: $1.41 million
Dan Morgan's investments in the offensive line have paid off. This critical area of the field went from a weak link to a dominant unit quickly. Even when injuries inevitably struck, there was enough depth to compensate within improved blocking concepts implemented by Dave Canales and Joe Gilbert.
Yosh Nijman arrived this offseason and was expected to be the versatile swing tackle upgrade. His time on the field deputizing for stud right tackle Taylor Moton wasn't great. When left tackle Ikem Ekwonu went out through injury, the coaching staff opted to put Brady Christensen on the blindside and Cade Mays at the center position.
While the shuffle reaped instant rewards, it was a damning indictment of Nijman's credentials and whether he'll be around beyond the season. Nothing can be ruled out, especially with Christensen, Mays, and Austin Corbett all out of contract, but the Panthers could probably find a better option for cheaper when push comes to shove.
Nijman's early release comes with more than $3 million in savings attached. Considering how money could be tight, this is something those in power will discuss when the time comes next spring.