Josey Jewell - Carolina Panthers LB
- 2026 salary-cap savings: $5.5 million
- Dead cap money: $2.33 million
The Carolina Panthers took the difficult decision to part ways with veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson this offseason. His influence in the locker room and on the field remained unquestioned. Unfortunately, the significant injury issues left Dan Morgan with no option other than to go in a different direction.
This makes Josey Jewell the senior figure within Carolina's linebacking corps. Last season's free-agent signing acquitted himself well overall in 2024. There weren't many positives to take from the Panthers' woeful defensive efforts, but his contribution was among them.
It wasn't perfect, not by any stretch of the imagination. There were serious deficiencies against the run that cannot be ignored. Jewell made some outstanding plays, so raising consistency is the next challenge.
The Panthers will likely add to their second-level options during the draft. This should come relatively early in the process, which will be a big help considering only Jewell, Trevin Wallace, and Christian Rozeboom are Carolina's legitimate starting-caliber linebackers currently.
Any young addition from the college ranks raises the urgency for Jewell to perform well. The veteran needs to raise his influence and fill the leadership void left by Thompson. Anything less could see his time with the franchise end ahead of time.
A'Shawn Robinson - Carolina Panthers DL
- 2026 salary-cap savings: $8.55 million
- Dead cap money: $2.05 million
The Panthers wasted no time in fixing their defensive trenches this offseason. Dan Morgan promised swift action to rectify one of the team's most glaring issues. He once again proved to be a man of his word.
Tershawn Wharton came in from the Kansas City Chiefs to form a potentially dynamic 3-4 defensive end tandem with Pro Bowl lineman Derrick Brown. The Panthers also (finally) added a legitimate nose tackle in Bobby Brown III to anchor Ejiro Evero's front.
This is going to help enormously. With Shy Tuttle taking a pay cut to stick around, LaBryan Ray being re-signed, and Brown making his long-awaited return from injury, this group looks stronger than at any stage during the previous campaign.
There's also A'Shawn Robinson to factor into the equation. The veteran free-agent signing flashed as a pass-rusher last season but couldn't make the expected impact against the run. Considering this was projected to be his biggest strength, it was an ongoing frustration.
Robinson isn't guaranteed to start next season. He'll be utilized heavily on the rotation, but the Panthers didn't have the luxury of standing pat. Considering their investment in Wharton, he's going to eat into the former Alabama star's reps, barring injury.
This makes Robinson a prime salary-cap cut candidate in 2026, looking at the savings attached.