The Carolina Panthers may have suffered a heartbreaking playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round, but fans left proud. Head coach Dave Canales' squad gave it absolutely everything, giving a leading Super Bowl challenger all they could handle before coming up short.
Nobody expected the Panthers to make it into the knockout rounds. Nobody expected them to win eight games. Their performances were inconsistent, but this organization is finally on the right path to prosperity after years of languishing among the bottom feeders.
Now, general manager Dan Morgan needs to keep this momentum going. It's his third offseason at the helm, and the right acquisitions can help the Panthers get a lot closer to achieving their objective. Doing that through the draft remains his preferred approach. At the same time, nothing should be completely dismissed if the former linebacker believes it can help take this rising franchise forward positively.
There are some outstanding young pieces to build around. Some position groups look weaker than others, but this won't go unnoticed by Morgan and others in the decision-making process. And this all starts by deciding the fate of Carolina's pending free-agent class.
Some will get a reprieve, but not everyone will come along for the ride. With this in mind, here are seven Panthers players who definitely won't be back in 2026.
Carolina Panthers players who definitely won't be back in 2026
LaBryan Ray - Carolina Panthers DL
One of the biggest reasons why the Carolina Panthers made strides this season was the upgrades to their defensive front.
Pro Bowl lineman Derrick Brown's return from injury couldn't have gone much better. Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III proved to be shrewd additions. A'Shawn Robinson performed better with a much-improved supporting cast. Rookie Cam Jackson flashed promise when his number was called. This represents an outstanding building block — one the Panthers will rely on heavily again in 2026.
What that means for the rest of the team's future is anyone's guess. But for one lineman buried on the depth chart, this might be a good time to pursue other opportunities.
LaBryan Ray has been around the Panthers for a while without ever truly establishing himself. The Alabama product logged 19 percent of defensive snaps from 13 games this season, mainly due to injuries. Keeping him around on another short-term deal seems feasible, but that shouldn't prevent Morgan from finding an upgrade to further bolster depth.