The Carolina Panthers spared no expense to fix their defensive trenches this offseason. Dan Morgan was aggressive during free agency and found value later in the draft to solve this major issue. Things look a lot better now, although it raises the stakes for those who underperformed during the previous campaign.
This is a small price to pay for progress. It's been a long time since the Panthers were working with this sort of model in place. Anyone not pulling their weight will be shown the door. That's the only way this project is going to grow as part of Morgan's long-term vision.
Having raised urgency and increased competition for places represents a sink or swim scenario for most. And make no mistake, A'Shawn Robinson is quietly on the chopping block.
Carolina Panthers laid down the gauntlet to A'Shawn Robinson this offseason
The former Alabama star came to the Panthers last offseason. Robinson was another former Ejiro Evero player familiar with the defensive coordinator's schematic concepts. Expectations were high as a result, but they weren't met.
Robinson flashed as a pass-rusher but struggled to find consistency against the run. This was the opposite of his outlook upon joining the Panthers, which forced Morgan into drastic action during his second recruitment period at the helm.
Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III were acquired in free agency. The Panthers also drafted Cam Jackson, who'll back up the veteran nose tackle as an intriguing development project. Robinson should still have a role to play, but it might be as a rotational piece rather than a guaranteed starter in 2025.
There doesn't seem to be much doubt that Robinson will be on the Week 1 roster. Carolina's historically bad defense doesn't have the luxury of removing established veterans from the equation when there is so much at stake for Evero next time around. But what his future holds beyond that remains to be seen.
Robinson will count $10.55 million against the salary cap in 2026, which is the final year of his deal. Cutting the interior lineman saves $8.5 million with $2.05 million in dead money. Unless there are drastic improvements, the chances of Carolina parting ways ahead of time are high.
It'll be interesting to see how Robinson responds. But the gauntlet has been laid down in no uncertain terms.