One of the biggest flaws of the previous Carolina Panthers' regimes was their failure to spot talent after the first round of drafts. And one such example is the latest in a conveyor belt of picks who've brought a sad end to their professional careers ahead of time.
The Panthers are aiming to rectify this issue under general manager Dan Morgan. But it's hard not to look back at some serious misses from past drafts and wonder how things could have been different.
Dennis Daley was a sixth-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. He came into the franchise as an offensive tackle but switched to the interior soon after. The former South Carolina standout got plenty of opportunities to shine. Unfortunately, his performance levels overall were never up to the required standard.
Former Carolina Panthers lineman Dennis Daley called time on his NFL journey
Daley always flashed the physical tools needed to excel. Finding consistency and improving from a technical standpoint were his most glaring flaws. Injury problems began to surface, and the offensive lineman never looked motivated enough to turn the tide when his career began to spiral.
The Panthers eventually gave up on Daley, trading him to the Tennessee Titans. He lasted one subpar season before moving to the Arizona Cardinals. Injuries prevented him from making a significant impact, but the Jacksonville Jaguars gave him one final chance to salvage something from his NFL journey this offseason.
That didn't happen. Things didn't go well for whatever reason, and Daley opted to walk away from the game entirely. The Jaguars placed him on the reserve/retired list, which is an unfortunate end to a career that had promise once upon a time.
Jaguars have placed veteran OL Dennis Daley on the reserve/retired list.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 3, 2025
Whether it was injury, or the juice to continue just wasn't there anymore, Daley opted to call it quits. At some stage, chances run out. So the interior presence decided to take matters into his own hands rather than waiting for the league to turn its back on him for good.
Daley's career in Carolina will always be tinged with regret. He was thrust into the spotlight too soon and paid a heavy price. And whatever confidence he had coming into the NFL was shattered completely.
The Panthers were right to move on from Daley when they did. Things look a lot more promising on the offensive line these days, with Morgan's hefty investments in Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis paying off handsomely to give a once-demoralized unit some life at long last.
Those plans haven't included Daley for a long time, but we wish him nothing but the best as he embarks on life beyond football.