Jordan Fuller - Carolina Panthers S
Another former Ejiro Evero player who made his way to the Carolina Panthers this season.
Jordan Fuller joined on a one-year deal and was expected to fill the void left by Vonn Bell — a salary-cap cut casualty during Dan Morgan's first offseason — and Jeremy Chinn, who became an afterthought in Evero's 3-4 base defense and joined the Washington Commanders in free agency. The gamble did not pay off.
Fuller struggled to find consistency over his first few outings. He went to injured reserve soon after and didn't return until Week 10 against the New York Giants.
The same poor performance levels forced Evero to send the Super Bowl winner to the fringes. Fuller was even a healthy scratch on a few occasions before injuries resulted in a return to the defensive rotation for Carolina's regular-season finale at the Atlanta Falcons.
As mentioned, the Panthers need to hit the reset button on the backend this offseason. Only undrafted free agent Demani Richardson is guaranteed to be on Carolina's roster for organized team activities. Fuller is still young enough to bounce back, but that's not going to be in Charlotte.
Fuller did himself no favors and injuries didn't assist. That's a fatal combination when establishing yourself in a different environment.
Eddy Piñeiro - Carolina Panthers K
Most Panthers fans have become tired of the narrative around Eddy Piñeiro. Justin Tucker's regression this season propelled Carolina's man to the league's most accurate kicker of all time statistically. That was seen as fool's gold by some sections of Carolina's long-suffering support.
Piñeiro cannot be trusted with any kick beyond 40 yards. He often came unstuck in critical moments of games. The former Florida standout spent most of the offseason holding out in pursuit of a new deal that didn't come to fruition. That irked the fanbase considering head coach Dave Canales' desire to get everyone into the building to smooth his transition.
The veteran's field goal percentage went down to 84.6 this season. Piñeiro missed two extra points and his touchback success rate on kickoffs plummeted to 44.4 percent. He's never had the biggest leg, which came across glaringly throughout the campaign.
Carolina should start fresh at the kicking spot this offseason. There are some decent options available in free agency. A fresh batch of kickers are emerging from the college ranks. Piñeiro's status is hanging by a thread, but his statistics should get him another opportunity elsewhere.
Who knows if things would have been different had Piñeiro got involved from the start of preparations? That's something he'll regret if (or when) the Panthers make him surplus to requirements.