The Carolina Panthers are making plans for the upcoming offseason, which is a pivotal one for the franchise's future. General manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales keep things pretty close to their chest more often than not. However, their actions are providing clues regarding the team's in-house assessments.
Another glaring example arrived before Carolina's home regular-season finale against the Arizona Cardinals. All eyes were on the inactive players list with so many injury concerns. But it was a something else that caught the eye.
The Panthers opted to make Jordan Fuller a healthy scratch in Week 16. His performances haven't been up to the required standard in recent weeks and he paid the price. For the safety to be overlooked entirely — not even tasked with backup duties — was a damning indictment of how his influence is being perceived by those in power.
Carolina Panthers will move on from Jordan Fuller in 2025
Fuller was an intriguing addition during the offseason. The Panthers identified him as the perfect replacement for Vonn Bell following his early release after just one season. His previous connection to defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero from their time together on the Los Angeles Rams added further optimism to this acquisition.
Things haven't gone according to plan for Fuller. He damaged his hamstring relatively early in the season and went to injured reserve. This was a significant bump in the road he couldn't recover from effectively enough.
With the Panthers playing for nothing other than pride, the coaching staff opted to remove Fuller from the equation in favor of Demani Richardson. The undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M seized the moment, producing an assured performance and securing the first interception of his professional career as Carolina came through in an overtime thriller.
Richardson did more than enough for an extended look over the final two games of the 2024 season. He's got the potential to be around in 2025 and beyond based on what we've seen from the defensive back so far. Things look less promising for Fuller, who could be on the fringes for good.
The Panthers are trying to lay the foundations for a successful future. Their overall performance levels over the last seven games indicate they are heading in the right direction under Canales' guidance. Some collateral damage was always anticipated in Year 1 of this rebuild. And in all honesty, Fuller simply hasn't done enough to warrant an extended stay.
Regardless of whether the Panthers decide more is needed at the safety position during the upcoming recruitment period or not, the chances of Fuller getting a reprieve are slim. Not even his close association with Evero will be able to save him after this latest development.