Dan Morgan has some big decisions to make this offseason. The Carolina Panthers need more money to spend in free agency. There is a significant opportunity to progress in 2025 with stability across the franchise. Making the right moves while also keeping the future in mind is crucial.
The Panthers made some decent progress over the second half of 2024. They were competitive against some teams remaining in the Super Bowl hunt heading into championship weekend. It's not perfect, especially on defense, but the growth provided hope this could become something more with another strong offseason.
Not everyone currently under contract will be around. The Panthers have some dead weight they can remove from the equation to save money on their salary cap. They also don't have much dead-cap money right now, so there's a sense of flexibility attached.
Carolina Panthers urged to part ways with underperforming DL Shy Tuttle this offseason
Alex Ballentine from The Bleacher Report tipped the Panthers to end one of their failed experiments ahead of time. The NFL analyst named underperforming defensive lineman Shy Tuttle among those who could be cut given Carolina hasn't gotten much return from this investment.
"The moral of this story might just be that the Panthers have not been good at free agency. Shy Tuttle is yet another player who was signed in 2023. He got a three-year, $19.5 million contract. Two years in, and it's hard to say he's provided a strong return on investment. He was ranked 191st out of 219 interior defenders graded by PFF last season. The Panthers are already paying Derrick Brown premium money, they can't afford to pay an interior sidekick who isn't actually producing. Cutting Tuttle before the final year of his contract would create an additional $3.3 million in cap space. It's not a lot of space, but the money could still be better spent elsewhere."Alex Ballentine, Bleacher Report
Ejiro Evero had almost blind faith in Tuttle. The coordinator continued to deploy him at the nose tackle position within his 3-4 defensive front. Confidence was so high in the veteran that the Panthers had no competition whatsoever behind him.
Tuttle failed to meet expectations time and time again. He wasn't found wanting for effort, but the former Tennessee standout didn't have the legitimate size or core functional strength to be a capable anchor. He was forced off his spot frequently and became a weak link opposing rushing attacks exploited at will.
If the Panthers want to get serious this offseason, they have to revamp their historically bad defense after keeping faith with Evero. This starts upfront by adding a genuine nose tackle with proven production either at the NFL or college level. Anything else is organizational malpractice at this point.
The Panthers restructured Tuttle's contract last season, so this is far from a done deal. They'd take on $6.1 million in dead money with $3.27 million in savings according to Over the Cap. If they release him with a post-June 1 designation, Carolina will save $6.5 million in 2025 with $2.88 million in dead cash.
Tuttle is a solid enough pro, but the Panthers should settle. He hasn't justified the $9.38 million salary cap hit on the final year of his deal after an underwhelming two seasons with the franchise. If Morgan feels like it's the best thing to do, he'll be made surplus to requirements at some stage.