The Carolina Panthers are running the football operation with much more professionalism these days. Second-year general manager Dan Morgan adopted a cutthroat mentality to his roster construction immediately, and that was evident once again just a few days into the team's summer training camp.
Anyone not pulling their weight will be shown the door. Whether they were drafted by the organization or not, Morgan has no sentiment attached to his decision-making process. If he feels like it's the best thing to do, the front-office leader won't hesitate to pull the trigger.
That proved to be the case with Amare Barno, who was cut to make room for 25-year-old rookie J.J. Weaver.
Carolina Panthers' ruthless roster building under Dan Morgan continued with Amare Barno's release
Barno never cracked the defensive rotation much after being drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Although he was a progressing special-teams performer, the former Virginia Tech standout never recovered from the torn ACL suffered during the 2023 campaign.
Missing time over Carolina's offseason program wasn't ideal. Barno got back onto the practice field for the start of training camp, but Morgan seemingly deemed the edge presence expendable.
Whether the Panthers can get more from Weaver is anyone's guess. He spent six seasons in college, gaining 21.5 sacks and emerging as a team captain for the Kentucky Wildcats. Morgan feels like there could be something to mold, and Barno was sacrificed.
This ruthless mindset from Morgan's perspective should be enough to keep urgency high across the board. The Panthers have a shot to be more competitive and potentially enter the NFC South title picture in 2025. There is no room for passengers, which is what the former linebacker believed Barno was becoming.
What the future holds for Barno is unclear. There were enough flashes on special teams to suggest he'll get another shot to make a roster elsewhere, but there's just no telling for sure. As for the Panthers? They'll try to bring Weaver along quickly while also depending heavily on their new pass rushers in pursuit of getting more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
And Morgan won't think twice about making more roster alterations if he feels like it can benefit the team's chances for progress when competitive action arrives.