3 Carolina Panthers players who should still be cut despite 2024 cap rise

Miles Sanders - Carolina Panthers RB

This one is a little trickier to navigate when looking at the current finances. But after an extremely disappointing first season, cutting running back Miles Sanders loose couldn't be dismissed entirely.

Big things were expected of Sanders after he signed a decent contract in free agency. The Carolina Panthers thought he could be the three-down backfield presence capable of replacing Christian McCaffrey. This - like many other moves made by previous general manager Scott Fitterer - blew up in the team's face.

Sanders was a spectacular failure. He lacked explosiveness and sufficient vision to spot running lanes. Injuries played their part, but it's clear who the more impactful running back was between the former second-round pick and Chuba Hubbard.

This puts the Panthers in a predicament. On one hand, it might be worth Sanders sticking around to see if he can bounce back in a more expansive scheme under Dave Canales. On the other, cutting the player after just one season rips the band-aid off despite the financial ramifications.

In this scenario, the Panthers would eat more than $7 million in dead-cap money with $200,000 in savings. And that's with a post-June 1 designation attached. Of all the bad contracts handed out by Fitterer and Samir Suleiman - a man revered for his supposed ability to manage the salary cap - this is right up there.