3 shocking Carolina Panthers cut candidates emerging from 2024 training camp
By Dean Jones
Dave Canales and Dan Morgan are leaving nothing to chance this offseason. They accepted a daunting task - to get the Carolina Panthers out of the football wilderness and back to respectability. A collective ethos and long-term plans were quickly formed, which was the start of what will hopefully be a brighter future for the organization.
It's been almost a decade since Carolina was relevant. Their drastic freefall under David Tepper's ownership was alarming and saw many fans look the other way in embarrassment. Canales and Morgan are looking to change all that, restoring the fabric that made this franchise great, approaching everything with a business-first mindset at long last.
Tepper is also staying out of the way, for now. Nothing is where Canales wants it to be currently. At the same time, competition for places remains fierce with very few seemingly safe under the new regime.
With this in mind, here are three surprising cut candidates emerging from Carolina's training camp in Charlotte.
Shocking cut candidates emerging from Carolina Panthers training camp
Chandler Zavala - Carolina Panthers OL
The Carolina Panthers aren't blessed with the greatest depth along their offensive line. It's much improved after some significant investment in their interior this offseason. It's also a big reason why quarterback Bryce Young was held out of the team's preseason opener at the New England Patriots.
Chandler Zavala went through more turmoil than most in 2023. The former fourth-round pick was inserted into the starting lineup way before he was ready. His performances weren't up to NFL standards, securing the lowest Pro Football Focus grade for interior linemen around the league along the way.
Zavala had a battle on his hands to alleviate concerns about his future aspirations this offseason. He's got no chance of starting with Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis on board. It would be a surprise if the North Carolina State product didn't make it through as a backup option. However, nothing can be dismissed entirely looking at how his NFL career's gone up to now.