4 Carolina Panthers whose jobs are in danger after the 2023 preseason opener
By Dean Jones
Yetur Gross-Matos - Carolina Panthers OLB
Saturday's game against the New York Jets was a familiar tale for Yetur Gross-Matos. The former second-round selection had some decent moments when it came to setting the edge against the run, but his pass-rushing production was non-existent during 27 defensive reps.
This was more or less how things went for Gross-Matos throughout 2022. The Carolina Panthers placed a significant amount of faith in the Penn State product and he failed to deliver, with a rotational role the best he can hope for this time around following the recent arrival of Justin Houston.
The Panthers are clearly unwilling to give up on Gross-Matos, but other young edge players are definitely shining throughout camp and during Preseason Week 1. Amare Barno, D.J. Johnson, Kobe Jones, and Eku Leota have flashed more than the fourth-year-pro, which could give those in power a tough decision when the time for final cuts arrives.
One would expect the Panthers to deploy Gross-Matos prominently once again at the New York Giants. But if he cannot buck his ideas up quickly, then others might supplant him from the depth chart entirely.
Cutting a second-rounder would be a tough call. However, sentiment should go out of the window and this coaching staff wasn't around when the Panthers selected Gross-Matos at No. 38 overall, in any case.
Gross-Matos is rapidly approaching the last chance saloon territory. What comes next will tell us plenty about the player's resolve.