4 Carolina Panthers living on borrowed time after free agency upheaval
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers players could be living on borrowed time after the team's major free agency upheaval in 2024?
Dan Morgan and Dave Canales were not going to attach any semblance of sentiment to their decision-making process this offseason. The Carolina Panthers have nowhere to go but up after one of the worst campaigns in franchise history, but anything less than a substantial overhaul just wasn't going to cut it.
Significant sacrifices were made and proven performers departed. The Panthers are planning with the future in mind. Immediate progress hasn't been completely ruled out, but Morgan is working with a long-term strategy to emerge from the NFL wilderness and back into postseason consideration.
Morgan and his staff have left no stone unturned throughout free agency. They aren't done, with draft assets and enough cash to make a couple of worthwhile acquisitions remaining before preparations ramp up for the first campaign under Canales.
Looking at how things have unfolded during Carolina's free agency upheaval, here are four Panthers players who appear to be living on borrowed time.
Cade Mays - Carolina Panthers OL
The Carolina Panthers wasted no time in making their intentions clear when the free-agent frenzy commenced. They were going to sure-up their offensive line interior and were willing to make huge financial commitments to land their preferred targets.
Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis are Carolina's new starting guard tandem. Austin Corbett is switching to the center position, which indicates a distinct lack of confidence in Cade Mays reading between the lines.
Mays has had countless opportunities in the starting lineup and failed to maximize them. There's a chance he sticks around thanks to his cheap contract as a depth option, but Dan Morgan won't hesitate to further strengthen the Panthers' protection if the right opportunities present themselves during the 2024 NFL Draft.
Either way, it looks like Mays is fighting for his spot on the 53-man roster this summer.