5 extremely early Carolina Panthers salary-cap cut candidates in 2025

Dan Morgan has been on damage control during his first offseason as the Carolina Panthers' general manager. Much has been made of the mess left by previous regimes, so cleaning everything up and reestablishing the culture became the top priority. It's been a whirlwind few months, but the front office leader seems to be steadying the ship slowly.

Morgan's been aided by the presence of Brandt Tilis throughout the process. The Panthers pulled off a coup by landing the former Kansas City Chiefs executive to be their new salary-cap manager. His impact was immediate, structuring contracts with more professionalism and leaving plenty of financial flexibility in the coming years.

This was a far cry from the rash deals and trade gambles those in power previously seemed to prefer. It's also just the start for Morgan and Tilis in their quest to get the Panthers from rock bottom back to stability. After that, ambitions can increase to potentially entering the postseason discussion.

It should also raise urgency across the roster with their newfound lack of sentiment toward the decision-making process. There is a lot of football to play beforehand, but these five Panthers players represent extremely early salary-cap candidates when the 2025 offseason arrives.

Shy Tuttle - Carolina Panthers DL

• Cap saving: $6.5 million
• Dead money: $1.8 million

After an underwhelming first season with the Carolina Panthers, it seems as if the coaching staff is willing to give Shy Tuttle another chance in 2024. Those in power did nothing to address the nose tackle position in free agency or the draft, leaving the veteran free to resume starting responsibilities in the hope of improved fortunes.

Perhaps having another accomplished 3-4 defensive end alongside him will help. A'Shawn Robinson is a phenomenal asset against the run and instantly upgrades the spot opposite Derrick Brown. This could also assist Tuttle along the way, although there's just no telling for sure.

Either way, Tuttle will need to impress considerably to avoid the chop next spring. The Panthers would save $6.5 million with $1.8 million in dead money attached to his early departure. Unless there is a monumental leap forward from the former Tennessee standout, this looks like a likely scenario.