7 Carolina Panthers players Dan Morgan was right to part ways with in 2024
By Dean Jones
After such a dismal season - something that resulted in another head coach being fired and team owner David Tepper disgracing himself further - nobody expected the Carolina Panthers to stand still this offseason. Dan Morgan was on damage control for the most part, but he's managed to emerge from a frantic recruitment period with credit in difficult circumstances.
Morgan made no secret of his desire to re-establish the culture that made the Panthers great once upon a time. That's not going to happen overnight, but the general manager made a good start by finding the right characters in free agency and the draft. Of course, there was always going to be some collateral damage centering on those who failed to meet expectations last time around.
There's been a level of ruthlessness to the team's roster construction that wasn't evident under previous regimes. The Panthers have adopted a business-first model with no sentiment attached to their thought process whatsoever. Morgan's also taken some short-term financial hits for future flexibility in keeping with his long-term plans for sustained growth.
With this in mind, here are seven Panthers players that Morgan was right to part ways with during his roster revamp in 2024.
C.J. Henderson - Former Carolina Panthers CB
When the Carolina Panthers struck a trade agreement with the Jacksonville Jaguars for C.J. Henderson, those in power felt this was the sort of environment that could help the cornerback reach his pre-draft billing coming out of Florida. While there were moments of quality from the former first-round selection, the same consistency issues remained.
Henderson struggles to maintain concentration in coverage. He's got all the athletic tools to be productive, but there's just something missing. Dan Morgan wasn't willing to offer him a new deal on the off chance he'd finally start reaching his potential.
As is the case with most players taken in the top 10, Henderson got another shot at redemption. However, if the defensive back cannot galvanize his performance levels with the Houston Texans and head coach DeMeco Ryans in 2024, this might be the last we see of him on an NFL roster.