Carolina Panthers Post-Free Agency Depth Chart

Intro we made it to April it is officially draft month but before the Panthers can focus on the NFL draft let's take a look at their depth chart and how they fared in free agency right here on locked on Panthers you are locked on Panthers your daily Carolina Panthers podcast part of the locked on podcast Network your team every [Music] day Show Open welcome in to another edition of the locked on Panthers podcast the part of the locked on podcast Network I'm your host as always Julian Council talking Carolina Panthers with you every Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday and Friday your team every day that's our motto here on the locked on podcast Network subscribe or follow the show for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast and be sure to follow me Julian Counsel on Twitter at Julian counsel where on Fridays throughout the offseason I'm right here on the show answering your weekly Friday mailbag questions either at me or DM me on Twitter Julian counsel to get your questions in for this week's edition of the weekly Friday mailbag right here unlocked on Panthers today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel make every moment more right now new customers get $200 in bonus Bets with any winning $5 bet that's 200 bucks if your bet wins visit fel.com lockon to get started today we have finally made it it is the month of April April 1 is here and we are only 24 days away from the 2024 NFL draft up in Detroit Michigan the Carolina Panthers have embarked on what I believe was a successful free agency period starting in the middle of March and on today's show we'll talk about how they fared in free agency and we'll take a look at the depth chart both offensively defensively and well we already know the Special Teams depth chart looks like now with JJ Jansen forever back here in Carolina Eddie Pinero Johnny Hecker but we're gonna look at the offense the defense see what needs were filled and What needs remain as the Panthers head into this draft month of April and prepare for the 2024 NFL draft at the end of the month but of course let's start with the offense because that's what we're all focused on here in Carolina after last season was one of the worst offenses in Carolina Panthers history you can debate whether it was the last season's offense whether it was 2010's offense the results still yielded the number one pick now unfortunately for the Carolina Panthers this past season they had already traded away the number one pick to the Bears they don't have a first- round pick this year and we're still all trying to cope with that but we move on and we focus on fixing what's around Bryce young and getting Bryce Young's footwork and fundamentals to a place where with things around him hopefully better he will actually look like the number one overall pick the Carolina Panthers selected last year in the 2023 NFL drafts quarterback depth chart there's only two quarterbacks right now it's Bryce it's Andy Dalton there will be a change there at some point in time Dave Canal was speaking last week at the NFL owners meetings at the Ritz Carlton down Orlando said that he wants to use the third quarterback which the Panthers did not utilize last year as far as the emergency third quarterback that new rule change and something I don't really see as being that valuable if you're getting to a third quarterback you're probably screwed anyways why take up a roster spot for someone who can help you via special teams of a quarterback who's only out there who you never want to see quite honestly but the Panthers do want to utilize that position this year by having a veteran it's not gonna be a developmental position and looking at this team the only quarterback they need to be worried about developing is Bryce young who cares what the third quarterback or the fourth quarterback is doing in practice what you care about is Bryce so Have Bryce there as qb1 Andy Dalton back as qb2 then whoever qb3 is hopefully someone who's actually played and started in games in the NF before he can be qb3 and we can pray that we never see him come out on the field in 2024 running back there were six running backs currently on the roster right now the top running back rb1 is chuba hubard and it's not even by default he won the job last year as miles Sanders struggled with a groin injury and just inconsistent play once he actually got an opportunity later on that season when he was healthy chuba was the better back and I'm excited about chuba hover this year as he has an opportunity to be the bcal this season we'll see how things work out with mil Sanders once the Panthers do get to P June one whether they want to potentially cut him he did take a $2 million roster bonus home back in March because he still was on the roster and the Panthers would have lost $2 million of cap space had they cut him and that was just a non-starter for a team that was trying to figure out how much space they would have whe they were going to do with a player in Brian Burns where they're going to bring back Frankie louu and as we saw they were very aggressive in the guard mark which we'll talk about here momentarily in trying to fix things around Bryce they needed to wait and see how that worked out so right now miles Sanders is on the roster Dave Canal is gonna say a lot of great things about him talk about how excited he is to see what he can do but we know that Dan Morgan the Panthers new general manager and Brant Tillis Panthers cap and contract guy they have a plan for what they want to do with Miles Sanders post June 1 and we'll see if that's him still on the roster at this point in time looking at the rest of the depth chart you have Black Shear who can come back and help as kick returner with the rule changes last week having a kick returner who's going to be someone who's solid and can make plays is now important again in the NFL before I couldn't really care who the punt returner is or who the kick returner is now they have that back to being an important play and that only um magnifies that spot on the roster right now for Raheem black that is his ticket to the roster in Carolina in 2024 Tariq Cohen someone who possibly could help as a returner was an excellent returner and All Pro returner back in Chicago when he was healthy he has not played a game since the 2020 pandemic season fans were obsessed over him last year hey can DQ Cohen come in here and help this offense can he do something for us and we did not see him he suffered an injury as he was on the practice squad then came back and he was available that final week of the season and I felt like it would have been a nice story in a Lost season to have a player who was from North Carolina played atent really was a solid player for the Bears who then just had tragic in is to his knee in 2020 tering Achilles live on IG live why not give him an opportunity and they didn't give him an opportunity I'm still going to say as I said in the past just don't expect too much out of tarq Cohen someone who's not played again since 2020 Spencer Brown is back on the roster right now and then Mike Boone wraps up the running back position in Carolina chuba miles Raheem those are the three names we're focused on right now in this off season wide receiver oh buddy the Wide Receiver Panthers needed to do something at wide receiver and they did trading away Dante Jackson and a sixth round pick to Pittsburgh for Deontay Johnson and a seventh round pick so effectively got rid of a player they were going to cut and only gave up a six round pick and got a seven round pick in return and a starting receiver a former all proo as a returner a former pro bowler two seasons ago Deontay Johnson is an elite separator an elite route runner in the kind of player that you want to get for a Young quarterback and they've gotten that here in Carolina I'm not concern about the character issues whether he's going to be a good or bad teammate if you feed the man the football he will be fine that is like every single Diva wide receiver in the NFL all of them act that way when they're losing when they're playing with bad quarterbacks and when they're not getting the ball if they're losing I don't think they really care that much as long as they're getting theirs because if they're getting theirs that means they're getting their money and if you can't get the receptions on Sunday and the touchdowns on Sunday you're not going to see that bank account be where you want it to be at so for Deontay Johnson yes he's competitive yes he wants to win he also wants to damn ball and wants his money and this is a contract year for Deontay Johnson so I expect he's gonna be on his best behavior otherwise he's gonna be in a bad situation entering free agency in 2025 My Hope Is He balls out and stays here in Carolina Adam thielen is back at age 34 and no one expected what he put up last year maybe his family did Vikings fans who wanted D still there in Minnesota 100 receptions 1,00 yards four touchdowns th was awesome was the only consistent receiver for Bryce young young last year in Carolina and now he returns and I expect Adam to be a major part of this offense once again maybe not put up a thousand yards but we can get 700 800 out of that thel plus with Deontay Johnson a potential thousand yard receiver and that's what you would want this year is for him to be the thousand- yard receiver you would want th to be it as well why not have two don't want to get greedy why not but still if you're going to have Choice Deontay Johnson in in Thelen right around 700 750 yards receiving that would be a good tandem for the Panthers this year Jonathan Domingo he is someone who has to step up this year I can't look at anyone in this wide receiver core currently as we enter into April and know for a fact and feel confident about them being a long-term player for the Panthers Johnson I know he has a talent to do it is he gon to mess with Bryce is he gonna make the plays I feel like he's going to doing but if he enters free agency next year the Panthers may be in a bidding war does he want to stay here in Carolina especially if this is a team that unfortunately does not contend for the playoffs this year we have it there's a chance they could certainly there's a chance they could I'm not a Believer right now that that's going to be the case but they play the games for a reason what I have to say what people at the right doesn't really matter at the end of the day when it comes to who wins and who loses it's just opinions and I appreciate everyone up here for listening and I'm not telling you not to listen but still they play the games for a reason our thoughts IM material at the end of the day of what happens in between the lines on Sunday and I guess on Saturday Thursday Wednesday Christmas day they play every damn day of the week they could at the NFL Deontay Johnson has to play well but he may not even be here in Carolina if he does have a breakout season once again so we have to find someone who can stick around and the guy who's under contract for the longest is Jonathan Mingo still three more years left on his rookie deal and I was asked about it on the weekly Friday mailbag if I could choose anyone non Bryce young to be an all pro I said it'd be Mingo yes I'd been hard on Jonathan because I just don't think he's that good of a player yeah he's young I should cut him some slack like I have with Bryce young but I was always a Bryce young believer hated the pick from the beginning of Jonathan Mingo doesn't mean that Mingo can't come out to be a good player at the end of the day it's gonna take some time to develop I'm just skeptical but looking at his contract the position that he plays if he's the one who plays an all pro level that's a great thing for the Panthers moving forward it's a great thing for Bryce Shong as well to know all right I got this guy for the next two plus years after this season let's go terce Marshall Jr also on the roster thought he may get cut there's Talent still there we have not seen it and I would love to see it he has the size and the speed at a position the Panthers really need to find someone who can play at and maybe he's gonna be the guy I don't know I'm still waiting you're still waiting I'm not gonna get my hopes up on this one y'all Smith marett was more of a gadget guy last year he was a punt returner as well he's going to get an opportunity this season to part potentially be a part of this offense is more than just you know a a tricker or Gadget guy I guess a better way to put it we'll see what that looks like he has speed and the Panthers need speed so good luck David Moore back for a second go around as a Carolina Panther wide receiver did not make the team last time around I would not expect him to make the team this time around I see him more as a practice squad guy who will get the occasional call up based on what the game plan is and if there's any injuries other than that not expecting too much the other three cam Sims Jaylen Camp are also on the roster and then Mike straw is someone who has ties to Frank Reich dating back to Indianapolis he did get an opportunity late in last season with all the injuries and just guys just not playing well I would not expect him to be sticking around long term here in Carolina so there's a quick look at part of the offense I'll come back I'll talk about the rest of the offense and we'll also get into the defense here as's take a look at the depth chart here for the Carolina Panthers heading into this draft month right here unlocked on FanDuel panthers say goodbye to busted brackets because FanDuel let you bet on every game of the tourney whether you're betting on a big upset or a number one seed it's time to go dancing on America's number one sports book and y'all it's been a rough rough week for your boy watching um the tar Hills bow out and then Duke in state go do their thing but there is the hope of Yukon who is just an absolute buz saw to cut down the Nets this upcoming weekend I guess next Monday in Phoenix right now new customers and that could be you get $200 in bonus bets if your first $5 bet wins that's 200 bucks to use on point spreads money lines you can even pick who's going to win it all just visit fanduel.com lockon and bet on college hoops until they cut the Nets down taking a look at the Panthers depth TE Tommy Trimble chart as we we begin to shift our Focus to the draft at the end of the month continuing to look at the offense tight end currently five players at the tight end position here in Carolina Tommy Trimble tight end one it is Trimble season and a lot of y'all are fired up about it and right believe so it's not like Tommy Trimble doesn't have the mold of someone who can be a average I don't want to say high level but at least an average maybe above average pass catcher at the tight end position in the NFL it's possible we've seen it from the beginning I've never really bought into it just knowing that this is one of those positions coming to the NFL that's very difficult to transition from college and to be able to play at a high level like at a Pro Bowl in all pro level which is what the Panthers have had at tight end with Greg Olen in the past and with Wesley Walls we have become accustomed to the tight end mattering in the offense and it has not mattered since Matt rule unfortunately came to Carolina and put us down this path of mediocrity which we're hoping to get out of thank you David teer for that Tommy trible though I think that's a little bit too much to place on him he's gonna get the opportunity and he really has never gotten the opportunity to be the guy until now now he's the guy so I'm gonna reserve the Judgment of the past I'm gonna still be a little bit skeptical but I'm gonna put that aside as far as the Judgment of the past what he's done and think about it this is his opportunity we talked about it when having our pre- free agency breakdowns of each roster position and asking is this the time for TR Tommy Trimble and looking at what K dton did last year in Dave Canal's offense Tampa Bay and thinking if Tommy Trible's given that opportunity can he put up those kind of numbers can he be a 500 yard receiving tight end this year with the opportunities possibly I wouldn't bet on it but but possibly and we will see so my hope is y'all are right the Tommy Trimble hiive that he comes out here he plays at the level that we would at least bare minimum expected of a tight end here in Carolina and he's a major part of the offense so my hope is that the same hope as y'all's Ian Thomas he's still here for whatever reason Stefan Sullivan okay he's here Jordan Matthews much like Michael straw a guy who has ties to Reich he's only here last year because Frank Reich looked at him and he used to play a receiver now he's tied end he's just kind of hanging on there you have Vanderbilt degree you don't need to keep doing this Jordan Matthews maybe he needs money I don't know um but this is the tight end group Chris Pierce as well that I still don't love outside of Trimble would be nice to see them potentially draft somebody we'll get in draft needs on tomorrow's show offensive tackle just breaking up the offensive line offensive tackle iyanu Taylor Molton back at left tackle and right tackle respectively a big storyline going this season is going to be iyanu his development under Joe Gilbert the new offensive line coach here in Carolina and if he can go back to playing like he did for the large part his rookie year and and not play like he did last year where he was an absolute liability at tackle and the Panthers not have another option now they have an option this year Yash nman the former Virginia Tech hokei last playing with the Green Bay Packers he started at right tackle before he could potentially start at left tackle if need be if iy plays well or there's an injury to him or Taylor Molton knock on wood then you have someone with experience and talent in Yash nyman great size on him to step up and come in you did not have that last year Brady Christensen also who's better suited to be a tackle can help you out in that respect so if icky or Taylor if both them go down got Yos nyman and Brady Christenson can step up and start and that's a far better situation than the Panthers had last year I love the increased dep there at the offensive tackle position ill Manning who they traded for late last season I think they didn't trade for rather they they signed him off the 49ers practice squad God bless that man missed the Super Bowl because the Panthers decided come on buddy we're not going to play you but come on down and we can have you for the future so Futures here good luck IL manic Ricky Lee from A&T he's still here and then badara trior he rounds up to the offensive tackle list offensive guard Damen Lewis the panther spent a lot of money on him and Robert hunt those your starting left guard and Right Guard respectively Brady Christensen mentioned he can be a swing tackle he can also be the top guy to come off the bench at guard if need be Kate May Chandler zala they have struggled at times but they did get experience last year those two are back as developmental players at the guard spot interested to see with Joe Gilbert in this new offense with where those guys end up landing and if they potentially are on the outs they have not brought in any veterans outside of Yash nyman who is someone who's going to play tackle they have not brought brought any veterans in at guard other than of course the guys are going to start that could potentially be backups could take their jobs Nash Jensen that he was a favorite of the past coaching staff udfa out of North Dakota State got a couple starts last season before being benched in those games in favor of Gabe Jackson he's back then JD dorenzo is also back to round out the guard spot in Carol Atlanta quick pause here then I'll come back look at the defense and then just tell yall how I feel about how the Panthers did in free agency this year we'll talk about that here in just a moment unlocked on Panthers this next segment is brought To Sponsor Us by our sponsor better help what the first thing you do if you had an extra hour in your day personally for me maybe I'd sleep in maybe I go play some more golf or you know just go do things I like to do a lot of us spend our lives wishing we had more time the question is time for what if time was unlimited how would you use it the best way to squeeze that special thing into your schedule is to know what's important to you and make it a priority therapy can help you find what matters to you so you can do more of it if you're thinking of starting therapy get better help a try it's entirely online designed to be convenient flexible and suited to your schedule just fill a brief questionnaire to get match a licensed therapist and switch therapist anytime for no additional charge learn to make time for what makes you happy with betterhelp visit betterhelp.com lockon today to get 10% off your first month that's better hp.com locked on let's take a look at the Panthers Defense defense it's a new look defense here in Carolina in 2024 a Jer Alo and the entire defensive coaching staff is back that's the good news the bad news is well some familiar faces and some players who've made some plays over the last couple Seasons they're no longer here Dante Jackson he's now a Pittsburgh Steeler Von Bell he's gone back to Cincinnati after being cut Frankie louu said no to the Panthers offer he's now a Washington Commander etor gados he is with the 49ers on an $18 million deal wow and of course Brian Burns he is now a New York Giant as Panthers traded him away not wanting to give him a lot of money that means Panthers need to go out and find some new starters on the defensive line and also they can find some linebacker and the secondary they needed to find a new rework defense and I think that they did a fairly solid job looking at defensive line Derrick Brown off his Pro Bowl seasons back here in Carolina as the unquestioned best player on the roster the unquestion leader of this defense and I expect him to have yet another outstanding season in 2024 shy Tuttle he's back after a terrible season and because of the contract structure that Samir sulaman and Scott bit gave him last year the Panthers did not have any recourse this offseason to get rid of him so he's still here the Panthers needed a big body anyway so it's not necessarily A Bad Thing that he's here he's a North Carolina guys hopefully year two back home he'll play better asan Robinson has ties dating back to his time with the Rams that overlap with jroo he's now in Carolina that was a common theme that we saw with jroo getting guys that had played in the scheme whether it had been the Rams or in Denver coming over to Carolina this off season those are your three starters on a defensive line with Robinson coming in you have to think this GNA be a better run stopping team deshun Williams did not do a great job at all in doing that I think he's a Buffalo Bill now so congratulations to him getting another opportunity he just did not live up to it asan Robinson not going to be a pass rusher and that's kind of the same thing you're shytle and Derrick Brown but he is going to be a solid run stopper and that's what the Panthers desperately need Nick Thurman leban Ray rayquan Williams those three guys are gonna get an opportunity to be the depth pieces I thought Thurman especially late in the season he showed a lot for the Panthers and I would expect if Shai Tuttle he ain't gonna play well why not give Nick Thurman an opportunity lebrian Ray as well at defensive end he's gonna get an opportunity this season feel pretty good about the defensive lines spot with brown with Robinson coming as a run stopper and even some of the younger guys that showed some um showed something later in the season outside linebacker the headliner here is Jade Devon Clowney he's back home a coup for the Panthers I've questioned what they're going to get out of him but you cannot disagree with the fact Panthers needed to bring him back home that he had an outstanding season with the Ravens and he still has something to prove he's back home and you would think that would yield great results for the Panthers and for Clowny this season who said on Friday when he was introduced to the media via Zoom that if he's healthy he's a pro bowler so if he plays 17 games he's a pro bowler I'm gonna hold you to that jvon get it done because I want that to happen I want people to be throwing egg on my face being like Oh you doubted it that's fine and I love he's going back to number seven I have a friend who was who's South Carolina Alum he was looking at Clowny going back to seven he like it would be kind of sick to have a seven Clowny Jersey I told him if Clowney gets the double digit sacks I'm saying this right here unlocked you're listening you're watching you're hearing me say this if Clowney gets double digit sacks this season I will wear a j Devan Clowny Jersey on this show I'll have it backwards we see the Clowny right here on my chest and the Seven I will proudly wear it so he gets 10 sacks I'll do it and I guess I'll buy the Jersey on my own maybe you guys can go ahead and Crown Source it sort of GoFundMe if you want because these jerseys are kind of expensive and if y'all have kids you're buying your kids jerseys and these guys are going to different teams all the time God bless man a lot money spent on that but I will do that if he goes out there and plays well big to beat the Jets beat big to beat the Ravens out for him he's back home I'm excited you're excited let's go DJ wam another gamecock on the other side eight sacks last season he's now stepping into a situation where he's gonna be thought of as potentially someone who could be the dude who holds down one of those Edge rusher spots for the next five or so years we'll see whether that happens he's coming off a partially torn quad GNA Miss OTAs it looks like and that's not a great start as long as he's healthy come August and he's healthy come September We're Not Gonna really be that worried about it DJ Johnson third round draft pick last year he gets an opportunity to still come in develop and not be expected too much out of he's gonna get an opportunity again this year to potentially make some starts depending on how he plays what happens with Clowney and with wam Amari barno been more special teams guy he's getting opportunity again this year still kind of an awkward fit in his defense K Leon Chason he's back here Todd wash was a defensive coordinator in Jacksonville when he was selected 20th overall out of LSU been a bust to this point in time the hope is this is a better defensive scheme and he can go up there and step up U Leota Luigi vain they round out the outside linebacker spot inside linebacker sha Thompson Josie juel those are the two guys Josie juel of course is the replacement for Frankie lvo in the middle of that defense and either one of those guys according to Dave Canal can wear the Green Dot and call the plays and that's good to have two interchangeable pieces like that in the middle of your defense at the linebacker spot Tay Davis was resigned on Friday he CLA and Cher and Chandler Wooton are primarily special teams players would not feel confident in any of their abilities to step in and play if something were to happen to Thompson or juwel Corner Seven Corners right now JC horn Dane Jackson Troy Hill those would be your starters JC and Dane on the outside Troy Hill on the inside as a slot guy and he was really good for the Panthers last year with all the injuries in the secondary he was one of the guys that was constantly healthy and gave us way more than I think a lot of us even expected out of Troy Hill so great to have him back here in Carolina he understands the system DiCaprio ble Deshawn Jameson those are also players who had to step up because of injury and they kind of bald man so I feel good about where the secondary is at as far as like well let me step back I feel good if JC Horn's healthy I feel good if JC Horn's healthy and that Dane Jackson has gotten opportunity to start he's been a full-time starter before and Dan Morgan really likes him I'm hoping that they can add somebody else in the draft get to that on tomorrow's show but right now it's not like it's a bad spot there are some questions as far as feeling good about okay we've seen last year when there was injuries bule and Jameson they stepped up and they weren't half bad that's a good thing just need probably more highlevel Talent outside of JC horn in that secondary group as far as the corners go safeties Xavier Woods he's back as a starter Jordan Safety Fuller he signed to a one-year deal he will be the starter then Nick Scott was bad last year in Cincinnati but now he's here in Carolina with the starting experience in Los Angeles with the Rams also in Cincinnati last season at before being benched he comes in here he's not gonna be a starter but there is obviously something to getting someone who's a veteran stand the scheme having data back to his time in Los Angeles under jro Vero at least working with jroo directly in that secondary there's something good about having an experienced player may not be the best but he's an experienced player at the safety spot and you couldn't really say that last year in in most years but the Panthers recently that they have a backup safety who really has a lot of experience playing in games Alex Cook when he had a step up last year much like deshun Jameson and decaprio bu at the corner back spots he came in he played fairly well Sam Franklin Jr he's back in Carolina one of the Only Rule guys that has been worth the damn for the Panthers and he has been great as far as a special teams guy and even got some opportunities last year at safety they kind of fell out of love with him gave Alex cooking opportunity when they brought him off of I believe it was a Giants practice squad we'll see what his role is then Jamie Robinson that draft pick last year fifth rounder out of FSU didn't see a ton of him maybe he has an increased role we will see of course Ed Panero Johnny Hecker JJ Jansen they round out the Special Teams looking at just fre agency as a whole for the Carolina Panthers I feel like it was successful this is a team that wants to build through the draft and be able to plug some holes via free agency you don't want to be big time players every single year and it feels like this team has really had to try to fill out its roster via free agency more so than the draft because they have not valued draft picks under Scott Pitter we see that Dan Morgan is starting to Value draft picks trading away Brian Burns get draft picks then when he traded away Dante Jackson to get Deontay Johnson he didn't really part way with any picks he just moved back later on in the draft he understands and he's already come out and said it the best way to win in the NFL is to draft and to develop the Panthers have not drafted well and they have not developed well maybe have drafted well they just have not developed those players I'm not quite so sure all I know is the guys that they've taken over the last couple seasons have not produced on the field and that has to change if this franchise is ever going to get out of this pit that David Seer has them in right now they have to be better at drafting and developing yes Bryce young has to play well and that is the one thing that can really help if you suck at the draft like the Panthers do but they cannot continue to go down the path of just focus ing on free agency paying bargain deals and trying to maybe overpay for guys who really aren't that good don't have that much of the market and then you're getting five seven two win Seasons I don't want to see that anymore I like what they did this off season I think that outside of linebacker they checked all the boxes that they needed to do they may not have a wide receiver one right now they maybe don't have a high level starting Corner opposite of of JC horn but they do have a guy that has experience they did get Deontay Johnson who effectively is the number one wide receiver in Carolina and can separate which really these guys Contracts couldn't do outside of Adam thelon last year they have plugged the holes with some veterans but it's not like these are contracts they can't get out of I was looking at overthe cap.com DJ wam My Hope Is and I think the Panthers hope is that he comes in he produces like he did last year in Minnesota having another seven eight sack season and he's somebody you can keep around for a couple Seasons not just one season if he does flounder the Panthers would only have $625,000 of dead money on the books next year and they would save $7.5 million that's not a bad contract at all for the team's perspective you look at asan Robinson I look at him as probably only a oneye guy if he comes in he's just okay not great and the Panthers want to move on 4.1 Million Dead money $4 and a half million dolls of cap space that they save Dan Jackson if he comes in doesn't play well enough he's a liability $25 million dead money 3.3 that they can save and we've seen in the past like DJ CH he has $3 million of dead money well how is that possible he was only on a one-year deal he's a free agent it's possible because the Panthers added void years to his contracts that's $3 million the Panthers had to deal with for a player who has got a of this past season you look at Justin Houston is half a sack he also had void years added to his contract I looked at the deals for Jordan fooler Nick Scott cbon Json all guys on oneyear deals no void years all Dan Morgan said we're not doing that and more importantly uh brt tiller said nope I don't do void years that's great the Panthers cap situation is in a better place than it was before with Scott fitter and with Samir sulaman love that they don't have void Years love that these are deals that are shortterm and if these guys stink they can get out of it not a lot of dead money that they got to take on right now $ 45 million of dead money can't have that large part that's because of restructures only restructure we saw was Ian Thomas and even if they get rid of him not going to hurt him that much so the Panthers contract wise they're in a better spot with Brent Tillis and Dan Morgan at the helm than they were previously with Scott and with Samir and Final Thoughts I love that yes they need to add some more Talent they don't have the high level talent that A team's goingon to need to compete at a high level in the NFL but it's a rebuilding effort and as far as what I've seen since Canales has come here since Dan Morgan's taken over and since Brant tills has also been here I like it will lead to wins this year TBD I I'm not expecting playoffs I'm just going to enjoy the process and it's not like the Panthers have gotten the process that wrong in the past it's just how has it worked like the process I don't disagree with the practice though it has not worked out I'm thinking right now the process I love it but when put in practice when they actually have to see the results will we get them this fall and Beyond they don't have to go to the playoffs this year but you need to see Bryce develop you need to see a defense that's not going to be a liability that can at least get off the field and they're going to take a step back but let's see them take a step forward in red zone defense and takeaways and in sacks and some other numbers that were down last year at the bottom of the NFL let's see some just Improvement getting the football right that's what Dave Canales is focused on that's what I'm focused on the wins and losses yes they matter I've only been on here for three years of lock on Panthers three seasons and I have seen two wins last year five before five after that so what is that 12 victory podcasts sorry it's seven 752 so 14 Victory podcasts I've done I'm as sick as y'all are at watching this team lose but I'm going to enjoy the process and I feel like maybe maybe things are finally heading in the right direction and that's a pretty good feeling all right it's GNA wrap up this edition of the locked on Panthers podcast part of locked on podcast Network hosted by yours Julie Julian Council again y'all subscribe or follow the show for free on YouTube or ever you listen to your favorite podcast and be sure to follow me Julian counil on Twitter Julian counil where on Fridays throughout the off season I'm right here on the show answering your weekly Friday mailbag questions either at me or DM me over on Twitter at Julian counsel to get your questions in for this week's edition of the weekly Friday mailbag right here unlocked on Panthers in the meantime be safe be happy be whole as always keep pounding and I'll be back with y'all tomorrow as we begin discuss the Carolina Panthers draft needs and start focusing in on this draft month