[ad_1]
CHARLOTTE – The salary cap being as tight as in 2021, having younger and cheaper alternatives will be the preference.
So, since the Panthers found acceptable alternatives last year, they’re going to stick with the savings.
They freed defensive end Stephen Weatherly and punter Michael Palardy on Friday, opening the door for some sophomores to become roles.
Combined with the exit this week of veteran defensive tackle Kawann Short, the Panthers have carved out a gap of around $ 16.4 million.
Teams were told this week that the floor for the 2021 salary cap would be $ 180 million (up from previous forecast of $ 175 million). But that’s still considerably below last year’s limit of $ 198.2 million, forcing teams in the league to make multiple cuts already.
Weatherly was signed as a free agent last offseason and started the first nine games of last season before a finger injury put him on the injured reserve. The development of defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos made Weatherly’s exit possible, although the Panthers will continue to seek depth on the line.
Palardy spent last year on the non-football injury roster after a knee injury in the offseason kept him from playing in 2020. This gave an opportunity to undrafted Joseph Charlton, who did. took advantage and did it while doing the minimum of recruiting.
The South Carolina product landed 21 of his 45 kicks inside the 20-yard line, and it placed fourth in the league last year. His 40.8-yard net average was the fourth in franchise history.
In a year with a decreasing cap, every dollar will count, so having young players filling roles rather than veterans benefits the bottom line.
[ad_2]
Source link