Why Panthers Made One of NFL's Most Stunning Roster Cuts

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u/RobinVillas Kris Mangum’s #1 fan 1d ago

I wanted Trevin to work out but I’m honestly relieved that we’re not a franchise that remains handcuffed to draft picks solely because they’re draft picks.

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u/DevilYouKnow Retro Logo 1d ago

this is exactly right.... every player is either someone's draft pick or an udfa. Screw the optics and build a winning team however you need to do it.

Belichick's philosophy was that it's better to cut a guy a year too early than a year too late. Every snap you give to the wrong guy is slowing the development of the right guy.

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u/GeT_NiCE_ 1d ago edited 1d ago

IMO, this is the most important change that occurred in the housecleaning that brought us Dave and Dan and the rest of the rebuilt organization. The Panthers org spent too much of its history being a boys club from the FO to the roster and it never served us. In the last couple years we have shown the tendency to move on and change and adapt to how things play out rather than continually resubscribing to past mistakes.

I think Tepper has this attitude, but I don’t think he found a staff to be active participants until this latest iteration. Stop believing in the people individually and believe in the process.

Edit: I should’ve mentioned Brandt too. I think the history books will eventually report how much of a game changer he has been for the Panthers.

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u/eeg3 1d ago

XL in the top 3 rotation invalidates this theory.

If he's cut, he is not in the top 3 rotation on any other team.

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u/Hefty-Association-59 Division Champs 2015 1d ago edited 1d ago

Yeah I’m not sure why people are circle jerking the FO for this move. It’s the right move but it shines a spotlight on our poor talent evaluation. Which is the bigger problem.

They had no problem cutting bait with teddy. Sam. Baker. Cam Erving. Pat Elflein. Brandon smith. Terrace Marshall during the rhule era either. The problem is still clearly the FO and missing in their various off seasons.

Hopefully Dave/dan can be more consistent. But it’s a tough start. His first draft class sucked.

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u/ticklishchinballs Ice Up Son 1d ago

His FA moves and 2nd draft I believe are a good sign. Time will tell in this year’s group but I liked the moves. Wish we could’ve somehow gotten Rodriguez in the 2nd but it isn’t surprising given how we need young depth on the DL and likely wouldn’t have been able to trade up that much anyways.

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u/exenn_ 1d ago

We need more time to properly know how that 2025 class is going to do. Right now we have 1 legit starter from that class.

The goal of every draft is to get 3 legit starters....within a couple of years.

If that class only achieves 1 legit starter, that class will also be viewed as a failure.

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u/BigLlamasHouse Bryce Up Son 1d ago

I don't know if Princely can be a starter or not, but he's promising. That's good for a 3rd rounder. He's learning behind a vet on the second year of a 2 year contract.

Solid starter in the first round from Tet. This is obviously the one you acknowledged.

Incredible value in the 2nd round with the Scour Patch Kid who unfortunately suffered an ACL tear, but he is a clear starter and the best edge we had last year.

You can't ask for much more from the first three rounds brother

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u/MasterTorgo 1d ago

Honestly Ransom is pretty solid when he's out there, just he's behind Moehrig who is better

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u/exenn_ 23h ago

Evaluations are based on the whole draft.

Saying Scourton was the best edge we had last year is part of the problem with this evaluation. That speaks more to our lack of talent at the position, then how good Scourton was.

Scourton may very well be a good starter for us. Time will tell.

Like I said before, each draft needs to net 3 starters. That's needed based on player attrition every year if you truly want to compete. That's what the entire NFL tried to do with each draft.

At the end of the day, the question is, did we get 3 legit starters from this draft or not?....So far, we haven't. That's why we have to give it more time to see how this draft turns out.

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u/BigLlamasHouse Bryce Up Son 23h ago

Like I said before, each draft needs to net 3 starters.

You can say it 17 more times, doesn't make it remotely true my guy.

3 long-term starters from an individual draft is a GREAT draft.

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u/exenn_ 23h ago

Yes, it is true that's what teams are trying to achieve each draft and I shared the reasons why.

I also said 3 starters, not necessarily long term starters because teams can't afford to resign all players to 2nd contracts. Hence why drafting is so important.

You are free to disagree but you are showing that you aren't aware of how the NFL operates with drafting goals.

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u/BigLlamasHouse Bryce Up Son 23h ago

Whether 2 or 3 starters makes a good draft, we still disagree on whether Scourton is considered a starter. I think if he comes back as a good edge next year that's a great draft bc WR and EDGE are hard holes to fill on the cheap.

Netting a starting pass rusher in the 2nd round and a WR1 in the first is a very very good draft. You gotta agree there at least, right?

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u/Remote-Top3354 1d ago

I don’t think Rodriguez was projected to go as early as he did. I wonder if we would have taken him in the second if he was there. I’d like to think so, but who knows.

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u/Antique-Ad-4422 1d ago

Wallace always seemed a step behind the play. IMHO.

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u/DevilYouKnow Retro Logo 1d ago

a good depth piece but not elite on special teams

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u/Known_Ad6833 1d ago

It wasn't THAT stunning

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u/Vaadwaur 1d ago

Yup. He had a chance to earn his spot in camp and pre-season and apparently didn't. I am trusting the process here.

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u/profootballguru 1d ago

ok

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u/monsterpayne 1d ago

Taking him over Peyton Wilson was dumb at the time, and aged like a glass of milk left on the porch in an August afternoon

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u/Psychobob2213 Bojangles 1d ago

Yep.

Never made sense to me either when folks would say "but Trevin is such a good athlete" when he tested like a JAG in every measurable.

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u/BrickTamland77 1d ago

"Most stunning" lol. Oh, it's a garbage AI article from what's left of Sports Illustrated.

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u/profootballguru 1d ago

It is?

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u/ThisDerpForSale Purrbacca 1d ago

SI barely exists as an independent entity these days. After multiple sales, it has only a skeleton editorial staff, and it's unclear how many of its writers, if any, are real people at this point. They've been caught using AI generated material "written" by fake writers with fake pictures in the past. Whether or not they still do, the writing certainly seems no better than AI writing.

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u/profootballguru 1d ago

I write for "On SI" covering the Panthers, Bills, Seahawks, and Chargers. I have no use for AI and don't use it. Been doing my own NFL research for decades. I'm sorry you have issues with the past.

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u/ThisDerpForSale Purrbacca 15h ago

Hey, glad to hear that you’re probably a real person! You’ll note that I didn’t ever say you weren’t, just that it’s been hard to get much information about the status of SI as an actual sports news publication in the wake of the multiple sales, the laying off of the entire editorial staff, the turn to AI to help write stories and to freelance rather than staff writers, and so on. Surely you can see how this has impacted SI’s reputation?

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u/profootballguru 15h ago

I certainly understand. As I explained, I am part of “On SI” and have been with them for less than two years. I have done my share of national writing over 40+ years and actually spent 22 years at ESPN as its NFL research coordinator. Thank you for responding.

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u/ThisDerpForSale Purrbacca 14h ago

That’s a relief to hear. Do you get the sense that there is an effort to hire experienced people now?

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u/profootballguru 14h ago

I honestly couldn’t answer that question one way or another. I’m not involved in that process, but I am enjoying my time with them.

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u/Normal_Horror600 Coke Head 1d ago

My guess is they told him he’d be LB4 and gave him the option to get cut and go somewhere else because they had a similar grade on a number of other LB’s.

It’s a shame because it always seemed like he was right on the edge of becoming really good, but development isn’t linear and ILB is a really tough position in today’s NFL.

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u/Hefty-Association-59 Division Champs 2015 1d ago

He’s Lb4 with the Jets too. And he never cleared waivers. This wasn’t a choice by him that he consented to. He’s just not good.

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u/justbirdwatchin77 1d ago

I remember arguing with someone during the season last year he wasn’t that good. He had good energy but he overshot tackles a lot and got washed out of run plays too much lol. I hope he finds a good place to ball tho.

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u/DrewSki704 1d ago

Morgan significantly upgraded our LB core in a matter of a couple months.

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u/profootballguru 1d ago

Agreed. More on this later in the week leading up to Sunday's game

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u/Striking_Ice_1382 1d ago

Panthers 2024 draft class looking worse and worse every day.

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u/Conscious_Place_8690 18h ago

Wallace had become a liability in the middle lacks tackle consistency and no pass protection it seems as if he forgot how to play his position after his rookie year!!!!

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u/_coolranch Xavier Legette 1d ago

Our ILB unit is actually top 16 now. You cannot even argue with me on that.

I believe that it’s top 5 unit, so we can have that argument, but these moves were AWESOME.

A lot of people saw the Okereke pickup but missed the Tyrel Dodson who had a better season than Okereke last year and has played with Phillips. That’s one to watch; he’s a borderline starter, but will easily slide in to ILB 3 over Cherelus or Kuwatch

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u/profootballguru 1d ago

I didn’t miss the Dodson move. Will be writing more about it next weekend.

Analysis Why Panthers Made One of NFL's Most Stunning Roster Cuts