Panthers release veteran CB Rashaan Melvin

In a bit of a surprise, the Panthers released CB Rashaan Melvin during their second wave of cuts on Tuesday.

The Carolina Panthers couldn’t follow up the shocker the New England Patriots delivered earlier in the day. Who can? But they did break out a little surprise of their own.

In their second wave of cuts on Tuesday, the team released cornerback Rashaan Melvin. Melvin, now on his seventh NFL season, was expected to provide the Carolina secondary with some veteran depth amongst an otherwise young and thin group.

That, barring the final cut coming at the expense of the position will leave the Panthers with their 2021 first-round pick Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, Keith Taylor, Stantley Thomas-Oliver III and Myles Hartsfield at corner. A.J. Bouye will also join the pack after he serves the remaining two games of his six-game suspension.

Alongside Melvin in these latest departures goes safety Kenny Robinson, running back Reggie Bonnafon and long snapper Thomas Fletcher. The move of Fletcher to the season-ending injured reserve effectively clinches the long-snapping job back to J.J. Jansen, who will be entering his 13th regular season with the organization.

Catch up and keep up with all the cuts here as the 4 p.m. ET deadline approaches.

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