31. Carolina Panthers
Current cap space: $32,687,733
Primary free agents: TE Greg Olsen, DT Gerald McCoy, OLB Mario Addison, OT Daryl Williams, CB James Bradberry, CB Ross Cockrell, EDGE Bruce Irvin, S Tre Boston
Change is here for the Panthers, but to what end? General manager Marty Hurney has said that he’s uncertain about Cam Newton’s future with the team. Newton missed 14 games last season with various injuries, and the team could save $19.1 million in cap space if Newton were to be released. New head coach Matt Rhule might want to go in a different direction, but given Rhule’s one year of NFL experience as the Giants’ assistant offensive line coach in 2012, it’s difficult to know what that means at this point.
James Bradberry and Ross Cockrell, the Panthers’ two best cornerbacks, will be free agents when the league year turns over. Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore are major offensive talents who will help Carolina’s quarterback du jour, whoever that might be, but there’s a lot of uncertainty here for a team that went 5-11 in 2019 and has an owner in David Tepper who’s definite enough about results to have fired former head coach Ron Rivera in early December. Rhule may find himself on a similarly short leash.