June 1 is a big date on the NFL calendar for contract purposes. A lot of the math changes on this date regarding how much a team can save by cutting or trading a player and how much dead money they take on as a result.
For the Carolina Panthers, they haven’t made any cuts with a post-June 1 desgination as far as we’re aware. Their most recent cap move came a couple weeks ago with the surprise release of former No. 1 overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney, who was the best pass rusher on the roster. While there was a case to keep him, the Panthers did save around $7.775 million in cap room.
So, where does that put the franchise going into June? According to figures available at Over the Cap, the Panthers officially have a little under $18.7 million in cap room, which is also their effective cap number.
There are still a couple moves to be made, though. As of yet the team has not signed their second-round draft pick, Texas A&M edge Nic Scourton. That’s likely related to the unprecedented fully-guaranteed contract that Jayden Higgins got from the Houston Texans, making him the league’s first-ever second-rounder to get a fully guaranteed deal. As a result, a lot of second-round picks remain unsigned around the NFL.
The Panthers have also still yet to sign their fourth round pick, former Florida and Georgia running back Trevor Etienne, the younger brother of Jacksonville’s former first-rounder, Travis Etienne – who plays the same position and has been helping his little brother learn the ropes.
As far as roster needs go, the Panthers’ biggest holes are in their secondary – where they cut use a proven traditional free safety type to compliment the more strong safety styles of Tre’Veon Moehrig and Lathan Ransom. Among the available options there are Marcus Williams and Justin Simmons
Carolina could also use some more depth at cornerback, both on the boundary and in the slot. Former Panthers corner Rasul Douglas could meet the former need, and veteran Mike Hilton the latter.