Panthers Owner David Tepper On Offseason, GM Search
After firing Marty Hurney on Monday morning, Panthers owner David Tepper is turning his attention to the search for the team’s next GM. In a chat with Darin Gantt of the team website, Tepper indicated that his new-look front office will blend new-school analytics with old-school scouting. He also suggested that Matt Rhule will be a part of the search, since he wants his head coach and GM to be on the same page. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
[RELATED: Panthers Fire Marty Hurney]
On the process of the decision:
“It’s been an evolving decision. Basically, it wasn’t just me on a whim…Basically, with discussions, it seemed like Marty and I had a little bit of difference in philosophy. He leaned toward more traditional techniques versus a more data-driven, analytical process, but I think some marrying of that would be more in line.”
On the front office’s structure, moving forward:
“[The previous structure] was very siloed. Things were kept separate all over this organization and I don’t like that…I like one organization, one goal moving together from football, so the business side and the football is all moving together.
On who will have final say over the Panthers’ first-round pick:
“I think it should be the GM with a lot of talk with the head coach and some, potentially, input from me. Sometimes I may just have to be a tiebreaker. But I think it should be collaborative.”
On Rhule:
“Matt, as advertised, is a very good developer of talent. You’re starting to see it here, and we get to this point in the season in how the defense has developed. There’s been progress. It was a really interesting game, interesting in how coaches do things with process. The Packers had a great first half, but they didn’t do too much in the second half. We had four or five sacks and look at who got those sacks. There’s first-year players, and [Brian] Burns was in there. It was all young guys. We have all young guys, and we’re developing these guys and making progress.
“You can see that every day in some parts of this football team. When you talk about Matt and what happens here, this team, while we would’ve like to have seen better results this season, at the end of the day, this team doesn’t give up. And, while it’s maybe disappointing that in a lot of these situations where we had a chance to win and we haven’t, well, we have been in position to win. So hopefully, we’ll turn the corner on those things.”
Latest On Hurney Firing
The Panthers made a big splash Monday by firing GM Marty Hurney. Although the timing was interesting since Carolina’s season will be over in just a couple of weeks, it wasn’t the result of any sudden developments or changes. The move had apparently been in the works for a while, as Albert Breer of SI.com was told that Hurney was in the final year of his contract and that he and owner David Tepper had been talking about an exit for weeks now (Twitter link). Breer adds that the analytics-minded Tepper wants to “modernize” the personnel side. As for names to keep an eye on for the now vacant role, Breer tweets that 49ers VP of player personnel Adam Peters is one to watch. Peters played for Panthers head coach Matt Rhule back when Rhule was the defensive line coach at UCLA.
It sounds like Tepper knows more or less what he wants, and accordingly the relatively new owner told the media on Monday he won’t be using an outside search firm like some teams for the GM opening. To clarify on the modernization, David Newton of ESPN.com reiterates that the Panthers will look for a new GM who “is driven by data and analytics, characteristics that didn’t define” Hurney. Carolina seems to have found their coach of the future with Rhule but they’ve still got plenty of questions to address moving forward, like whether or not Teddy Bridgewater is the long-term answer under center. Who they hire here should tell us a lot about the direction they plan to take.
Panthers Fire GM Marty Hurney
On Monday morning, the Panthers fired GM Marty Hurney. Apparently, the Panthers wanted to get a jump on their GM search and didn’t want to wait another week. 
“I think sometimes you just need a restart, a refresh,” owner David Tepper said. “We did it last year on the coaching side. Maybe you could say it should have been done before on the GM side. Maybe it should have been. I’m sure people may say that, or otherwise, on both sides. I think it’s just time, on both sides, to do that. It just seems like the right time to move forward.”
Hurney first joined the Panthers in 1998 as the team’s director of football administration. The Panthers reached the Super Bowl in 2003 with Hurney in the front office and he was widely credited for helping to build the team that reached the Super Bowl in 2015. Hurney was fired in 2012, before that second SB appearance, but he was brought back in 2017 after the firing of Dave Gettleman.
This time around, Hurney got the axe just before the conclusion of a disappointing season. Things might have been different with a healthy Christian McCaffrey, and Tepper notes that the Panthers were the victim of some close losses.
“This team could easily have another four wins,” Tepper said. “The eight games that we had the ball last to win or tie — seven to win, one to tie — if you win four of those games, you’re in a totally different position right now with this young team. So looking at next year, I’m very hopeful where we will be and what we will do.”
The Panthers are now the fifth team in the NFL with a GM vacancy, joining the Falcons, Jaguars, Lions, and Texans.
Panthers Place Greg Little On IR
The season is over for Greg Little. On Thursday, the Panthers placed the left tackle on injured reserve with an ankle injury. 
The league’s modified IR rules for 2020 allow players to come back after three games missed, but with only three games to go, that’ll be a wrap on Little’s campaign. This marks yet another disappointing year for the 2019 second-round pick. As a rookie, he was limited to just four games, thanks to knee and ankle injuries plus a pair of concussions. This year, he suited up for ten games, including three starts on the left side, but he’s been out for the last two weeks.
Little came out of Mississippi with plenty of hype, especially for his length and athleticism at 325 pounds. But if the Panthers had a chance at a mulligan, they probably would have gone in a different direction. Little was tapped with the No. 37 overall pick, where they could have snagged wide receivers A.J. Brown or D.K. Metcalf.
Little will now focus on his recovery and a 2021 return. He remains under contract through 2022 with reasonable cap hits of $2.08MM and $2.43MM in the next two years.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/15/20
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: LB Chris Orr
- Activated from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DT Bruce Hector
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB/FB Jeremy Cox
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: DL Brian Price
- Activated off practice squad IR: RB Dexter Williams
- Released: OT Ryan Pope
- Placed on practice squad IR: DL Delontae Scott
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: LB Chris Covington
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: Brandon Wright
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: S Curtis Riley
- Released: K Tristan Vizcaino
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: DT Willie Henry
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: LB Ray-Ray Armstrong
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on practice squad IR: LB Tuzar Skipper
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/14/20
The latest practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Lafayette Pitts
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Ventell Bryant
- Waived: K Lirim Hajrullahu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Isaac Nauta
Houston Texans
- Released: K Brett Maher
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed:L OT J’Marcus Webb
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE Bug Howard, LB Aaron Patrick
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Niles Scott
- Released: DT Lee Autry
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: P Lachlan Edwards
- Released: WR Manasseh Bailey
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on COVID-19 list: TE Kendall Blanton
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR Isaiah Ford
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: RB Khalfani Muhammad
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/20
Here is Saturday’s usual barrage of minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Activated from IR: LB Tyrel Dodson
Carolina Panthers
- Activated from IR: LB Adarius Taylor
- Promoted: DT Woodrow Hamilton, WR Marken Michel, DT Mike Panasiuk
- Waived: LB Chris Orr
Cincinnati Bengals
- Promoted: S Trayvon Henderson, DT Kahlil McKenzie, WR Stanley Morgan
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from IR: C Tyler Biadasz
- Promoted: T William Sweet, CB Chris Westry
- Waived: C Adam Redmond
Denver Broncos
- Activated from IR: LB Derrek Tuszka
- Promoted: TE Troy Fumagalli, CB Nate Hairston, S Alijah Holder, LB Josh Watson
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: Kareem Martin, S Bobby Price, T Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: G Ben Braden, TE Dominique Dafney, WR Juwann Winfree
Houston Texans
- Promoted: CB Anthony Chesley, WR Chad Hansen, WR Steven Mitchell Jr., S Jonathan Owens
- Waived: LB Nate Orchard
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted: P Ryan Allen, C Joey Hunt
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Promoted: CB Quenton Meeks, K Aldrick Rosas, OL Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms
- Waived: K Chase McLaughlin
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: DB Chris Lammons, OL Stefen Wisniewski
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: DE Vic Beasley, DE Chris Smith
- Placed on IR: S Jeff Heath
Los Angeles Chargers
- Activated from IR: RB Justin Jackson
- Promoted: LB B.J. Bello
- Waived: LB Asmar Bilal
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jachai Polite; Polite tested positive for the coronavirus, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (via Twitter)
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: LB Blake Lynch, LB Hardy Nickerson
- Waived: S Curtis Riley
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from IR: CB Justin Hardee
- Promoted: WR Juwan Johnson, WR Tommylee Lewis
- Placed on IR: CB Patrick Robinson
New York Giants
- Promoted: CB Jarren Williams
New York Jets
- Activated from IR: CB Bless Austin, TE Trevon Wesco
- Promoted: WR Lawrence Cager, LB Noah Dawkins, S Saquan Hampton, WR Jaleel Scott
- Placed on IR: S Ashtyn Davis, S Bennett Jackson, G Greg Van Roten
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: OL Jason Peters (story)
- Promoted: CB Jameson Houston, CB Kevon Seymour, LB Rashad Smith
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: DL Alex Barrett, CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun, DL Darrion Daniels, OL Dakoda Shepley
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: LB Ray-Ray Armstrong, T Chad Wheeler
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: CB Herb Miller
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: CB Kareem Orr
- Promoted: LB Wyatt Ray, LB Tuzar Skipper
- Placed on IR: CB Breon Borders
Washington Football Team
- Placed on IR: DE Ryan Anderson
- Promoted: RB Javon Leake, T David Steinmetz
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/11/20
Here are the latest NFL practice squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: FB Tommy Bohanon
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: WR Amara Darboh
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: DT Lee Autry
- Released: WR Marcell Ateman
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Jack Cichy
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: RB Adrian Killins
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/20
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Promoted: S Natrell Jamerson
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: OL Cameron Erving
Denver Broncos
- Waived: RB Jeremy Cox
New York Giants
- Promoted: DB Montre Hartage
- Placed on IR: DB Madre Harper
New York Jets
- Signed off Patriots’ practice squad: S J.T. Hassell
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: C Maurkice Pouncey
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: T Marshall Newhouse
- Placed on reserve/suspended list: DL Teair Tart
Latest On Panthers’ COVID-19 Situation
Dec. 11: Good news for Carolina, as Samuel, Thompson, and Brown have all been activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list and were back at practice today. They will all be available for the club’s tilt with the Broncos on Sunday.
Dec. 8: The Panthers are now a team to monitor regarding COVID-19. They placed eight players on their reserve/COVID-19 list this week, after two tested positive, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Carolina moved several big names — D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel, Shaq Thompson, Derrick Brown and Greg Little — along with punter Michael Palardy, defensive tackle Zach Kerr and wide receiver Ishmael Hyman to their coronavirus list this week. At least two of these players will miss Sunday’s game against the Broncos, and the rest of the lot will at least miss some practice time this week. It is not yet certain which Panthers tested positive.
While this is certainly an issue, the Panthers do not appear to have the makings of an outbreak. They reported no new positive COVID-19 tests Tuesday, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The Panthers closed their facility after the positive tests but are scheduled to reopen it Wednesday.
Carolina will host Denver on Sunday. The Broncos saw their bye rescheduled at the 11th hour earlier this season, when the Patriots encountered positive tests. With no teams having more byes, after the Panthers and Buccaneers concluded theirs in Week 13, the NFL’s options would be limited. However, as the recent Ravens outbreak showed, the league will pull out all the stops to ensure games are now played in their scheduled week.