Panthers Jettison Two Scouts
- The Panthers did not renew the contracts of scouts Don Warren and Clyde Powers, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Both staffers were Dave Gettleman hires. Warren was a three-time Super Bowl champion as a tight end with the Redskins, for whom he also worked as a scout prior to his Panthers stay.
Panthers OC: Curtis Samuel To Be Key Part Of Offense
The subject of trade rumors this offseason, Curtis Samuel generated interest around the draft. Teams consistently contacted the Panthers about their contract-year wideout, but he remains in Carolina.
Despite the Panthers signing ex-Matt Rhule Temple receiver Robby Anderson and rostering Christian McCaffrey and D.J. Moore, the rebuilding team plans to make room for Samuel to play an essential role in its new offense.
“Curtis is going to be critical to success,” Panthers OC Joe Brady said, via the Charlotte Observer’s Alaina Getzenberg. “I wish I could have had an opportunity to be out at practices and whatnot, and Curtis is the one that I can’t wait to see him do what he does on the field. Curtis is a playmaker. He fits the mold of what we’re looking for in this type of offense, a guy that you can utilize all around the field and get the ball in the hands and good things happen.
“I think you saw stuff last year that shows that he can be a big-play wide receiver, down the field. We’re getting the ball in space, and I’m excited for him to take the next leap.”
Samuel sticking in Carolina for the 2020 season would give the Panthers an interesting array of weaponry. The former second-round pick established career-high numbers in catches (54), receiving yards (627) and touchdowns (six) last season. However, the Panthers added both Seth Roberts and ex-Saint Keith Kirkwood this offseason, forming a crowded receiving corps.
The Panthers have moved on from several cornerstone players this offseason, so a Samuel deal should not be ruled out for a team not expected to be a contender this season. But for now the Panthers are planning to have him in the fold as a flashy fourth option.
This Date In Transactions History: Panthers Extend Michael Oher
On this date in 2016, the Panthers agreed to a brand new three-year, $21.6MM deal with Michael Oher. Unfortunately, Oher never played a down under the new contract. 
[Poll: Which First-Round WR Will Make The Biggest Impact In 2020?]
Oher, of “Blindside” fame, found his way to the Panthers after an up-and-down career with the Ravens and Titans. His first deal was a modest one – two years, $7MM – and he quickly proved to be a bargain. Oher played in 98.4% of the team’s snaps in 2015 as the starting left tackle. With Oher as Cam Newton‘s protector, the Panthers went all the way to Super Bowl 50 before losing to the Broncos.
With one year remaining on his contract, the Panthers wanted to lock Oher up long before he could reach the open market. Thanks to Oher’s personal progression and the progression of the tackle market, he netted more than $7MM per annum on his new deal from Dave Gettleman & Co.
The new deal was set to start in 2017, but things did not go according to plan. After just three games in the 2016 season, a concussion shut Oher down for the season. Then, in the offseason, things took a strange turn. Oher was alleged to have fought an Uber driver in the spring and later posted a picture to Instagram with what appeared to be bottles of prescription medication to deal with brain injuries. The now deleted photo was captioned, “All for the brain, [shaking my head].”
In July of that year, the Panthers released Oher with a failed physical designation. The move saved them just $1.69MM against the cap but allowed Oher to collect injury compensation. With that, Oher’s contract was over before it even began.
Graham Gano’s Recovery Progressing Well
Panthers kicker Graham Gano is progressing well in his recovery from knee surgery, special teams coordinator Chase Blackburn tells Alaina Getzenberg of the Charlotte Observer. Gano was placed on IR towards the end of the 2018 season with a fractured femur, and though he was on the field during the early stages of training camp in 2019, he was unable to shake the injury and ultimately went under the knife.
Joey Slye took over kicking duties in Gano’s absence last year, hitting 78.1% of his field goal attempts, not a particularly strong mark. He also missed four PATs.
Gano, meanwhile, was tremendous in his last full season in 2017, sinking 29 of his 30 field goal tries for a league-leading 96.7% conversion rate (with his only miss coming from 50-yard territory). That performance earned him the first Pro Bowl bid of his career, and it also helped him secure a four-year, $17MM contract from Carolina the following offseason. His AAV of $4.25MM positions him as the fifth-highest-paid kicker in the game.
Because injured players have been allowed to be in team facilities even during the pandemic, Gano has been able to do some kicking work in familiar surroundings. Head athletic trainer Kevin King reported that Gano looks good, and it sounds as if he and Slye will be battling it out this summer.
“The (kicking) battle as far as that’s concerned, I mean, in reality, we’re in a very, very blessed situation, because we got two very capable kickers with really talented legs,” Blackburn said. “There’s plenty of teams around the NFL right now that would be very excited to have the competition that we have going. But at the biggest part right now, I haven’t seen (Gano) kick or anything, we’re just working on this offseason program and we’re just trying to finish this strong.”
Seth DeValve To Be Ready By September?
Tight end Seth DeValve is expected to recover in 10-12 weeks after undergoing surgery on his toe (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com). With that in mind, Dr. Robert Anderson tells DeValve that he should be ready to play in September, at or around the start of the season. 
The Panthers cut DeValve last week with a non-football injury designation, making him a free agent all over again. The 27-year-old signed on with the Panthers just a few months ago in March after a one-year stint in Jacksonville. DeValve saw the most snaps of any Jaguars tight end last year, but he did not see a whole lot of targets. The ball was thrown his way just 18 times and the Princeton product finished out with 12 catches for 140 yards.
In 2017, with the Browns, DeValve enjoyed a much more active role in the offense, notching career highs of 33 receptions and 395 receiving yards. With the Panthers, DeValve was expected to take on a decent-sized role in the post-Greg Olsen era.
While DeValve recovers, teams in need of tight ends will probably prioritize other available options, including Jordan Reed, Delanie Walker, and Geoff Swaim.
Panthers Release TE Seth DeValve
The Panthers have released tight end Seth DeValve with a non-football injury designation, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com.
Signed to a one-year deal by Carolina in March, DeValve theoretically could have played a role with the Panthers had he been able to stick on the roster. Carolina released franchise icon Greg Olsen earlier this year, leaving Ian Thomas as the top tight end on the Panthers’ depth chart.
DeValve, 27, played the most snaps of any tight end in Jacksonville last year, but caught only 12 passes for 140 yards in an offense that didn’t prioritize the tight end. Prior to joining the Jaguars, DeValve spent three seasons with the Browns. The Princeton product’s best campaign came in 2017, when he managed 33 receptions for 395 yards.
DeValve inked a veteran minimum pact with the Panthers, so Carolina is only on the hook for $137K in dead money. Meanwhile, DeValve will hit a free agent tight end market that also includes Delanie Walker, Jordan Reed, and Geoff Swaim.
Luke Kuechly To Join Panthers’ Front Office?
Tuesday marked the official end of an era as the Panthers officially placed Luke Kuechly on the reserve/retired list. Now, the linebacker is considering a role in the team’s front office as a pro scout (via Bill Voth of the team website).
[RELATED: Panthers Place Luke Kuechly On Reserve/Retired List]
“I think it’s great if it works out if it’s what he wants to do,” head coach Matt Rhule said. “Obviously, the pro side (scouts) are the guys who are evaluating other NFL players. Their mission is twofold: They’re helping us build the roster by finding other guys that fit what we do, and they’re also providing advanced scouting each week on the opponent. If there’s someone who was built for that, it’s probably Luke Kuechly with his preparation and work.”
Kuechly’s tireless work ethic and film review helped propel him to seven Pro Bowl selections, a Defensive Player of the Year trophy, and an appearance in Super Bowl 50. His retirement announcement in January took many by surprise, but few were taken off guard by his reported desire to stay involved with the game of football.
“In my heart I know it’s the right thing to do,” Kuechly said earlier this year. “There’s only one way to play this game since I was a little kid – play fast, play physical and play strong. And at this point I don’t know if I am able to do that anymore.”
Kuechly could also advance up the ladder from here. The 29-year-old said to have some interest in coaching as well.
Panthers Place Luke Kuechly On Reserve/Retired List
Months after Luke Kuechly‘s retirement announcement, the Panthers officially placed the perennial All-Pro linebacker on their reserve/retired list, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
By waiting until after June 1 to do so, the Panthers will spread out Kuechly’s $11.8MM in dead money over two years. For 2020, it will create almost $6MM in cap space for the Panthers, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets.
This will give Carolina some additional breathing room, bumping its cap-space figure north of $8MM. That will be necessary for the franchise to sign its draft class, though the Panthers have already signed first-round pick Derrick Brown.
Kuechly retired at 28, with two seasons left on his five-year, $61.8MM contract. The future Hall of Famer would have been set for a mammoth extension, with top peer Bobby Wagner taking the off-ball linebacker market to $18MM per year in 2019 and the Panthers having recently inked Shaq Thompson to a more lucrative deal than the one on which Kuechly finished his career. But Kuechly, who battled concussions in previous years, opted to walk away after eight seasons.
The Panthers attempted to address their considerable void by signing ex-Lions and Raiders starter Tahir Whitehead, who played for Matt Rhule at Temple. Although the Panthers made seven draft picks on defense, they did not use any of those selections on a linebacker.
Panthers To Hold Training Camp At Team Facility
The Panthers have trekked to Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., for training camp every year since the franchise’s 1995 debut. The COVID-19 pandemic will force the team to break that tradition.
This year, the Panthers will hold their training camp at the team’s facility in Charlotte, Pete Yanity of WSPA reports. The Athletic’s Joe Person confirmed (via Twitter) the team will stay home for camp and added the NFL does not want teams leaving their facilities for camps this year.
While teams have opted over the years to avoid training camp trips, some teams still leave their facilities. And four teams’ camps are based in California, where no green light to conduct camps has been given as of yet. As such, the 49ers and Cowboys — who use Oxford, Calif., as their campsite — have discussed leaving the state for camp. The NFL may be against travel of this sort, pointing to California being open for business for camps come late July and the Cowboys staying in Texas rather than packing up for their annual late-summer trip.
Earlier this month, the Panthers had hoped they could keep camp at Wofford. Owner David Tepper said last year the team’s only two options for camp were Spartanburg and in its home facility. The latter option appears to be the course of action in this historically unusual offseason.
Panthers GM Marty Hurney On Newton, McCaffrey, Rebuilding
In a recent chat with Joe Person of The Athletic, Panthers GM Marty Hurney said he did “nothing that was out of bounds” while talking with Mississippi State quarterback Tommy Stevens during the draft. If the NFL disagrees with Hurney’s assessment, the Panthers and Saints could be penalized by the league office. 
Beyond that weirdness, Hurney was also asked about the Panthers’ eventful offseason and their plans moving forward. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:
On No. 7 overall pick Derrick Brown and whether he would have traded down if Brown was gone
Every year we go into the draft, and wherever we’re picking, we have a group of guys that we would take there. Obviously, he was the guy we were hoping that would get to us, and we’re fortunate that he did…You consider everything. How you approach the draft is how you approach everything else every day: You cover every scenario. So we had all sorts of options. But it didn’t get to that point.
On Cam Newton‘s ongoing free agency
I don’t know. I’m just focused on us and trying to get us the best we can be for this season. I can’t speak for other teams. I do have great respect for him, but I can’t answer for other teams.
On Christian McCaffrey‘s record-breaking extension
Christian’s ability and his performance as a receiver is very unique to the running back position, as you can see by the 1,000-1,000 marks that he surpassed last year. He really is a different type of running back at the position than maybe we would’ve thought of three, five, ten years ago because of his ability to create mismatches as a receiver, his ability to run between the tackles, his ability to make big plays. He really is a combination running back/wide receiver. All those things led to us — and as you said, his ability as a leader, the type of commitment that he shows, the type of person that he is, the way he comes every day to get better — all those things went into play.
On the notion of rebuilding
I approach it as one good decision at a time. Every year you have a lot of changes. I think the league average is 33 percent or so, and maybe over 60 percent every two years. Obviously, we’ve had a lot of changes, not only on the player side but the coaching side. You’re always trying to build the most competitive team you can build. I think we have gotten younger, and I think we have a good mix of veterans and young players. We’re just excited to work with them and improve every day.