The Carolina Panthers may be a few key players away from being a real contender. Who knows, they might even have a shot at Kenneth Walker III. But they have to make concessions, too. And here are three players the Panthers must let walk in free agency during the NFL offseason.
After a surprising playoff appearance in 2025, the Panthers have high hopes for the upcoming season. But head coach Dave Canales and the Panthers will have to be wise in their approach to free agents.
Panthers should let RB Rico Dowdle walk
It seems like Dowdle is intent on becoming RB1 for an NFL team. Since the Panthers don’t seem willing to commit to that, they should part ways.
Dowdle has back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and he’s still only 27 years old. He flashed as the Panthers’ main guy when Chuba Hubbard missed time due to injuries. Dowdle rushed for 206 yards against Miami, the second-highest total in team history. Then he racked up 183 yards against his former team, the Cowboys.
But when push came to shove, Dowdle stood on the sidelines. He barely got a whiff of carries in the team’s last two games. And that didn’t sit well with him, according to ESPN.
“That definitely is a factor,” he said after the playoff loss. “There’s options for me. I just want to be a guy who can go out there and just get the bulk [of the carries].”
Dowdle came to the Panthers not knowing exactly what to expect, according to panthers.com.
“I didn’t really know. I just knew it was a run-heavy team,” Dowdle said in December. “Coach Canales likes to run the ball, and like I said, they had Chuba coming off his best season, me coming off my best season.
“So just coming in to really spare him, and, like I said, there’d be no drop off when one running back came out of the game. And then, make the most of my opportunities.”
Unfortunately, things didn’t go well for Dowdle after that. And it’s time for him to move on to another team.
OL Austin Corbett should be released
An eight-year veteran, Corbett returned to double-digit starts after two shortened seasons. Three knee injuries and a biceps tear limited Corbett to 40 games over the last four seasons.
And it seems like his days in Carolina are numbered. One thing that hurts is he didn’t perform well this year, according to Pro Football Focus. He received the second-lowest pass-blocking grade of his career.
However, it’s not a lock that he leaves, according to ESPN.
“Corbett’s ability to play center or guard might make him worth bringing back as depth, but developing young talent is part of Canales’ mantra,” David Newton wrote.
The Panthers are solid at center if they re-sign Cade Mays. He’s coming off arguably his best season. Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt give them strength at guard positions. And Ikem Ekwonu joins Taylor Morton as tackle starters.
So, Corbett is a depth piece. But at his contract size, it doesn’t make sense to pay him that much money. The Panthers can likely find a reasonable replacement in the draft.
That’s not to discount the need for depth. But Corbett’s injury history makes a significant impact when deciding how to round out the 2026 roster.
Panthers should let DL A’Shawn Robinson go
There is significant cap savings involved with cutting Robinson. It would save the team over $10 million.
A 10-year NFL veteran, Robinson started 32 games over the last two seasons for the Panthers. In that stretch, he totaled eight sacks and 16 quarterback hits. So the production was decent.
But contracts come into play, according to Sports Illustrated.
Robinson ranked among the top 10 defensive linemen in the league in run stops. But teammate Tershawn Wharton’s three-year, $45 million contract has already aged poorly.
“The Panthers are kind of stuck in it,” Zach Roberts wrote. “Moving on from Robinson would alleviate the financial burden of Wharton’s contract. But it wouldn’t help alleviate the lack of production. Wharton should be better in 2026, but Robinson has been good.”
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