The Carolina Panthers need to get things right in the 2025 NFL Draft. And they also need to hit the sweet spot for free agency. Meanwhile, the Panthers took one step toward a new path by releasing a veteran defender, according to a post on X by Adam Schefter.
Panthers released veteran cornerback Dane Jackson, who signed with Carolina last spring after spending four years with the Buffalo Bills.
A seventh-round pick by the Bills in 2020, Jackson has started sporadically in his NFL career. His best season came in 2022 when he made 14 starts for the Bills and picked off two passes.
Even in the cornerback-starved NFL, it seems unlikely Jackson will be highly sought after. His overall grade of 33.8 by Pro Football Focus ranked almost dead last in the league (215 out of 223 graded).
Panthers moving forward without CB Dane Jackson
This is the type of early move that signals the Panthers will be aggressive in rebuilding their roster. That’s especially true on the defensive side of the ball, where the Panthers gave up an NFL-record 534 points.
Certainly, the Panthers will need to regroup and redo their roster after a 5-12 season. And they might do it by gaining extra picks in the draft. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah seems to think the Panthers will dangle the No. 8 pick in front of other teams, according to a post on X by Panthers On Top via catcrave.com.
“They’re a prime trade candidate,” Jeremiah said. “It sucks when you have a lot of needs on your team. The nice thing is, you can afford to slide around and move around a little bit, and you’re still going to get someone who’s going to help you out. I think with them, trying to find guys who’ve won. When you’re a team that hasn’t won a lot lately, I do think there is something to that. Bryce (Young) has been through the fire a little bit. Come out of it stronger and he’s got a winning pedigree.”
Of course, that No. 8 pick has a lot of value. It’s possible the Panthers could land a defensive game-changer like Malaki Starks of Georgia. Finding the sweet spot of adding volume as opposed to an elite player will be the tough call.
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