Insider questions Carolina Panthers GM Dan Morgan's release of Jadeveon Clowney

You can never have too many pass rushers in the modern NFL. One only need watch the Philadelphia Eagles' defense swarm a quarterback for about 90 seconds to understand that much. And yet, some teams seem to think they can still get away with being cheap in this department.

While the Carolina Panthers made two big investments on the edge during the draft, they also made a big unforced error by releasing the guy at the top of the depth chart, former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. While his traditional numbers weren't great last year, Clowney was still by far this team's most-effective pass rusher and odds are they're going to miss him.

It sounds like The Athletic's Panters beat reporter Joe Person agrees. Asked to name one lingering question for Carolina going into the season, he brought up the defense needing another piece up front after Clowney's surprise release.

"Trying to help Young succeed in Year 3 isn’t a bad idea. However, it still feels like defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero could use another piece up front (after Jadeveon Clowney’s release) or in the secondary, either a veteran safety such as Julian Blackmon or Justin Simmons or a corner to back up Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson."

Cutting Clowney did save the team almost $8 million in salary cap space for the 2025 season, but that's not enough to justify losing the most-disruptive edge defender on the roster.

It seems that the Panthers' plan was to use those savings to target a new piece for the back end of their defense. In recent weeks they have met with several veteran free agent safeties and were reportedly in the mix to sign Jaire Alexander before he joined the Ravens.

While that's not a terrible idea, the chances that the Panthers can sign somebody who will make as big of an impact as Clowney would have are very low.

As far as potential free agents to replace Clowney go, there are several high-profile names but they're all well past their primes. That includes Von Miller, Matt Judon, Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith.

Unfortunately, the best option on the market is probably inclined to sign with literally any other team. It's a long shot, but maybe they can sign Jadeveon Clowney.

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