3 Carolina Panthers players likely on their way out on roster cut-down day

The preseason for the Carolina Panthers finally came to an end on Thursday night with a 19-10 loss at home to the Pittsburgh Steelers. While it's not cause for panic just yet, the Panthers did not look sharp at all this month, posting an 0-3 record and managing just two touchdowns.

By Tuesday afternoon the Panthers have to trim their roster from 90 players down to 53. That makes these next couple of days the most-difficult of the year for general manager Dan Morgan and his staff, who do have some tough calls to make. However, there are some obvious candidates to get cut before the deadline. Here are three who will likely be free agents soon.

QB Jack Plummer

The worst performer for Carolina during the preseason was third-string quarterback Jack Plummer, who posted a team-low 35.1 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. At no point during those three games did Plummer look comfortable running the offense, and he didn't appear to be in sync with any of the Panthers' wide receivers or tight ends.

.@steelers @Panthers the best catch I saw all night was by this security guard....No Gloves. Soft Hands...zLooked it right into his mitts. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/4exaqgWOOi
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 22, 2025

There's always a case to carry a third quarterback, but outside of disastrous injuries to both Bryce Young and Andy Dalton Plummer was never going to see the field in the regular season, anyway. The Panthers should be exploring potential backup QB upgrades and it would be a waste to give Plummer a roster spot that could go to someone else.

DL A'Shawn Robinson

Last season the Panthers' interior defensive line depth was exposed in a bad way when Derrick Brown went down for the year after just one game. A'Shawn Robinson wound up seeing a lot of playing time and he did make some impact as a pass rusher, posting 5.5 sacks and eight QB hits.

However, Robinson was also a major liability in run defense, which contributed to Carolina allowing over 600 more yards on the ground than any other team. That dynamic continued into the preseason, which saw Robinson post a 36.2 PFF grade in run defense, the third-lowest mark on the team. The Panthers need all the pass-rush help they can get, but not at the expense of being able to stop the run inside.

K Matthew Wright

On special teams the Panthers made a total overhaul this offseason, with the exception of forever-longsnapper JJ Jansen. At placekicker the competition has been between Ryan Fitzgerald and Matthew Wright, and based on what we saw in the preseason there's a pretty clear winner.

Fitzgerald was Canales' preferred field goal kicker this month and went 3/3, includig a successful attempt from 52 yards out. For his efforts he earned a solid 70.8 field goal grade from PFF. Meanwhile, Wright only got to kick one, which he missed - landing him a 43.4 field goal grade. Unless they're looking at outside options, Fitzgerald is going to be the guy, here.

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