Carolina Panthers urged to cut underperforming interior defensive lineman

Should the Panthers move on from Shy Tuttle?
Oct 13, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Shy Tuttle (99) before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Oct 13, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Shy Tuttle (99) before the game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
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The Carolina Panthers became the eighth team in NFL history to allow over 3,000 rushing yards to opposing offenses in 2024. Their interior was as porous as could possibly be, and it helped them set the record for most points allowed in NFL history.

The loss of Derrick Brown hurt, but the rest of the interior defensive line was just bad. That includes Shy Tuttle, who is a prime cut candidate. That's one player the Bleacher Report Scouting Department is urging Carolina to move on from to save money and get a better player in there.

Panthers urged to cut ties with Shy Tuttle

Shy Tuttle was a free-agent acquisition in 2023, and it has aged very poorly. Alex Ballantine said, "The moral of this story might just be that the Panthers have not been good at free agency. Shy Tuttle is yet another player who was signed in 2023. He got a three-year, $19.5 million contract. Two years in, and it's hard to say he's provided a strong return on investment. He was ranked 191st out of 219 interior defenders graded by PFF last season."

He continued laying out the situation, "The Panthers are already paying Derrick Brown premium money, they can't afford to pay an interior sidekick who isn't actually producing. Cutting Tuttle before the final year of his contract would create an additional $3.3 million in cap space. It's not a lot of space, but the money could still be better spent elsewhere."

Tuttle was a bust last year, and the Panthers can't afford to trot him out there again in 2025. Not only would cutting Tuttle provide a little more than $3 million in cap space. As mentioned, it's not much, but it's enough to make the move worthwhile. In truth, the major motivator here is just the bad play of Tuttle.

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Zach Roberts
ZACH ROBERTS

Zachary is a graduate of Southern Adventist University. He earned a degree in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Writing and Editing. He has covered sports, video games, entertainment and is a lifelong Carolina Panthers fan.