NFL insider predicts Carolina Panthers move on from 3 veterans

Joe Person at The Athletic reviews some personnel moves going into the Scouting Combine.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 29: Shaq Thompson #54 of the Carolina Panthers is carted off the field after being injured in the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Bank of America Stadium on September 29, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

This week the next generation of NFL players will take the spotlight at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, where all 32 teams and countless reporters will assemble to watch the top college prospects in the nation run through drills and speak with the media. Another way to put it would be out with the old, in with the new.

That's certainly the vibe for the Carolina Panthers, who have a lot of roster holes to fill and exactly zero room for dead weight. In two months' time their personnel could look radically different, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

Heading into the combine, the Athletic's Panthers beat reporter Joe Person is expecting that the team will move on from three vets: long-time linebacker Shaq Thompson, kicker Eddy Pineiro and tight end Ian Thomas.

"But the expectation is they’ll move on from LB Shaq Thompson, the second-longest-tenured player behind Jansen... My sense is the Panthers also won’t re-sign K Eddy Pineiro or TE Ian Thomas."

PHILADELPHIA, PA - DECEMBER 08: Carolina Panthers place kicker Eddy Pineiro (4) looks on during the game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Carolina Panthers on December 08, 2024 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. / (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

None of these names should be a surprise for Carolina fans. For Thompson the writing was on the wall when they drafted Trevin Wallace out of Kentucky in the third round last year. Thompson's season-ending knee injury was another big blow, and the ascension of Josey Jewell in the second half of the season effectively finished the job.

As for Pineiro, his numbers are solid at first glance, but the details reveal that the team may have lost their confidence in him - especially when it comes to field goals of 50 yards or more. Two weeks ago Carolina signed a potential replacement in Matthew Wright.

As for Thomas, it's a mystery how he's been able to hold a roster spot as long as he has. Perhaps it's a simple lack of quality options at tight end. The Panthers appear to have finally hit on one with former Texas star Ja'Tavion Sanders, who flashed several times as a rookie and projects as the new number one option at this spot. Another tight end should be on the menu for this year's draft.

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