FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Charles Chandler of the Charlotte Observer wrote a piece today regarding the upcoming portion of the offseason when teams begin deciding whom they wish to keep and who should look for employment elsewhere. With the multiple holes the Panthers have on both sides of the ball, here are a few of the more intriguing players that could be on the hotseat.

Dan Morgan - This fan and team favorite has had almost as many injuries as Evil Kenevil but without as many excuses. Although an impact player when he is healthy, he could free up several million dollars in cap space. He's due for a $4.6 million cap charge if he stays on the roster as is. Morgan is willing to move from the middle to the weak side, but he'll also have to be willing to take a major pay cut to stay in Carolina. The team would be happy to have a much cheaper Na'il Diggs at WLB than Morgan at his current cost. He becomes especially expendible with the emergence of last year's defensive rookie of the year Jon Beason holding down the middle linebacker position. The Panthers can clear $2.1 million in salary cap space by releasing LB Dan Morgan this offseason.

DeShaun Foster - Foster seemed to have been on the brink of a breakout season every year since he's been in the league but averaging just 3.5 ypc last season, plus the emergence of Deangelo Williams almost puts the writing on the wall for Foster. Couple that with Foster's current contract, which will make him the second highest paid player on the team spells either being cut or being asked to restructure his contract. However, with all indications from the Panthers front office leaning towards a more aggressive north/south running attack, Foster may have better luck with another team.

David Carr - Carr was originally brought in to ride the bench for one season and be an above average backup for Jake Delhomme. However, with Delhomme went down early in the season, Carr came in and performed poorly enough to justify why the Houston Texans cut him in the first place. Carr's cap number was forecast to be $4.35 million, but the Panthers could save $2.8 million of that by releasing him. What's interesting about this situation, though, is that "the organization admires his natural talent and overall classiness" whatever that means. Could it be a warning to Carr to get his act together or just more PR to make the organization a group of "nice guys" that Richardson markets his organization as?

Jordan Gross - Gross is probably the most attractive free agent tackle hitting the market this season and the Panthers are going to do everything in their power to keep him in their uniform. There have been talks of even using the franchise tag or transition tag on Gross if a contract agreement can't be met by February 21st. Gross, for his part has stated that he doesn't seem overly concerned about the matter and feels that a deal will be able to be made. The upside from Gross is that he has been consistant on the line, can play either outside tackle position and has stayed healthy throughout the majority of his career. Look for the Panthers to go hard after resigning Gross. 

Travelle Wharton - Wharton is an average left tackle at best who could try to test the free agency market before the Panthers can offer him a deal. There doesn't seem to be as much interest in signing Wharton to a long term contract as there does with Jordan Gross. However, it's hard to say with certainty what the Panthers front office will do because of some of the more questionable decisions they've made in the past.

Mike Rucker - The Panthers elder defensive end (he's 33) has decided that he wants to come back for one more season. At first there didn't seem to be indication that the Panthers would want to resign Rucker, but if he could come back for a vetern minimum, he could be good as a backup and in certain situations.

Other notable players that have been mentioned possibly on the chopping block include:

Chris Gamble - some question if he's worth the money, especially with Richard Marshall ready to step into a starting roll.

Mike Wahle - Wahle is starting to get up in age and the lack of a good ground game doesn't bode well for this left guard future with the organization.

Kris Jenkins - the much malaigned defensive tackle is rumored asking to be traded. The Panthers have to decide if Jenkins is worth the headaches that come along with having him on the team and if they do trade him, who would step and take his place.

Keary Colbert  - the Panthers have about as much chance of getting Chad Johnson as they do in resigning Colbert. Other than his rookie season, Colbert has continued to disappoint right and left.

Drew Carter - Carter can be brought back for a minimum amount but talent wise is probably a #3 wide receiver at best. 50-50 shot of signing Carter to a long term deal.

In short, even though football is not going to be played again until the Fall, between free agency signings, releases and the draft, the Panthers organization, once again, have tough decisions that have to be made to set the course for the future of the franchise.