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Panthers' First Offseason Cut Candidate Becomes Obvious in Week 16 Win

One Panthers defender clearly needs to be cut after his latest terrible performance in Week 16.

By Jason Schandl

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (14) jumps for a reception defended by Carolina Panthers cornerback Dane Jackson (23) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (14) jumps for a reception defended by Carolina Panthers cornerback Dane Jackson (23) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
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A fun Week 16 win driven by Bryce Young's most impressive performance of the season has optimism running high for Carolina Panthers fans. When you expect a season to be a total dud, a late-year surge like we're seeing is a lot of fun.

But that doesn't change the fact that this is a 4-11 football team that will have to make some serious changes in the offseason. Continuity matters, but you certainly don't want to run it back with the same roster that struggled so hard in 2024.

And even in a victory on Sunday, the Panthers now have a clear target to be their first cut of the offseason.

Dane Jackson Has No Place in the Panthers' Long-Term Plans

Defensive back Dane Jackson was a new addition this past offseason, joining the Panthers after showing some promise with the Buffalo Bills in 2022 and 2023. But rather than bringing some of that winning culture over with him, he's proven to be a complete bust, and the reasons to move on from him already are becoming increasingly clear.

To start with Sunday, he was absolutely terrible. He played just 16 snaps but still managed to finish with a missed tackle and give up an 18-yard completion. PFF gave him the worst grade for anyone on the Panthers defense in the win.

And of course, there's that whole "played just 16 snaps" thing. He's already been phased out of this defense entirely. He was horrific both times he played 40-plus snaps for the Panthers this year, giving up a combined 118 yards and a touchdown on 11 receptions in just a two-game stretch (Week 10 and Week 12). He's played a combined 31 snaps in three games since then.

And his season-long numbers don't tell any better a story. Whether you prefer PFF or Pro Football Reference's tracking (they have slightly different coverage numbers), both have Jackson giving up a passer rating north of 124 in coverage this season.

For context on how bad that is, the NFL leader in 2024 is Lamar Jackson at 120.6. The average throw at Dane Jackson this year has been more efficient than the average throw from the league's most efficient passer.

Jackson got a little over $5 million in guarantees on the two-year deal he signed in Carolina this offseason, so cutting him won't come without a cost, but it's easily worth it. Even as a pre-June 1 cut, letting go of Jackson would incur just $2.5 million in dead money for the Panthers — leading to $3.35 million in savings by getting out of his $5.85 million cap hit.

Could Jackson turn things around? He surely couldn't get any worse, and given his previous play in Buffalo he might not be quite as bad as he's looked this year. But even for a team with plenty of cap space like the Panthers, you don't want to burn $3 million just waiting around on a complete bust of an addition to maybe turn things around in the final season on his deal.

Moving on from Jackson is an obvious choice, and you can expect him to be one of Carolina's first cuts of the offseason.

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