Panthers Make Shocking Cut After Disastrous 0-2 Start

The Carolina Panthers are not wasting time making various changes to their 53-man roster after losing their home opener to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. 

On Monday, the Panthers made the shocking decision to bench second-year quarterback Bryce Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton. Carolina fans didn’t see that move coming after head coach Dave Canales threw his support behind Young after Sunday’s loss.

However, Canales and the rest of the organization likely want to see what Dalton can do with this offense.

But that wasn’t the only notable move the Panthers made before their Week 3 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. On Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that Carolina waived outside linebacker Eku Leota.

The 25-year-old linebacker started in Sunday’s home opener against the Chargers and played well in the regular season opener against the New Orleans Saints. 

In Week 1 against New Orleans, Leota recorded four combined tackles, three tackles for loss, a quarterback hit, and a sack. However, he couldn’t replicate those stats against Los Angeles and played four fewer defensive snaps (26) than in Week 1 (30).

Panthers fans were caught off guard, especially since Leota leads the team in sacks and they’ve struggled to get pressure through the first two weeks of this season. Additionally, Leota played in eight games in 2023 with Carolina after the team signed him as an UDFA following the 2023 NFL Draft. 

Carolina hopes these two changes will help them get in the win column this week as they are 5.5-point road underdogs on DraftKings Sportsbook against the Raiders.

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