3 players the Panthers must let walk in free agency during the NFL offseason

The The Carolina Panthers could be a few key players away from the right candidate. Who knows, they maybe even shoot Kenneth Walker III. But they also have to make concessions. And here are three players the Panthers must let go in free agency during the NFL offseason.

After a surprising playoff appearance in 2025, the Panthers have high hopes for the upcoming season. But the head coach Dave Canales and the Panthers will have to be wise in their approach to free agents.

The Panthers should let RB Ric Dowdle walk

Dowdle seems intent on becoming an RB1 for an NFL team. Since the Panthers don’t seem willing to commit to that, they should part ways.

Dowdle has back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, and he’s still only 27 years old. Blitz is like the main guy for the Panthers when Chuba Hubbard misses time with injuries. Dowdle rushed for 206 yards against Miami, the second most in team history. He then gained 183 yards against his former team, the Cowboys.

But when push came to shove, Dowdle stood by. He barely got a whiff of a catch in the team’s last two games. And that he didn’t sit well with him, according to ESPN.

“It’s definitely a factor,” he said after the playoff loss. “There are options for me. I just want to be a guy who can go out there and get the majority (of the shots).”

He came this far in the Panthers not knowing exactly what to expectaccording to panthers.com.

“I didn’t really know. I just knew it was a tough team,” Dowdle said in December. “Coach Canales likes to run the ball, and like I said, they had Chuba in his best season and I had my best season.

“So I just went in to really spare him, and, like I said, there’s not going to be a drop when one running back comes out of the game. And then, I make the most of my opportunities.”

Unfortunately, things did not go well for Dowdle after that. And it’s time for him to move to another team.

OL Austin Corbett should be released

An eight-year veteran, Corbett returned to double-digit starts after two shortened seasons. Three knee injuries and a torn biceps have limited Corbett to 40 games over the last four seasons.

And it appears his days in Carolina are numbered. One thing that hurts is that he hasn’t played well this year, according to Pro Football Focus. He got the second lowest pass blocking rating his career.

However, it’s not a lock he’s leaving, according to ESPN.

“Corbett’s ability to play center or fullback could make him worth bringing back, but developing young talent is part of Canales’ mantra,” wrote David Newton.

The Panthers are solid under center if they re-sign Cade Mays. He is having probably his best season. Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt give them strength in the guard positions. And Ikem Ekwonu joins Taylor Morton as the starter of the match.

So Corbett is a depth piece. But given the size of his contract, it doesn’t make sense to pay him that much money. The Panthers will likely find a reasonable replacement in the draft.

That doesn’t negate the need for depth. But Corbett’s injury history has a significant impact when deciding how to round out the 2026 roster.

Panthers should release DL A’Shawn Robinson

There are significant savings associated with cutting Robinson. That would save the team over $10 million.

A 10-year NFL veteran, Robinson has started 32 games over the past two seasons for the Panthers. In that span, he racked up eight sacks and 16 quarterback hurries. So the production was decent.

But contracts get into the gameaccording to Sports Illustrated.

Robinson ranked among the top 10 defensive players in the league in stops. But teammate Tershon Wharton’s three-year, $45 million deal has already aged badly.

“Panthers kind of stuck with it,” Zach Roberts wrote. “Moving on from Robinson would ease the financial burden on Wharton’s contract. But it wouldn’t help alleviate the lack of production. Wharton should be better in 2026, but Robinson was good.”