With less than three weeks to go until the start of free agency, the Carolina Panthers decided to create some extra salary cap room on Monday by dumping two veterans.
The team announced that safety Kurt Coleman and defensive end Charles Johnson have both been released. The two players started in a combined 23 games last season for the Panthers, with Coleman starting in 12 and Johnson starting in 11.
With Coleman set to turn 30 in July, the Panthers probably figure they can find a younger and cheaper option to replace him. By cutting Coleman, the Panthers will free up a total of $2.65 million in cap space.
The veteran safety, who has spent three of his eight NFL seasons with Carolina, still had two years remaining on his deal when the Panthers released him on Monday. During his second season with the Panthers in 2015, Coleman racked up seven interceptions, which ranked third in the NFL in a year where the Panthers went to the the Super Bowl.
Overall, Coleman started in a total of 42 of 48 regular season games during his three years with the Panthers.
Although the decision to cut Coleman was somewhat surprising, the Panthers' decision to release Johnson wasn't a shock at all. Johnson missed the final four games of the 2017 regular season after getting hit with a PED suspension and then ended up being a healthy scratch for Carolina's wild card playoff game against the Saints.
Johnson, who was originally by the Panthers in 2007, has seen his production drop off in each of the past few seasons. After racking up 8.5 sacks in 2014, Johnson only five sacks over the past three seasons combined. The 31-year-old recorded exactly zero sacks in 2017 in a year where he played following offseason back surgery.
The decision to release Johnson creates about $3.25 million in cap space for the Panthers, which means the two moves combined will free up a total of $5.9 million in salary cap room for the 2018 season.
