Yesterday the Panthers released Charles Godfrey, after his attempt at playing out of position was deemed a failure. It looks like Dave Gettleman and Ron Rivera want to send a message that if you are underperforming, your job isn't safe.
Here's Ron Rivera's take on the move, from the Charlotte Observer:
"Any time moves are made and different things you do getting players’ attention, that’s always a positive," Rivera said. "This business really is about production and it’s tough sometimes for whatever the reason. But the unintended consequences sometimes can be valuable."
It sounds like from the quote Ron Rivera didn't set out to send a message, but had no issues if players took it that way. That's a valid point and I like the idea of making a move, but they chose the wrong player. It's not that Godfrey has been playing well at cornerback, because he hasn't. It wasn't even close. The Panthers asked Charles Godfrey, a safety, to play nickel corner in order to save his job with the team this preseason. Combine a player playing out of position with losing a step after tearing his achilles last year and you have a recipe for disaster.
Josh Norman gave his thoughts on the move in the same article, hitting the nail on the head:
"He’s a safety, man."
The whole Josh Norman quote was pretty solid, which was refreshing from his sometimes hard-headed responses. If the Panthers wanted to send a better message, they'd have released Roman Harper, who is playing equally terribly at his natural position. Releasing Harper would cost the Panthers 1.5 million dollars in dead money. Considering Godfrey's release just cost the Panthers 6 million in dead money, I'd say it wasn't about the money, it was about the message.
The Panthers had the right idea, they just took a bad angle and whiffed on the execution.