According to a report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Carolina Panthers have released veteran safety Kurt Coleman.
The #Panthers are releasing S Kurt Coleman, I’m told. The veteran leader had a $5.25M cap hit. His release clears space as they go younger.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 26, 2018
Coleman signed a contract extension prior to training camp in 2016. He was a steady and reliable safety for the team in 2015 and 2016. However, it was clear he regressed this past season due to an injury he suffered early in the year.
The Panthers will now look to fill the void through free agency or the draft. They only have five other safeties currently under contract. Dan Kadar’s latest mock draft has Carolina selecting FSU safety Derwin James in the 1st round. If available, that would be an outstanding pick. Some notable safeties who are set to enter free agency include Kenny Vaccaro, Eric Reid, and Lamarcus Joyner.
Marty Hurney is diligently re-working the Panthers cap situation. Earlier today, a report came out that Matt Kalil’s contract had an option bonus converted into a signing bonus. Stay tuned for more details throughout the week.