Ask CSR: Who will be a surprise training camp cut?

Every year our favorite team jettisons a player in training camp that we, the long-suffering and all-knowing fans, were certain would make the final roster. These decisions by the Panthers front office have invariably led to the Panthers not winning the Super Bowl. Don’t even try to refute my logic here: The Panthers always cut players during training camp and the Panthers have never won the Super Bowl. It is basically math.

Here are the staff picks for the 2018 cut that we are most expecting to least expect when it happens. We can only hope our Super Bowl hopes don’t get left behind with them.

Erik Sommers

Amini Silatolu - It shouldn’t have to be a surprise, he should just be cut and we all know it. But for whatever reason, this guy despite his awfulness just keeps hanging around. I am thinking, hoping, whatever... that a couple of people will step up in camp and expose how terrible he is to the coaching staff so they will cut him.

Evan Leekley

I would like to say Captain Munnerlyn, but his contract makes him more or less unreleasable. So, I’ll say Corn Elder. The former fifth-round pick was hyped on CSR before his injury last year during his rookie season. Even with the injury to Cockrell, I think Elder gets cut in favor of [Munnerlyn], Seymour, and perhaps a fringe player like Lorenzo Doss.

Bradley Smith

Kyle Love. The Panthers have a group of younger guys at defensive tackle who could impress during training camp (Kendrick Norton, Tracy Sprinkle, Ashaad Mabry) and make Love expendable. It could also come down to a simple business decision, as cutting Love would save the Panthers $1.2 million against the cap. Cutting a 31-year old defensive tackle to save money may not be a huge surprise, but it would be unexpected given Ron Rivera’s love (no pun intended) of veterans.

Brian Beversluis

There’s been some hype about Dezmen Southward as a back up safety. But I don’t think he makes the roster. Everybody is clamoring to cut Colin Jones, but he provides way too much value as a back up and special teamer to let him go. I think the Panthers only roll with 4 safeties, and THE ACE THAT RUNS THE PLACE ain’t going anywhere. Sorry to Southward and Demetrius Cox fans in advance.

Jon DeLong

I’m going to go with Alex Armah. I know he’s the only fullback on the roster, but I don’t think the team cares. If he’s not good enough to make the team as a tight end, he won’t make it at all.

It looks like we are all over the place on this one. I wish I could agree with Erik’s call of Silatolu. That cut is just too out of character for Rivera. I'm going to have to agree with Bradley, again, that Kyle Love is our most likely surprise cut. He has been a tremendous player for us but the Panthers are heavily invested in Dontari Poe and Vernon Butler at that position. It makes sense to move on from age and veteran contracts for a team that is already hurting and pushing up against the salary cap.