Panthers expected to release C Bradley Bozeman

Everyone says he struggled as a C, but he was the only constant with the revolving door of guards around him all season.  Weird move imo.

Definitely underperformed and was due a $1.5mil roster bonus March 16.  Somewhere I read that the team offered to restructure his contract and he declined.

Seemed to be a great guy, involved in the community.  Wish him the best.


From Joe Person a couple days ago:

......the Panthers also want to bring in a center to compete with or replace Bradley Bozeman, according to sources familiar with the team’s thinking.


Bozeman has started 28 consecutive games since taking over for Pat Elflein early in the 2022 season. But Bozeman is due a $1.5 million bonus if he’s still on the roster March 16, three days after the start of the league year. The Panthers already plan to move on from cornerback Donte Jackson and tight end Hayden Hurst rather than pay their roster bonuses. They could take the same approach with Bozeman, whose downhill blocking acumen might be a poor fit for Canales’ wide-zone run scheme.

The Panthers re-signed the 29-year-old Bozeman to a three-year, $18 million contract last March. Bozeman received $10 million in guaranteed money, including $4 million of his $4.15 million salary for 2024. Releasing him with a post-June 1 designation would create $2 million in salary-cap space and spread $7.28 million in dead money over the next two years, according to Over the Cap.

The Athletic’s Randy Mueller, a longtime NFL general manager, believes center might be the deepest free-agent class of any offensive position, with as many as 10 starting-caliber players available. That list doesn’t include Mitch Morse, a skilled pass-blocker released by the Buffalo Bills this week.

It’s also a deep center group in the draft. Dane Brugler, a draft analyst for The Athletic, called it an “awesome year to draft a center,” with at least five players he expects to become NFL starters.

https://theathletic.com/5324555/2024/03/...sive-line/