Panthers release 8 players in preparation to cut the active roster to 75 before the 4pm Monday deadline.
Lee Ward is among the early cuts. Many, including myself were hoping Ward would get the spot annually saved for mediocre Richie Brockel, and he played well enough to make Mike Tolbert expendable as well, saving cap space to roll over for next year. But, with a TD in Friday's preseason game, and significant run with the first team offense, it looks like Ward is out and Tolbert remains.
The early release may be a gift from Gettleman to allow teams who need a true FB to get film study time and have an opportunity to evaluated Ward in camp for a week before teams are required to cut the active roster to 53 players.