One of the NFL’s premier defensive tackles for several years, Kawann Short is now a street free agent after the Panthers released him last week. He has received interest from a few places.
Short said during an appearance on Sirius XM Radio (via NFL.com) “a few teams” have reached out about a deal, one he expects to be a one-year contract due to the shoulder injuries that have sidetracked his career over the past two seasons. But the Panthers may be interested in bringing Short back.
New Panthers GM Scott Fitterer told Short he is open to a lower-cost deal, per Short, should the run-stuffer’s market not produce what he hopes. Short, who signed a five-year extension worth $80MM in 2017, was set to count nearly $20MM against Carolina’s 2021 cap.
Considering Short’s release already tagged Carolina with more than $11MM in dead money, a reunion would certainly be interesting. The Panthers have purged their roster of most of their previous cornerstone players. As of now, only Shaq Thompson remains as a starter from Super Bowl 50. Tre Boston joined Short in Super Bowl 50 cogs jettisoned this month.
Short, 32, is a free agent after having played only five games over the past two seasons. He suffered injuries to both rotator cuffs in that span, stalling momentum he had established. Having expressed appreciation for the Panthers releasing him weeks ahead of free agency, Short sounds amenable to returning to the Panthers. The NFL has a few hubs for ex-Panthers, however, with the Giants (Dave Gettleman), Bills (Sean McDermott, Brandon Beane) and Washington (Ron Rivera) each housing staffers who had a hand in drafting or coaching Short. It will be interesting to see if one or more of these teams express interest.