The Panthers are set to release defensive lineman Morgan Fox (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Fox was previously set to play on the backend of his two-year, $8.1MM deal.
Fox, 27, joined the Rams as a UDFA in 2016. His entire 2018 campaign was wiped out by an ACL tear, but in 2017, 2019, and 2020, he worked as a situational pass rusher and performed reasonably well in that role. The Panthers picked him up last year with the intention of putting him opposite of fellow newcomer Haason Reddick. Fox went on to appear in all 17 regular season games with nine starts, recording 1.5 sacks and 34 total tackles along the way.
Ultimately, he wasn’t able to repeat his finest work from 2020. That year, he appeared in 39% of the Rams’ defensive snaps and notched six sacks, both career highs.
The Panthers finished in the bottom fourth of the league in 2020 with just 29 team sacks. In 2021, they improved slightly with 39 total sacks — albeit with an extra game — to place in the middle of the NFL’s pack.