The Panthers will bring back free agent offensive lineman Chris Scott, a league source tells Yahoo! Sports’ Rand Getlin (Twitter link). Scott started eight games at both left and right guard for the Panthers in 2013 but experienced a less-stable 2014 season.
Carolina cut Scott in August before re-signing him in October. This appears to be a depth move, as the 27-year-old Tennessee product was the Panthers’ third-string guard last season. Scott had been eligible for restricted free agency.
Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave the former fifth-round pick a negative grade in 506 snaps in 2013, by far his most involved season. Scott played for the Bills and Steelers previously, but his only eight starts came in 2013 after he took over for an injured Amini Silatolu. Scott then sustained a knee injury that slowed him for the rest of that campaign. Scott made a prorated portion of $730K during his time on Carolina’s roster last season, with barely half that counting against the Panthers’ cap.
The Panthers are more than $11MM under the salary cap before this minor transaction, according to OverTheCap.com.