Troy Hill is set to hit mid-season free agency. The veteran corner is being released by the Panthers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Carolina sits at 1-5 on the year, so it comes as little surprise the team is electing to move on from a veteran to open up playing time for younger options in the secondary. Hill’s contract was set to expire after the year anyway, but now he will be available to interested teams without a trade being necessary. Having been let go before the trade deadline, Hill will not be subject to waivers.

The 33-year-old joined the Panthers last August, landing a deal shortly before the start of the regular season. That one-year pact allowed him to reunite with defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, with whom he worked during their time together with the Rams. Hill logged a 50% snap share in 2023, notching 48 tackles, six pass deflections and one interception.

That production allowed him to remain in Carolina, and he agreed to a new deal before the start of free agency. Rather than playing out that pact (which was near veteran minimum), he will try to latch onto a roster midway through the campaign. This move will generate a roughly equal amount of dead money along with salary cap savings.

Hill saw considerable time on the outside earlier in his career, but more recently he has operated more in the slot. That skillset could help his value, although the former UDFA has struggled in coverage this season. Hill has landed outside the top 55 in terms of CB PFF grading over each of the past three years, and that will continue in 2024 if he is unable to deliver stronger performances on his next team. As a veteran of 60 starts, though, he could provide experienced secondary depth at a minimum to a contending team.

The Panthers have struggled in a number of areas this season, including against the pass (226 yards allowed per contest, 26th in the NFL). Moving on from Hill will pave the way for increased playing time for some of the team’s younger corner contributors, including fifth-round rookie Chau Smith-Wade. It will be interesting to see how much interest develops amongst teams looking to add Hill in short order.

Troy Hill spent the 2023 season on his third team in as many years. His time in Carolina will provide short-term continuity, however. The veteran corner is re-signing on a one-year deal, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Serving as one of this period’s longest-running slot cornerbacks, Hill stepped into that role with the Panthers in 2023. The team signed the veteran inside cover man just before last season, reuniting the ex-Rams cog with former Los Angeles DBs coach Ejiro Evero. With Evero blocked from leaving Carolina this offseason, the Panthers are rolling with that plan once again.

Despite signing barely a week before last season, Hill played in 16 Panthers games and saw action on 50% of the 2-15 team’s defensive snaps. Hill’s age (33 in August) would not stand to line up with the Panthers’ timeline, given the significant step back that occurred last season. And teams do not exactly make a habit of signing corners nearing their mid-30s. But Hill’s familiarity with Evero’s scheme will help him stay in the game ahead of what would be a ninth NFL season.

Hill worked with Evero for four seasons in Los Angeles. While he missed the Rams’ 2021 Super Bowl-winning season, the longtime slot cog was a regular as Sean McVay rebuilt the team. Hill played in Super Bowl LIII, but the Rams traded him to the Browns during the 2021 draft. He returned to L.A. in 2022, but Evero was in Denver by then.

Last season, Pro Football Focus rated Hill 77th overall among corners. He intercepted one pass and broke up six others, forcing a fumble as well. Hill is certainly not a long-term solution at this point in his career, but the Panthers will aim to use him as one of their Jaycee Horn complementary pieces in 2024. The team has more questions at corner, after cutting Donte Jackson, but Hill’s presence could answer one of those just before free agency opens.

The Panthers have been graced this summer with an unfamiliar status of health in their cornerbacks room. That hasn’t stopped them from bringing in some veteran, starting depth at the position. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that Carolina has agreed to terms with cornerback Troy Hill.

After seeing both of its top cornerbacks, Donte Jackson and Jaycee Horn, miss extended periods of time over the last few years, Carolina is finally ready to see both players on the field and healthy together. After suffering a minor foot injury in the spring, Horn has been 100 percent in camp. And Jackson, coming off an Achilles tear from last season, has received full clearance, as well.

Regardless, the team will be adding Hill to the fold. The 31-year-old undrafted cornerback has stuck around for eight years in the NFL, so far, and will be joining his sixth NFL team for the 2023 season.

After sputtering around as an undrafted rookie in 2015 with the Bengals and Patriots, Hill landed in St. Louis off waivers at the very end of his rookie season. The Rams’ subsequent move to Los Angeles marked a new start for Hill, as well. In his sophomore season, Hill made four starts for the Rams despite entering the year as the team’s fifth cornerback. Over a few more years in the Rams’ system, Hill solidified his role as part-time starter and heavy-rotation contributor.

When Los Angels finally gave Hill a chance to be a full-time starter, he had a career year, setting career-highs in tackles (77), passes defensed (10), and interceptions (3). He proved dangerous with the ball in his hands, as well, returning two of those picks for touchdowns and leading the league with 119 interception return yards.

The breakout performance in a contract year resulted in him signing a four-year, $24MM contract with the Browns. Cleveland’s system forced him to play out of his skillset a bit, resulting in a severe dip in production in coverage but a career-high in both sacks (2.0) and tackles for loss (7). After only one season with the Browns, Hill was traded back to Los Angeles for a 2023 fifth-round draft pick. Hill returned to his role as a starter for the Rams, but a restructured contract meant that he would find his way to free agency at the end of the season.

Hill joins a talented, young group in Carolina. Jackson and Horn are the clear favorites to start, but there is plenty of talent behind them with former first-round pick C.J. Henderson coming off the bench and former safety Jeremy Chinn playing in the slot. Hill’s role among this group isn’t immediately clear, but he brings plenty of experience to contribute. All of a sudden, fully healthy, cornerback is looking like a position of strength for the Panthers.