Josey Jewells time with the Carolina Panthers has come to an end.
The Panthers released the veteran linebacker on Tuesday while he continues to experience concussion symptoms that bothered him at the end of last season. Though specifics of those symptoms or Jewells condition arent known, he first suffered a concussion in their Week 16 win over the Arizona Cardinals. That knocked him out for the final two games of the year.
With Jewell still experiencing symptoms from that contest now seven months later, its easy to understand why he would need to take a step back. The Panthers said that Jewell wanted to prioritize his health and recovery and be considerate of his teammates, so it sounds like the decision to release him was a mutual one.
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The Panthers left the door open for a return in the future, though its unclear when that could happen, if at all.
Jewell was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft after a dominant run at Iowa. He spent six seasons with the Broncos before signing a three-year, $18.75 million deal with the Panthers last offseason. Jewell had 97 total tackles and a career-high 3.5 sacks in 12 games last season.
Jewells departure is a significant one for the Panthers. They did select Texas A&Ms Nic Scourton and Ole Miss Princely Umanmielen in the second and third rounds of the NFL Draft, respectively, earlier this spring. D.J. Wonnum is available too, though hell be out early on while recovering from an injury. The Panthers also bolstered their pass rush with former Minnesota Vikings edge Pat Jones, so they still have plenty of options. It will just take some shuffling without one of their top defenders available as they get started in training camp.
The Panthers went just 5-12 last season, the first under head coach Dave Canales. Theyll open the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 7.