Shy Tuttle found himself on Carolina’s roster bubble this month, moving there after a two-season run as a Panthers starter. But the team made significant investments at defensive tackle this offseason.
As a result, Tuttle is out. The Panthers are releasing the veteran D-lineman, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. With Carolina adding Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown in free agency, Tuttle will hit the market at an inopportune time.
The Panthers had aimed even higher at DT this offseason, making an aggressive pursuit of Milton Williams. While Carolina bowed out after New England swooped in with a monster offer, Wharton and Brown were each in PFR’s top 50 this year. The Panthers also have Derrick Brown returning after he missed almost all of the 2024 season.
Even with Carolina overhauling its DT corps from 2024, the team refrained from releasing Tuttle in the spring. But the Panthers did give the six-year veteran a pay cut. Tuttle had been on a three-year, $19.5MM deal — one agreed to in 2023, Ejiro Evero‘s first offseason as Panthers DC — but the 2025 reduction brought a one-year, $3MM arrangement ($450K guaranteed).
The Panthers have three void years on this contract, which will lead to a notable dead money charge. The Panthers will see $3.33MM in 2025 dead money, with another $3MM-plus being set to hit the books in 2026.
Tuttle, 29, has been a starter for the past four seasons. He worked alongside David Onyemata from 2021-22 with the Saints, who bid farewell to both DTs during the 2023 offseason. Tuttle cashed in via his Panthers agreement and started 32 games for the team over the past two seasons. He batted down eight passes in that span, giving him 19 for his career. Pro Football Focus, however, graded Tuttle 108th overall at the position — a bottom-15 mark among DT regulars — as the Panthers sunk to last place defensively.