The Panthers have released veteran defensive back Charles Godfrey after he has looked slow in coverage for seven weeks coming off an Achilles tear.
Godfrey, a seven-year veteran, had converted from safety to nickel corner this season as the Panthers brought in Thomas DeCoud and Roman Harper in the offseason. He had played behind rookie Bene’ Benwikere at nickel cornerback until Benwikere was injured against Chicago, and that’s when Godfrey was exposed.
The Seahawks play the Panthers on Sunday.
Against the Bengals and Packers he was consistently beaten. Godfrey showed good instincts but never had the speed to keep up with the opponents’ receivers.
“Making this move was difficult because Charles has been a large part of what we have done since I came to Carolina four years ago,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said in a statement. “He has always tried to do everything we have asked of him and worked extremely hard. He is an outstanding young man and we wish him the very best.”
This offseason, Godfrey accepted a pay cut that slashed his cap number by nearly $4 million.
The Panthers brought up veteran guard Chris Scott from the practice squad to help with their depth along the interior of the line.
Cornerback James Dockery is the only healthy nickel corner on the Panthers’ roster currently. Benwikere is still at least a week away from playing after suffering an ankle sprain.
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