5 players unlikely to return to Carolina Panthers in 2021

The Carolina Panthers (5-11) finished third in the NFC South in head coach Matt Rhule's first season in charge.

QB Teddy Bridgewater had a career year with Carolina despite not having RB Christian McCaffrey on the field with him. RB Mike Davis filled in well, and now both Bridgewater and Davis are off to greener pastures.

2021 Schedule release... pic.twitter.com/ylbaH3E0fm

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 12, 2021

The Panthers traded with the New York Jets for QB Sam Darnold and padded their roster nicely during the 2021 NFL Draft.

The NFC South is led by the reigning Super Bowl champions, but the New Orleans Saints no longer have QB Drew Brees, and the Atlanta Falcons are still rebuilding.

Every team has to make tough decisions this off-season and trim their roster to 53, including cutting hopefuls and veterans. The Carolina Panthers don't have the greatest depth, but there are a handful of players who could be on the verge of being cut.

On that note, let's have a look at five players the Carolina Panthers are likely to release ahead of the 2021 NFL season:

#1 WR Brandon Zylstra

Brandon Zylstra

The Carolina Panthers brought in WR David Moore after he had a decent season developing in Seattle.

They also drafted Terrace Marshall Jr and Shi Smith this year, giving them solid depth at the position. There will likely be one more depth player added to the roster, and Brandon Zylstra is currently holding a backup position.

Unfortunately, UDFA Omar Bayless is becoming the favorite to make the roster. Zylstra is a CFL All-Star who's entering his third year with Carolina but only has 11 catches for 141 yards and zero scores.

If he hasn't found success on the roster by now, it's unlikely he will.

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#2 TE Colin Thompson

26-year-old Colin Thompson had ZERO NFL touches before his TD catch for the Panthers. pic.twitter.com/lZ8BmSRFzQ

— NFLonCBS (@NFLonCBS) November 15, 2020

The starting TE role for the Carolina Panthers is still up for grabs, with former Arizona Cardinal Dan Arnold as the frontrunner.

Tommy Tremble was drafted in the third round as an elite blocker with potential as a receiver down the road. Ian Thomas and Colin Thompson are battling for the final roster spot, with Thomas making a bigger impression.

Thompson is a former AAF and XFL player with a lone catch in Carolina, who happens to be a TD in Week 10.

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#3 DT Mike Panasiuk

Mike Panasiuk

Mike Panasiuk is a 2020 UDFA backup defensive tackle for Carolina. He had 100 tackles in four years at Michigan State but could end up a free agent soon.

The Carolina Panthers drafted Daviyon Nixon in the fifth round and have Morgan Fox as a three-technique player. So Panasiuk finds himself in a crowded group of backups.

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#4 RG Mike Horton

Horton started the off-season as RG John Miller's direct backup. He has experience starting at left and right guard at Auburn, but his versatility may not be enough to keep him with the Carolina Panthers.

That's because 2019 sixth-round pick Dennis Daley is impressing coaches at the training camp.

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#5 S Lano Hill

S Lano Hill

Hill, a 2017 third-round pick by Seattle, has an injury history (ankle and back) that could put him at a disadvantage in making the roster.

Jeremy Chinn is being moved to safety this year, taking a spot that Hill would have had locked down. Juston Burris is in his second year with the Carolina Panthers, and 2020 UDFA Sam Franklin is also making waves at OTAs.

DB Myles Hartsfield's versatility as both CB and S gives him better odds than Hill in making the Carolina Panthers' roster.