Ex-Broncos Starter Cut by Panthers Amid Health Concerns

Former Denver Broncos inside linebacker Josey Jewell — who remains in the NFL's concussion protocol, seven months after suffering a brain injury — was released Tuesday by the Carolina Panthers, the team announced.

Jewell is the second ex-Broncos starter to hit the open market this week, joining tight end Noah Fant, whom the Seattle Seahawks cut on Sunday.

"According to a team spokesperson, the 30-year-old Jewell wanted to prioritize his health and recovery and be considerate of his teammates, and the move allows the Panthers to move forward with a group of players who are able to get all the practice reps when camp opens tomorrow," reported Darin Gantt of the official Panthers website. "If all goes well with his recovery, he could return to the team at some point in the future."

A 2018 fourth-round pick, Jewell spent the first six seasons of his career in the Mile High City, amassing 453 combined tackles across 78 appearances, including 58 starts. An elite run defender, he's arguably best remembered for decleating Derrick Henry during a 2020 loss to the Titans.

The Iowa product inked a three-year, $22.75 million contract with the Panthers in March 2024, reuniting with former Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. He provided a paltry return on investment, however, missing five games and finishing as Pro Football Focus' 67th-rated linebacker among 84 qualifiers.

Denver chose to move forward last season with Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad as its primary off-ball 'backers; Singleton was lost to an ACL injury while Strnad, a career special-teamer, was eventually benched due to ineffective play.

These deficiencies, glaringly exposed amid their anticlimactic playoff defeat, prompted the Broncos to retrain their focus this offseason, and they won a $35 million bidding war for ex-San Francisco 49ers ILB Dre Greenlaw in free agency to aid the cause.

Entrenched atop the depth chart, Greenlaw, 28, represents not just an upgrade aside from Singleton, but the most talented player at the position in recent memory — Jewell included.

“We thought he was going to be highly sought after," Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Greenlaw in March. "I think the injuries maybe played a little part as to how he became a free agent. Otherwise, he doesn’t ever hit the free agent market and someone’s contract is re-done. I should say nothing surprises you anymore, but we felt like there would be—these guys are young players, when you look at their pitch count and their age and then you study the injuries themselves. Yes, I wasn’t really surprised that there would be other teams who got heavily involved.”