Thomas DeCoud Released by Panthers: Latest Details, Comments and Reaction

Just a year after signing Thomas DeCoud to a two-year deal, the Carolina Panthers released the veteran safety Tuesday. 

The team announced the move, via its official Twitter account: 

Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com reported that the move will save the Panthers around $1.9 million.

DeCoud, 29, started 11 games for Carolina in 2014, recording 50 combined tackles, one interception and three pass deflections. He was replaced by rookie Tre Boston down the stretch, and according to Pro Football Focus' grades (via Rotoworld.com), he finished 74th among 87 qualifying safeties. 

ESPN.com's David Newton gave his thoughts on the move:

As such, this hardly comes as a surprise. The move frees up about $1.9 million in cap room and creates only $250,000 in dead money, per OverTheCap.com.    

Carolina will stay with Boston, a fourth-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft, as its starting safety, while general manager Dave Gettleman will be hoping to have better success in free agency after signing players like DeCoud, Jerricho Cotchery, Antoine Cason and Jason Avant last offseason. 

As for DeCoud, who has now been cut twice in as many years, he'll have to settle for a bottom-of-the-barrel kind of deal and hope to revive his career. 

Stats courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference.com unless noted otherwise.