It's not as shocking as rescinding Josh Norman's franchise tag, but it leaves another unexpected hole at a key spot. The Panthers play more nickel than their "base" 4-3 defense, and with Bené Benwikere moving to the outside, Boykin was pegged to slide into the slot.

So now what?

The obvious answer — if there is such a thing in the secondary this offseason — is the Panthers are planning to throw their draft picks into the fire.

"We're very happy with what we've seen the last two practices with the young guys," coach Ron Rivera said Saturday after rookie minicamp wrapped up. "[We had] an opportunity to really watch those guys in individual drills and thought they did some good things."

Two days against undrafted players and tryout guys were enough to convince coaches James Bradberry, Daryl Worley and Zack Sanchez will be ready by Week 1?

"Right now we're set," Rivera said when asked if the Panthers were thinking about adding a veteran corner from the free agent market.

While Bradberry played some nickel at Samford, the Panthers plan to let him compete with Worley on the outside. That leaves Sanchez, who just began learning the slot this weekend.

"[The hardest part] is how much you've got to deal with motions and getting the linebackers set and getting the D-line set," he said. "You've got a real big responsibility in knowing personnel and how fast the formations can shift."

Not only is Sanchez learning a new position, but his frame isn't ideal for a guy who's not a great tackler and who will have to shed much bigger blockers. Receiver Damiere Byrd, who's 5-foot-9 and now about 183 pounds, is the only player on the roster lighter than the 5-foot-11, 185-pound Sanchez.

The forgotten guy in all of this is Robert McClain, who amazingly, is the Panthers' most experienced cornerback. He's played in 71 games, including six last year when Carolina called him in November after injuries depleted the secondary. He played outside then, but McClain can also play nickel.

The Panthers could also have plans for cornerback Shaq Richardson, a former Steelers' fifth-round pick who was signed after his tryout this weekend. Or they may throw a curveball and make that slot position completely untraditional. They drafted linebacker Shaq Thompson with the idea that he could take the place of a smaller nickel back. Now they're trying to turn Duke All-America safety Jeremy Cash into a Thompson-lite.

None of this fully explains why the Panthers were in such a rush to jettison Boykin. If and when he finds a new job, it'll be his fourth team in less than a year, so perhaps there's something that didn't make him a fit in Carolina.

It's not like the Panthers were going to pay him much. He signed a one-year, $840,000 deal in March, turning down "at least four" better offers.

"It was a matter of the opportunity more so than it being the most money or the first team to come get me. That's not what my free agency process was about," Boykin said back then. "It was about me finding the best fit in the best place and this was without a doubt the best place."

It seemingly was a good match for both Boykin and the Panthers. But yet again we're reminded that general manager Dave Gettleman has a different way of doing things.