Scott Fitterer’s Year 1 review: The final grade

Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesOver the last several weeks we’ve looked back on Scott Fitterer’s first year as the Carolina Panthers general manager and assessed his performance in salary cap management, free agent signings (offense, defense), the 2021 draft, and player trades. It’s now time to give Fitterer his final report card from his rookie season. A “C” grade reflects meeting expectations, so anything higher than a “C” means Fitterer exceeded expectations, while any grade below a “C” means he fell short.

Salary cap management: C

Fitterer met expectations managing the salary cap by freeing up about $20 million with some straightforward player releases, including…