CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Wide receiver Hunter Renfrow hadn't given any thought to being cut after the Carolina Panthers wrapped up their preseason last week.
He was forced to on Tuesday when the Panthers released the 29-year-old who was making a comeback from a bout with ulcerative colitis, which forced him to miss the 2024 season after he was released by the Las Vegas Raiders.
Renfrow, a 2021 Pro Bowl selection, dropped from 185 pounds to 150 while being treated for the chronic digestive disease that causes inflammation and sores in the innermost lining of the large intestine. He was ready to give up football completely until Dabo Swinney, his coach at Clemson, convinced him to make a comeback.
Renfrow, who grew up about four hours from Charlotte on the South Carolina coast and won two national championships at Clemson about 2½ hours away, decided then it would be the Panthers or bust.
"I felt so bad those two years, and I felt like I let my teammates down so much," Renfrow said during offseason workouts. "Because I had expectations. I just signed a new contract [in 2022]. I had a new coaching staff that I was going to be perfect for. And I was just a dud.
"I was like, 'Man, I know I don't feel well, but I do not want to play football again. Like, I do not want to let people down. I just want to go over here in my corner, do what I do, get into business.'"
Renfrow received high praise from the Carolina coaching staff during training camp for his route running and ability to create separation. But the Panthers, who kept seven receivers, went with youth in their rebuilding mode. They kept rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. and 23-year-old Brycen Tremayne, a former Stanford star who went undrafted and spent the 2024 season with the Washington Commanders.
They also kept 35-year-old Adam Thielen, although the Minnesota Vikings have expressed interest in trading for the veteran who spent his first 10 seasons on his home state team before signing with Carolina in 2023.
Thielen, 2025 first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan and 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette are considered the starters. Behind them currently are Jalen Coker, David Moore, Tremayne and Horn.
Renfrow was one of the final cuts and could be a candidate for the practice squad. Right now, he has to process what's next because his focus has been 100 percent on making the 53-man roster here.
"Honestly, I'm not lying, I have not thought about [being cut], because you can't," Renfrow said after Carolina went 0-3 in the preseason. "If you worry about things like that, you're not getting any better."