Ex-Chiefs starter already looking like a dud signing on new team

The Kansas City Chiefs have to make difficult decisions every offseason and this past offseason was no exception. One player the Chiefs ended up parting ways with was Tershawn Wharton, who signed with the Carolina Panthers on a three-year deal worth $54 million.

It was a pretty big loss for the Chiefs, as Wharton tallied 6.5 sacks last year and was a reliable piece in the Chiefs' pass-rushing plans. That being said, they were never going to pay him that kind of money and off he went to a team that would.

Panthers fans (and any Chiefs fans who cared enough to watch a preseason game involving a team that wasn't their own) got their first glimpse of Wharton with his new team and... there was a lot to be desired in that performance.

Pro Football Focus graded Wharton as one of the worst performers of the team's preseason opener against the Browns. Dean Jones of Cat Crave listed four winners and three losers from the Panthers' first preseason game and listed Wharton among the losers.

"It wasn't a great night for Tershawn Wharton. He struggled to generate pressure and failed to maintain his discipline against the run. There is nothing to overly concern just yet, but the Panthers will be expecting better from the free-agent signing moving forward."

Tershawn Wharton struggled in Panthers preseason game

We've seen all too often when players leave the comfort that is Steve Spagnuolo's defense that sometimes they don't just pick up where they left off. Is Wharton another example of this?

Again, it's only one preseason game, and there's plenty of time for Wharton to correct course, but it's never great to see a pricey investment not performing the way you were expecting them to. As Jones mentioned in the blurb above, Panthers fans shouldn't panic about Wharton's performance just yet, but more will certainly be expected from him due to how much money the team spent to bring him to Charlotte.

Chiefs fans know what Wharton is capable of and it was a bummer to have lost him. Obviously fans want to see him succeed elsewhere and it might just take time for the long-time Chief to find his footing with his new squad. If he doesn't though, letting him walk will look like another genius move from Brett Veach.