The Facts: One day after GM Dave Gettleman sounded surprisingly lukewarm about Smith's roster spot in Carolina -- saying his return was "part of the evaluation process" -- HC Ron Rivera was equally noncommittal. "It's all about the evaluations," Rivera echoed on Friday. "We got to look through everything, there's a lot of scenarios that we're putting together as a football team."

Diehards Line:Asked if there was a scenario in which Smith wouldn't be a Panther, Rivera said: "Not quite sure. Again, we are in a process right now that we're getting ready to evaluate the college football players. When we get back into town, we'll sit down and start talking about what has to happen when we start getting ready for free agency. ..." Rivera noted that Carolina feels "very good" about the depth at wide receiver in May's draft, hinting that the Panthers might be looking to get younger at the position instead of settling for the $3 million bonus tied to Smith's $4 million guaranteed salary. ... Stay tuned. This one is worth watching.