SPARTANBURG, S.C. (AP) — Chris Gamble feels old at 27. Jordan Gross was struck by all the new faces in the stretching lines at practice. And Jeff King knows the few veterans remaining must take on much bigger roles.

After an offseason roster purge, the Carolina Panthers are left with the third-youngest roster in the NFL and an urgent need to fill a leadership vacuum.

In an effort to begin a youth movement and cut payroll, the Panthers rid their roster of a bunch of 30-something starters, including Jake Delhomme, Muhsin Muhammad, Brad Hoover, Keydrick Vincent, Julius Peppers, Damione Lewis, Maake Kemoeatu and Na'il Diggs.

According to STATS LLC, the average age of Carolina's 80-man unit is 25 years, seven days. Only San Diego and Green Bay are younger.