Tag: A.J. Bouye

Panthers Week 3 inactives: CB A.J. Bouye not ready yet vs. Texans

The Panthers will not have CB A.J. Bouye, who has served the final two games of his suspension, suit up against the Texans tonight.

Through their lack of depth and injury to defensive back Myles Hartsfield, the Carolina Panthers were biding themselves some time until the return of A.J. Bouye to sure up their secondary. Well, they’ll have to bide for at least another game.

Amongst tonight’s inactives for the Week 3 showcase against the Houston Texans is Bouye, in what’s a slight surprise. The ninth-year cornerback is coming off serving the final two games of a six-game suspension that dated back to last season. He apparently, however, is not where the team wants him to be in terms of preparedness on the short turnaround.

Here’s the full list of inactive Panthers for the contest:

WR Shi Smith
CB A.J. Bouye
LB Clay Johnston
DT Phil Hoskins
G Michael Jordan
G Deonte Brown
DE Yetur Gross-Matos

Gross-Matos, the other standout name in the group, was already ruled out yesterday due to an ankle injury. The second-year defensive end had not participated in practice all week.

As for Houston:

QB Deshaun Watson
TE Brevin Jordan
S Justin Reid
CB Terrance Mitchell
DL Jordan Jenkins
LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
WR Danny Amendola

[lawrence-related id=641073]

[vertical-gallery id=640945]

Panthers injury update: DB Myles Hartsfield to miss 8-12 weeks

The Panthers are losing a versatile piece in DB Myles Hartsfield for a good chunk of the season.

Confirming an earlier report from NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Monday that defensive back Myles Hartsfield will miss an extended period of time due to the wrist injury he sustained in the Week 1 victory over the New York Jets.

Hartsfield exited the game midway through the second half and did not return. The injury, according to Rhule, will likely be “a surgical matter.”

Any injury is unfortunate and of ill-timing. But the absence of Hartsfield, especially with A.J. Bouye still out due to suspension and the New Orleans Saints on deck for Week 2, will undoubtedly hamper the team’s secondary.

The second-year defensive back has been a versatile piece for Rhule and defensive coordinator Phil Snow. Carolina will now have to pinpoint its next man up, particularly in nickel coverage, to help replace Hartsfield for what’ll be a huge chunk of the season.

Look for Stantley Thomas-Oliver III and/or newly-signed practice squad member and familiar face Corn Elder to be of the early options.

[lawrence-related id=640577]

[vertical-gallery id=640544]

Panthers injury update: DB Myles Hartsfield leaves Week 1 contest

Panthers CB Myles Hartsfield was ruled out of the Week 1 opener against the Jets with a wrist injury.

The Carolina Panthers entered Sunday’s season opener with a near clean bill of health. That good luck would continue for much of the game, until the news of Myles Hartsfield popped up.

Hartsfield, who left the game against the Jets with a wrist injury, has been ruled out midway through the second half. He had initially been deemed questionable to return.

Considering the Panthers were relatively thin at the cornerback position already, Hartsfield’s exit does not bode well moving forward, at least before hearing any additional updates. The second-year defender is one of Carolina’s primary defenders out of the slot.

As noted by Darin Gantt of Panthers.com, the team was already missing veteran cover man A.J. Bouye. Bouye will return in Week 3 upon serving the final two games of his six-game suspension to start the campaign.

[vertical-gallery id=640184]

Panthers to waive CB Jalen Julius

CB Jalen Julius will be waived by the Panthers, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic.

Hours after their trade for Buffalo Bills defensive end Darryl Johnson, the Carolina Panther kept it moving with their latest roster departure.

According to Joseph Person of The Athletic, the team has let cornerback Jalen Julius know of their intentions to waive him. Julius signed with Carolina back in April.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pounder cracked into the league two years ago as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs out of the University of Mississippi. With the Rebels, he totaled 138 tackles and 1.5 sack over four seasons.

Although the Panthers have grown a bit thin at corner, mostly notably with the season-ending ACL injury to Troy Pride Jr. and the two-game suspension of A.J. Bouye, Julius was not expected to make the roster. He could, as Person also notes, be a candidate for the practice squad.

Follow all the roster cuts leading up to Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline here.

[vertical-gallery id=639778]

Carolina Panthers 53-man roster projection: Final cuts edition

Who’s staying in and who’s going out? Here are our projections for the Panthers’ initial 53-man roster.

Bloody Tuesday is upon us and the Carolina Panthers have some cleaning up to do. So who stays and who goes as they cut down their personnel before that 4 p.m. ET deadline in a few days?

Here are our projections for the team’s initial 53-man roster for the 2021 regular season.

Panthers injury update: CB Rashaan Melvin ruled out vs. Steelers

Panthers CB Rashaan Melvin (groin injury) will not return to Friday night’s preseason finale.

Almost all was well for the Carolina Panthers defense on Friday night. Almost.

The unit looked great, shutting down the Pittsburgh Steelers backups as they should’ve and building up more chemistry headed into the regular season. But an injury to cornerback Rashaan Melvin could put a bit of a damper on the mood.

Melvin exited the game Friday night after sustaining a groin injury. The team announced that he will not return.

The seventh-year veteran is going to be counted on as some important depth amongst the cornerback group. He’s even more important considering the two-game suspension to be served by fellow cover man A.J. Bouye to start the schedule.

[vertical-gallery id=639639]

Panthers injury udpates: CB A.J. Bouye, DE Austin Larkin

The worst of them could be veteran cornerback A.J. Bouye’s.

The Panthers are roughly halfway through their 2021 training camp schedule. They had been relatively lucky with injuries most of this offseason, but this week that luck took a turn. Beginning with Keith Kirkwood’s concussion at the hands of J.T. Ibe’s dangerous hit, Carolina has suffered several injuries the last few days.

The worst of them could be veteran cornerback A.J. Bouye’s, who’s expected to miss a couple weeks with a soft tissue problem, per coach Matt Rhule.

With Bouye sidelined, Myles Hartsfield has been lining up in the slot. Whether he’s fully recovered or not, Bouye will miss the first two games of the season due to a PED suspension.

In related news, during Thursday’s practice defensive end Austin Larkin was carted off the field and did not return. Rhule told reporters afterwards his injury is to the groin area.

Linebacker Denzel Perryman and running back Darius Clark remain sidelined.

[lawrence-related id=638884,638855]

[vertical-gallery id=638889]

Panthers injury updates: CB A.J. Bouye ‘pulled something’

The Panthers have gone relatively unscathed through their offseason program when it comes to injuries.

The Panthers have gone relatively unscathed through their offseason program when it comes to injuries. A few players have been in and out of practice, but there’s been no real significant harm so far. Hopefully that’s still the case. However, there was one notable issue at today’s practice.

Veteran cornerback A.J. Bouye went down at one point and had to be looked at by trainers. He was escorted to the medical tent and did not return to practice. Afterwards, coach Matt Rhule told reporters that Bouye “pulled something,” but didn’t offer any more details than that.

Bouye has been playing the nickel corner role for the Panthers despite having spent his entire NFL career to this point lining up outside. He will be suspended for the first two games of the season due to a 2020 PED violation, so they’ll have to tinker their rotation in Weeks 1-2 in any case.

As to who might take his place, Darin Gantt says Myles Hartsfield took over in the slot when Bouye left the field. Hartsfield has proven to be an extremely versatile undrafted defender for Carolina – he’s also put in time at safety and running back.

[lawrence-related id=638709]

[vertical-gallery id=638605]

A.J. Bouye talks about helping Panthers’ younger cornerbacks

Cornerback underwent more of a radical transformation this offseason than any other position for the Carolina Panthers. 

Cornerback underwent more of a radical transformation this offseason than any other position for the Carolina Panthers.

Last year, Donte Jackson did admirable work despite fighting a foot injury most of the season. However, he was also the only corner who consistently performed well. That’s why general manager Scott Fitterer made overhauling the cornerback room his No. 1 priority on defense this year. After bringing in two rookies and two veterans, it’s fair to say that mission is accomplished.

This different crop has a new elder statesman in A.J. Bouye, who has eight seasons and 100 games of experience in the NFL. Bouye signed a team-friendly two-year deal with the Panthers and will be expected to start at Corn Elder’s former nickel spot. Another part of his job will be helping to develop a very young bunch of corners. Here’s what Bouye had to say about being the old guy in the group, per Darin Gantt at the team website.

“I realized when I was visiting teams this offseason that that label was starting to be put on me. . . I could have fought it. A few years ago I probably would have. But I also realize I’m not going to be in the league 20 years, so part of what I have to do is help the next generation of guys be ready, the same way guys helped me when I was young.”

Carolina has a lot riding on how well Bouye can cover the slot, as well as just how pro-ready first-round pick Jaycee Horn really is. If both can live up to expectations, the Panthers should have a strong secondary for the first time in what feels like ages.

[lawrence-related id=638454]

[vertical-gallery id=638448]

Panthers secondary gets below-average ranking from Pro Football Focus

Jeremy Chinn’s development in coverage will be a critical factor to watch as the schedule unfolds, as will A.J. Bouye’s performance playing in the slot as opposed to outside.

We’re expecting a better-than-average defense for the Carolina Panthers this season. Their defensive line should be able to generate pressure consistently, and they have a much better-looking depth chart at middle linebacker now compared to 2020. The x-factor will be how well their new-look secondary performs.

Carolina invested a lot of resources at cornerback this offseason. In theory that should help, but there are still questions about this unit. Pro Football Focus has their secondary ranked No. 23 in the NFL going into 2021.

“The Panthers have selected Jeremy Chinn, Troy Pride Jr. and Jaycee Horn in the past two drafts to join Donte Jackson in the secondary, showing that the team values speed and athleticism. . . Improvement from Chinn in his second season, along with immediate contributions from newcomers Horn and A.J. Bouye, could lead to an improved secondary for the Panthers in 2021.”

Jeremy Chinn’s development in coverage will be a critical factor to watch as the schedule unfolds, as will A.J. Bouye’s performance playing in the slot as opposed to outside. Assuming that Jaycee Horn lives up to the hype and Donte Jackson continues trending up, the only real worrisome spot might be at free safety.

Cutting Tre Boston for minimal cap savings was one of this team’s most questionable moves. They didn’t draft any safeties to replace him and the only notable free agent pickup was Lano Hill, who has just six career starts under his belt.

If this hole at free safety isn’t effectively filled by Juston Burris or somebody else on the roster, it could become the weakest link in the chain on the back end. Finding a workable solution at this spot should be at the top of the team’s to-do list on defense as training camp approaches.

[lawrence-related id=638411]

[vertical-gallery id=638384]