Brandon Smith – Page 3 – Syndication Server

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey held out of practice on Wednesday

Wednesday was just a rest day for Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey.

We’ll tell you like we did last week, Carolina Panthers fans—take a breath.

Star running back Christian McCaffrey was held out of practice on Wednesday simply for rest. The approach to recovery for the sixth-year veteran, who missed 23 of 33 games between 2020 and 2021, has leaned towards taking extended breaks thus far.

After sitting out the entire preseason, McCaffrey didn’t see his usual, onerous workload in Sunday’s season opener. He totaled just 14 touches—10 rushing attempts and four receptions—for 57 yards from scrimmage in the 26-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

	Injury	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Game status
RB Christian McCaffrey	Rest	DNP
DE Marquis Haynes Sr.	Hip	DNP
LB Frankie Luvu	Shoulder	Limited
OT Taylor Moton	Knee	Limited
LB Brandon Smith	Thigh	Limited

Head coach Matt Rhule also addressed the absence of receiver and returner Andre Roberts, who was placed on the injured reserve yesterday. With the 34-year-old set to miss a few months with a knee injury, Rhule said to expect wideout Shi Smith on punt returns and running back Chuba Hubbard taking up kick returns moving forward.

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Panthers Week 1 injury report: RB Christian McCaffrey will start vs. Browns

Christian McCaffrey is a go for the Panthers on Sunday. (We told you not to worry.)

After popping up on yesterday’s injury report with a nick to his shin, Carolina Panthers running back McCaffrey was not listed with a game status on Friday’s release. That, of course, means the star rusher is a go for Sunday’s season opener against the Cleveland Browns.

McCaffrey’s injury was never of any concern to the team, as it was—again—just a cut as a result of contact with a cleat. But given the sixth-year veteran’s recent history, the alarms went off on Thursday with his mere mention.

In another bit of encouraging news, kicker Eddy Piñeiro was a full participant. Carolina, nonetheless, signed Taylor Bertolet to the practice squad as insurance.

Additionally, rookie linebacker Brandon Smith was added with a thigh issue and head coach Matt Rhule told reporters that Pat Elflein will start at center as Bradley Bozeman continues to heal from his ankle injury.

Here’s the full report heading into Sunday:

	Injury	Wed.	Thurs.	Fri.	Game status
K Eddy Piñeiro	Hip	Full	Full	Full	–
FB Giovanni Ricci	Hip	Limited	Limited	Full	–
RB Christian McCaffrey	Shin	–	Full	Full	–
LB Brandon Smith	Thigh	–	–	Limited	Questionable

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Every Penn State player on an NFL opening day roster in 2022

Here is every former Penn State plater on an NFL roster to start the new NFL season in 2022.

The start of a new season in the National Football League is here and there will be a good amount of Penn State flavor throughout the league this season. Penn State will have the eighth most players on an NFL opening day roster this season with 34 players appearing on an NFL team’s 53-man roster to start the season (plus two additional players on injured reserve and another on the physically unable to perform list). In all, Penn State claims 44 players are on NFL rosters to start the year with the inclusion of practice squad players.

That includes nine players who were on the Penn State roster in 2021, including wide receiver [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag], defensive end [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag], and safety [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag]. Dotson is one of four Penn State players on the Washington Commanders, the most of any NFL franchise to start the season.

Former kicker [autotag]Robbie Gould[/autotag] continues to be the elder statesman of the Nittany Lions football family in the NFL. Gould, of the San Francisco 49ers, is entering his 19th season in the NFL.

Here is a look at every Penn State player on either an NFL team’s 53-man roster or practice squad at the start of the 2022 season.

Cowboys 2nd-round pick Sam Williams one of 3 stars of the game vs Seahawks

Youth was once again served as the Cowboys rested their starters and stars, but these three were stars for the night. | From @CDPiglet

The Dallas Cowboys came back from a double-digit deficit to secure a one-point victory over the Seattle Seahawks Friday night, closing their exhibition schedule with a 2-1 record. Nobody, whether it was the young players working for a spot on the roster, the coaching staff, or even starting quarterback Dak Prescott cared it was a preseason game. It was an exciting team victory, and hopefully a propeller into the regular season as well.

This game was great for the fan experience at AT&T Stadium as well. It had soul-snatching hits, turnovers galore, clutch touchdown receptions and drama all the way to the last minute.

It’s unknown how much of the 53-man roster was decided before a snap was even taken, but the Cowboys had multiple players fighting to make a good impression, and many of them made plays. Interceptions from bubble players like Israel Mukuamu, Nahshon Wright, Markquese Bell, and Juanyeh Thomas are just some examples. Only three players can be the stars of the game though, so which ones stepped up the most?

WATCH: Cowboys’ Bell’s INT leads to toe-tap highlight from WR Brandon Smith

Witness back-to-back highlights from a pair of undrafted rookies to tie up the game for Dallas in their final preseason game.

"LET'S GOOOO"@Dak had to celebrate @MarkqueseB's INT. 🔥

📺: #SEAvsDAL on @NFLNetwork (check local listings)
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/NuFDwY3j8a pic.twitter.com/Nwlw7PYKN7

— NFL (@NFL) August 27, 2022

As an undrafted rookie, Cowboys’ safety Markquese Bell was on the radar to earn a spot on the 53-man roster after an eye-opening training camp and solid preseason. To cap it off, Bell was in the right place at the right time for an interception against Seattle. Quarterback Dak Prescott interrupted his interview to celebrate the big moment from the Florida A&M product.

As the preseason comes to a close, Bell may have secured his spot on the roster for Week 1. The takeaway gifted the Dallas offense another short field, this one from the Seahawks 13-yard line.

Cowboys receiver Brandon Smith quickly jumped into the spotlight with a toe-tap touchdown grab that even had the officials uncertain but they corrected the initial call and ruled it a 8-yard touchdown grab for the fellow undrafted rookie.

Brandon Smith toe tap TD! @_BSmith12

📺: #SEAvsDAL on @NFLNetwork (check local listings)
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/NuFDwY3j8a pic.twitter.com/Z2L8UPvfZr

— NFL (@NFL) August 27, 2022

The throw from quarterback Will Grier may be his best on the night and it’s his second score of the game. Smith’s touchdown ties the game at 20 and gives the Cowboys a chance to end their preseason on a high-note win.

Panthers stock watch: Who’s up and who’s down after preseason loss to Patriots?

The most exciting Panthers rookie may not be the one you’re thinking about.

Friday night was a big one for this Carolina Panthers stock watch. With starters mostly down against the host New England Patriots, the team’s backups got a chance to prove their worth in the second preseason outing of the summer.

Here’s who thrived in their opportunities and who didn’t during the 20-10 loss.

Top takeaways from Panthers’ 20-10 preseason loss to Patriots

For the second straight outing, Panthers rookie QB Matt Corral couldn’t find himself much of a rhythm.

Most of the Carolina Panthers starters didn’t see the field at all in their second preseason game on Friday night. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t come away with some interesting bits from their 20-10 loss to the New England Patriots.

Here are the top takeaways from the exhibition defeat.

Panthers PFF grades: Best and worst from preseason opener vs. Commanders

In his first preseason outing, Baker Mayfield earned the Panthers’ highest offensive grade from Pro Football Focus.

Which Carolina Panthers impressed (and didn’t impress) the film buffs on Saturday afternoon? Here’s how Pro Football Focus dissected the very best and very worst from the preseason opener against the Washington Commanders.

PHOTOS: Penn State rookies working through first training camp

Check out these images of former Penn State players getting work done in their first NFL training camps.

NFL training camps are in full swing which means that this year’s rookie class is getting it’s first taste of the NFL. No better time especially given the heat wave the entire country is facing but the sweat they pour in camp will just make them better players and further impress the staffs that selected them in April.

On social media we have seen several big plays already being made by [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] with his new team the Washington Commanders. Reports everywhere else are also glowing of [autotag]Arnold Ebiketie[/autotag] with Atlanta and [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] with Carolina.

As the training camp goes on and we see more and more of these guys, especially in preseason games, why not get a quick first glimpse. Some early images from NFL training camps of the 2022 NFL draft class that James Franklin and his staff produced.

Draft Network says Yetur Gross-Matos could be a breakout player in 2022

The Draft Network is expecting a breakout season from Yetur Gross-Matos with the Carolina Panthers.

The Carolina Panthers certainly have a bit of a Penn State flavor going for it. Not only is the head coach a former Nittany Lion in [autotag]Matt Rhule[/autotag], but the team just drafted Penn State linebacker [autotag]Brandon Smith[/autotag] in the 2022 NFL draft to bring a little bit of Linebacker-U to the franchise. But it is another former Nittany Lion who could be lining up for a potential breakout season in 2022.

[autotag]Yetur Gross-Matos[/autotag] was recently profiled by The Draft Network with a suggestion that offseason roster changes have paved a way for Gross-Matos to be a Week 1 starter for the Panthers, setting him up for his best season yet at the next level.

With Haason Reddick leaving Carolina to join the Philadelphia Eagles, Gross-Matos is expected to step into the starting role on the Panthers’ defensive line on the end. And that’s just one of the reasons The Draft Network is appearing high on Gross-Matos going into the 2022 NFL season. Playing opposite of Pro Bowl defensive end Brian Burns will likely lead to opportunities for Gross-Matos to bring pressure as opposing offenses focus more on Burns.

From The Draft Network;

If the extra snaps alone weren’t enough, the third-year edge rusher will be pressuring quarterbacks alongside Burns, a 2021 Pro Bowler. Burns will undoubtedly draw extra attention on one side of the line after a year in which he recorded nine sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, and four pass deflections. For Gross-Matos, playing opposite Burns should provide plenty of opportunities to succeed, especially for an edge rusher who has already shown flashes of potential facing an increased role in the defense. Just look at Reddick’s 2021 season, which featured 11 sacks and the eighth-best pass-rush win rate (23 percent) of all NFL edge rushers.

The Draft Network also suggests Carolina’s overall defensive strengths in the secondary should allow for more time to make a play behind the line of scrimmage. As opposing quarterbacks are trying to keep plays alive to find an open receiver, Gross-Matos may get a few more chances to make a play. Every second in the NFL can be a big difference, and the longer a quarterback holds on to the football, the more chances Gross-Matos will have to make a play.