Tag: Brian Cole

Panthers waive S Brian Cole, roster down to 78 players

The Panthers let S Brian Cole loose on Friday, just hours before they finish off their preseason against the Steelers.

As first reported by Darin Gantt of Panthers.com, the Carolina Panthers waived safety Brian Cole. The move comes just hours before the team’s preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday night.

Cole, a 2020 seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, signed with the Panthers back on Aug. 5. The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder had committed to the University of Michigan in 2014 as the state’s No. 1 wide receiver prospect. He’d later transfer, with a junior college stop in-between, to Mississippi State University as a defensive back three years later.

This now brings Carolina’s roster down to 78 players, two fewer than the league-mandated limit for this time. The Panthers, as will the rest of the 31 other teams, must cut down their roster to 53 men by Tuesday, Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. ET.

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Panthers add S Brian Cole, waive WR Ventell Bryant

Brian Cole, the fifth different signing by the Carolina Panthers this week, is just the latest addition to this fluctuating roster.

As promised at the beginning of training camp by general manager Scott Fitterer, the fine-tuning of the Carolina Panthers’ ever-changing roster continued its steady pace on Thursday afternoon.

Their latest adjustment comes to the team’s secondary, with the signing of safety Brian Cole. Cole, who was worked out on Thursday morning prior to his addition, is now the fifth different player the Panthers have inked this week.

The 6-foot-2, 210-pounder initially committed to the University of Michigan as the No. 1 wide receiver prospect in the state in 2014. After a quiet 2015 as a Wolverine and a step down to the junior college-level a year later, Cole transferred to Mississippi State University as a defensive back in 2017.

Following his three years as a Bulldog—which saw him total 78 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions over 17 games—Cole was drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 draft by the Minnesota Vikings. His last stop was with the Miami Dolphins, who had just waived him on July 16 after signing a reserve/future contract back in January.

As a result, the Panthers have also waived wide receiver Ventell Bryant. Bryant was set to serve a two-game suspension at the start of the season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

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