Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Four players who were lost in the Panthers’ 53-man roster shuffle were signed to practice squads elsewhere on Thursday.
Matt Corral wasn’t the only freshly-cut Carolina Panther who just found a new home.
Four players who did not make the initial 53-man roster cut for the Panthers this summer were signed to practice squads on Thursday. They are as follows:
The first wave of this weekend’s cutdown tsunami has crashed for the Panthers.
On Saturday, the Carolina Panthers began the trek towards their initial 53-man roster—waiving a total of 11 players.
Those players are as follows:
The most notable name of the bunch is, perhaps, Luton. A former sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Luton completed eight of his 19 throws for 115 yards, a touchdown and an interception over two preseason outings.
But given the current state of Carolina’s quarterbacks room—with rookie Bryce Young as the starter, veteran Andy Dalton as the backup and Matt Corral barely holding on as the No. 3 option—the cut of Luton was not a surprise in the least.
He and the 10 other players who were waived by Carolina will now hit the waiver wire and can be claimed by another team on Wednesday. If they are not, they will become free agents and could return to the Panthers as part of their practice squad.
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The Panthers, on the biggest professional fight day of the year, got their first dust-up of 2023 training camp.
NFL head coaches probably don’t mind seeing their players go through some battles during the summer. But Frank Reich prefers his team’s battles to be a bit less literal.
On Saturday, the Carolina Panthers got their first training camp fight of 2023—as offensive tackle Larnel Coleman and outside linebacker Jordan Thomas engaged in a shoving match. After practice, Reich told reporters he’d prefer not to see any more of that.
“I’m not really lookin’ for any of that,” he said. “I’m not tryin’ to manufacture the emotion. It happens sometimes. And for us out there, right, it’s like, ‘ho-hum.’ It’s gonna happen at some point. But really, the energy and enthusiasm and the grit and the fight really has to come within.
“So, I think our guys have been doing that. When you have those moments there, you just move on and you stay focused.”
Thomas, a tight end-turned-linebacker, brought wide receiver C.J. Saunders down to the ground down during 11-on-11 drills—something Coleman took exception to. Luckily, fellow backer and longtime Panther Shaq Thompson seemingly mediated the situation and cooler heads prevailed.
“These guys—they know what time it is,” Reich added. “They know how to take care of themselves. And everybody knows, we’re tryin’ to accomplish something special, and we wanna do something special. We can’t one of our guys gettin’ hurt fightin’ each other. Not much made of it. They guys know it, know how to handle it and did a good job.”
So let’s just leave the fighting to the pros today, shall we?
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Summer standout C.J. Saunders is returning to the Panthers’ practice squad.
As reported by Darin Gantt on Thursday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers will be adding receiver C.J. Saunders to their practice squad. He is now the 16th (and final) known member of the team’s initial group.
They’ve filled out the last two practice squad spots with QB Jacob Eason and WR CJ Saunders.
Saunders is back.
— Darin Gantt (@daringantt) September 1, 2022
One of the best stories from this year’s training camp, the 25-year-old wideout turned heads seemingly on the daily. He was impressing coaches, teammates and onlookers alike with his work down in Spartanburg, S.C.—where he made an earnest run at a 53-man roster spot.
Unfortunately, the run would be delayed—as Saunders sustained a quad strain in early August that was set to sideline him for at least a month. Luckily, though, that wasn’t the end of that story.
Saunders returned to the field much earlier than expected. He surprisingly suited up for the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills last Friday, even returning a punt for 23 yards.
And all of that, the early impressions and the comeback, has given Saunders a well-deserved lifeline.
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Which four Panthers can really make their respective cases for a 53-man roster spot tonight?
Although the main attraction for tonight’s preseason finale between the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills is quarterback Baker Mayfield and his first-team offense, there will be smaller battles worth keeping an eye on in this one. And those smaller battles will help determine what this 53-man roster looks like come Week 1.
So, here are the four most intriguing Panthers to watch with exhibition play winding down and the roster bubble almost set to burst.
Here are our most likely cut candidates as the Panthers inch closer to their final roster.
With two preseason games in the books, it’s just about time for the Carolina Panthers to trim their roster down to 80 players.
Before 4 p.m. ET on Aug. 23, every NFL team must cut five guys to meet the 80-player requirement—and the Panthers reportedly have gotten started by waiving linebacker Khalan Tolson early this morning.
So, here are our most likely cut candidates as the Panthers inch closer to their final roster.
Did you see what Panthers CB Jaycee Horn just did at practice today?
Carolina Panthers rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn didn’t record his first career interception in his first career NFL game this past Sunday. When it happens, though, we’re sure it’ll probably be pretty sweet.
It won’t look as sweet as this though:
Jaycee just swooped in 😱 pic.twitter.com/BEA0wYIW74
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) September 16, 2021
No offense to his future pick, or any of them for that matter, but you can’t get much better than that, can you? Dude played that ball like he was from a different dimension.
And not only was it a one-hander, it was a one-hander made off to the side of his body. We can’t even blame wide receiver C.J. Saunders for falling victim to this.
Horn could have his chance this week, as the New Orleans Saints and Jameis Winston come to visit at Bank of America Stadium for a Week 2 showdown. Although Winston was clean with the rock in his 2021 debut against the Packers, he still may be good for a turnover or two this time around.
Jaycee will be waiting . . .
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The Panthers could be getting closer to finding a returner, as they brought in WR Alex Erickson for a visit.
Even after crafting their active 53-man roster, the Carolina Panthers have been trying to nail down a returner on special teams, at least for Week 1. Well, they may be getting closer to doing so.
As reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, the team brought veteran wideout Alex Erickson in for a visit on Friday. Erickson spent each of his five professional seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, where he served primarily on punt and kick return duties.
Some late week tryouts/visits:
* Seahawks worked out LB Daren Bates and LB Kamal Martin
* Panthers hosted WR Alex Erickson on a visit
* Jets worked out S Adrian Colbert
* Colts worked out S Steven Parker
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 3, 2021
The six-foot, 195-pounder brings in a wealth of experience in this aspect, something no member on the Panthers’ current roster can come close to laying claim to. He’s fielded a total of 135 punts and 108 kickoffs since 2016, averaging 8.0 yards and 24.7 yards, respectively, on his attempts.
Carolina’s current favorites for the jobs include fourth-year receiver Brandon Zylstra and rookies Shi Smith and C.J. Saunders. Zylstra, however, has only returned five punts in his career. Additionally, Smith is nursing a shoulder injury that may keep him out for a bit while Saunders remains down on the practice squad.
Erickson, undoubtedly, would take over the honors if he’s signed.
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Who will be returning punts and/or kicks for the Panthers this season? Here are 11 possibilities, currently both inside and out of the organization.
The Carolina Panthers currently have a job, maybe two, open and someone has to do it.
In the aftermath of chiseling down their personnel into its active 53-man roster, the team has left its punt and kick return duties open basically to interpretation. There is no clear answer.
Prohibitive favorites such as wide receiver David Moore, running back Reggie Bonnafon and whatever they tried to turn offensive weapon Trenton Cannon into are all out. And while there are a small number of candidates left that have experience taking back kicks, that experience is relatively minimal.
So, who’s going to do it? Here are a few options, internally and externally, that the Panthers may have.
WR Brandon Zylstra
If their Week 1 game against the New York Jets were to kick off tomorrow, Zylstra’s the guy for either side. But again, the experience is limited as he’s had just five career punt returns (one for Carolina in 2019) and three career kick returns over his three pro campaigns.
WR C.J. Saunders
Head coach Matt Rhule made note of his confidence in Saunders as a returner on Wednesday, saying he knows he “could go back there in a second.” Like Zylstra, the undrafted free agent isn’t extremely well versed there quite yet, with 13 total punt returns over his collegiate and preseason careers. He’d also have to be elevated from the practice squad if he’s one of the choices.
WR DJ Moore
While enticing, Moore is a risky option. Sending your No. 1 receiver out to potentially get blasted by gunners isn’t the most sound of strategies. But Moore’s elite balance and speed as a ball carrier could set up him as a situational returner, perhaps in more pressure-filled spots during the season.
WR Shi Smith
With 21 career take-backs in college (and 22 if you count preseason play), Smith would likely be the favorite for either kicks or punts if he wasn’t currently dealing with a shoulder injury. And while the setback won’t keep the 2021 sixth-rounder out for too long, he’s not a realistic choice until we hear otherwise about his status.
RB Chuba Hubbard
The hard-working rookie added return duties to his résumé this summer, bringing back a kickoff for 23 yards against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rhule and his staff are clearly trying to find a sweet spot for Hubbard, but it likely won’t be as a punt returner as he continues to settle in.
RB Rodney Smith
Smith, like Saunders, would need to jump off the practice squad and into an active slot to claim the job. And if he does, it could be as a kick returner, as he amassed 30 takes over his long stay at the University of Minnesota.
WR Pharoh Cooper: The only man to take back punts for Carolina in 2020, Cooper could be called back for his specialities on special teams.
WR Justin Hardy: Another local option, Hardy fielded 20 punts for the Atlanta Falcons back in 2018.
RB Chris Thompson: The 30-year-old has reps in both areas, with a combined 44 returns over his eight-year career.
WR Marqise Lee: Lee’s been bouncing around of late. But he has the tools and history, with a career average of 30.3 yards per kick return, to man return duties.
RB Duke Johnson: Johnson may be looking for an opportunity as more than just a special teamer. He does, though, have 20 career punt returns.
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In the midst of more than a few scuffles, Carolina Panthers rookies C.J. Saunders and Chuba Hubbard fought hard for their roster spots on Friday.
Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule wasn’t exactly doing cartwheels following his team’s opening practice with the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday. Whether or not he could actually accomplish such gymnastics is another story, but the lack of energy and execution from his players wouldn’t have inspired him to do so otherwise.
But how about today? Did the Panthers’ second joint workout with the Colts, even despite some positives from the first installment, sit any better? And what, as the squads head into Sunday’s exhibition, can we take away from Friday’s action?
