Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
Another day, another practice dominated by the Panthers defense.
For the second time in as many mornings, the Carolina Panthers took the unofficial win at training camp.
Here’s the inside info on that performance, and on a handful of other happenings, from Sunday:
According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Panthers WR Damiere Byrd missed Sunday’s practice due to a hamstring injury.
The Carolina Panthers handed out quite a few vet days this morning—with the likes of receiver Adam Thielen, tight end Hayden Hurst and linebacker Shaq Thompson all taking practice off. But one vet had off due to a more painful reason.
As first reported by Joe Person of The Athletic, and later confirmed by Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, wideout Damiere Byrd was held out of Sunday’s session due to a hamstring injury.
Panthers WR Damiere Byrd missed practice today with a hamstring injury, per league source. Severity TBD. Byrd has been having a strong camp in his return to Carolina.
— Joe Person (@josephperson) August 6, 2023
Byrd, who cracked into the NFL as an undrafted with the Panthers in 2015, previously spent four years in Charlotte. Over that time, he reeled in 12 receptions for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The speedy University of South Carolina product then went on to pick up stops with four different teams—the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons—over the next four campaigns. Byrd returned to the Panthers this spring on a one-year deal.
With Carolina looking for a punt returner to emerge, Byrd should be a contender for the 53-man roster—as long as his wings aren’t clipped.
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With the battles of Spartanburg about to begin, here are the Panthers’ six most important training camp competitions for the summer.
2023 Carolina Panthers training camp is here! (Well, just about.)
With rookies reporting on Saturday and veterans on Tuesday, the summer action is set to begin. So, which pieces of that action will have the most impact heading into the regular season?
Here are the six most important Spartanburg battles for the Panthers this year:
Here are the initial ‘Madden NFL 24’ ratings for Jonathan Mingo and the rest of the Panthers wide receivers:
Some folks may tell you they’re severely lacking and others may say they’re pretty talented—it’s the 2023 Carolina Panthers wide receiving corps. And on Monday, EA Sports revealed its “Madden NFL 24” ratings for the group.
Check ’em out:
With training camp less than a month away, let’s roll out our latest projections for the Panthers’ 53-man roster.
Now that we’re in July, the month where NFL players begin to return from their summer breaks, it’s time to take another crack at predicting the Carolina Panthers roster.
So, here are our pre-training camp projections for the 2023 53-man squad.
Now that the Byrd is back in the nest, let’s take an updated look at the Panthers’ remaining salary cap space.
A Byrd call was made last week, as a familiar face was flown back for a new era of Carolina Panthers football. So, how much did the flight cost?
The details of Damiere Byrd’s contract have been made available. According to Spotrac.com, the 30-year-old wide receiver has returned on the standard one-year, $1.165 million pact—the same numbers the team has already signed defensive end Henry Anderson, linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, safety Eric Rowe and long snapper JJ Jansen to.
Carolina now sits with approximately $26.91 million of salary cap space, which ranks fourth in the NFL. And here, with Byrd in the nest, are the 2023 cap hits for each of the team’s free-agent signings this offseason:
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With Damiere Byrd making his return to the Panthers, let’s look back at the most booty-ful touchdown in NFL history.
You may have heard of “toe drag swag,” but what about “butt drag swag”?
If you’re a Carolina Panthers fan, the answer to that is more than likely a resounding yes. For those who haven’t, however, let’s go back five years and introduce you to the cheekiest touchdown in NFL history.
Brought to you by Friday’s signing of wide receiver Damiere Byrd, our trip into the past takes us to Dec. 17, 2017, when the Panthers hosted the Green Bay Packers for a Week 15 showdown in Charlotte.
With Carolina up 17-14 and the ball at Green Bay’s 9-yard line with just over seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, quarterback Cam Newton found a crack between defensive backs Josh Hawkins and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in the rear of the end zone. There, he connected with the diminutive 5-foot-9 wideout, who was able to avoid the tight coverage of Clinton-Dix and Hawkins, reeling in the toss and parking his keister into the paint.
But did Byrd’s bottom land in the right part of said paint for a touchdown?
The Packers ended up watching those little cheeks pass them by for another six points on a 13-yard reception that gave the Panthers a 31-17 lead at the 12:24 mark of the fourth quarter. Byrd finished the eventual 31-24 win with three catches for 25 yards and the two scores.
After the game, Byrd solidified the name of his preposterous posterior catch:
And now that Byrd got his hindquarters back to Carolina, maybe the end zone at Bank of America Stadium will get double-cheeked up this upcoming season.
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Ex-Falcons wide receiver Damiere Byrd has signed a contract with the Carolina Panthers
When the Falcons re-signed wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge earlier this week, it was a sign that Damiere Byrd would likely not be returning to the team in 2023. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed as much on Friday afternoon, reporting that Byrd has signed a contract with the rival Panthers.
Byrd, 30, returns to Carolina, where he spent five seasons after signing as an undrafted free agent back in 2015.
Panthers signed veteran wide receiver Damiere Byrd, who returns to Carolina, where he played from 2015-2018.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 14, 2023
Byrd finished with 13 catches for 268 receiving yards (20.6 yards per reception) and two touchdowns for the Falcons last season. Atlanta has already signed free agents Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller, and the team could add another wide receiver in the 2023 NFL draft.
Our latest seven-round Falcons mock draft has the team adding Houston wide receiver Nathaniel Dell in Round 3.
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The Panthers got a little cheeky on Friday, as they announced a new deal with WR Damiere Byrd.
The Byrd has flown back to the nest.
As announced on Friday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers have signed wide receiver Damiere Byrd. The 30-year-old speedster now returns to Charlotte, where he spent the first four campaigns of his NFL career.
That tenure began in May of 2015, when the University of South Carolina Gamecock was signed as an undrafted free agent. He first cracked the field in 2016, reeling in a 16-yard reception and taking a kickoff back for 31 yards in the team’s season finale against the Atlanta Falcons.
After wrapping that stint in Carolina, which was perhaps highlighted by his cheeky “butt drag swag” touchdown, Byrd spread his wings to Arizona in 2019. His career year would then come a season later with former Panthers pal Cam Newton in New England, where he chalked up bests in catches (47) and yards (604).
Byrd then moved on to the Chicago Bears in 2021 and the Falcons in 2022.
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PFF Grades: Damiere Byrd, Caleb Huntley and Chris Lindstrom were the three highest-rated Falcons in Week 8
The Atlanta Falcons got some lucky breaks during their 37-34 victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but you don’t apologize for winning in the NFL. At 4-4, the Falcons are in position to win their first NFC South title since 2016.
Before we begin to look ahead to Week 9, let’s check out the top performers from Atlanta’s victory over the Panthers. WR Damiere Byrd, RB Caleb Huntley and RG Chris Lindstrom earned the team’s highest overall Pro Football Focus grades on Sunday.
Here’s a look at PFF’s 20 highest-rated Falcons from Week 8.
