Panthers HC Dave Canales is asked if holding out Diontae Johnson in Week 8 relates to trade

The Panthers are holding WR Diontae Johnson out for Week 8. Does the decision relate to the trade deadline? HC Dave Canales was asked that on Friday.

Are the Carolina Panthers holding out wide receiver Diontae Johnson for Diontae Johnson and the Carolina Panthers or for Diontae Johnson and another team? Well, from the perspective of his job, head coach Dave Canales says it’s the former.

Canales spoke with reporters on Friday, shortly after the team ruled out Johnson from their Week 8 matchup against the Denver Broncos. And with the league’s trade deadline now less than two weeks away, he was asked if the decision on his leading pass catcher is related to a possible deal.

“Those are all conversations that Dan [Morgan] and Brandt [Tilis] will handle,” he replied. “For me, it’s like, I wanna do the best thing for Diontae, the best thing for the offense and the continuity of what we’re trying to get done. And the fact that he couldn’t get back on the field this week, I felt confident about the guys being able to step in there and do it.”

Preserving Johnson, who is down due to a rib injury, would help preserve the chances of a potential trade with a receiver-needy contender. The former Pro Bowler is currently on the final year of his contract, so the 1-6 Panthers may be inclined to sell him off to the highest bidder.

In addition, his status for Week 8 is particularly interesting given his comments from yesterday—when he said he thought he’d be able to play through the injury.

The Panthers will also be without fellow veteran Adam Thielen, who is working his way back from a hamstring injury.

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Panthers great Cam Newton gives his thoughts on Bryce Young’s benching

Cam Newton “spoke for” Bryce Young after the second-year QB’s sudden benching by the Panthers.

Cam Newton and Bryce Young were thrust into pretty similar situations to begin their pro football careers. Both were Heisman Trophy winners in college, both were No. 1 overall draft picks and both were expected to lead the middling Carolina Panthers to relevance.

But sharing a similar situation doesn’t mean they necessarily shared a similar environment. And, in turn, the results couldn’t be more different.

Newton, in his latest episode of 4th & 1 with Cam Newton, gave his thoughts on Carolina’s sudden benching of the struggling second-year quarterback. But instead of placing all the blame on Young, the franchise’s all-leading passer takes some aim at the franchise itself . . .

As Newton notes, the Panthers have lacked stability around Young. The 23-year-old has now had two different head coaches and three different offensive play-callers over a 19-game span.

Those 19 games have seen Carolina go 2-17 (2-16 in Young’s starts), with Young throwing for a lowly 173.4 yards per game with 11 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Head coach Dave Canales pulled the plug after just two outings here in 2024, where Young has totaled 245 passing yards and three picks.

Newton, on the other hand, experienced incredible success early on in his NFL career. Not only did he triple his team’s win total in his very first season, pushing the 2-14 Panthers to a respectable 6-10 in 2011, but he also put on a rookie campaign for the ages in doing so.

By Year No. 3, Newton pulled the organization to an NFC South title—the first of three consecutive division crowns. And by Year No. 5, he led Carolina to their second-ever Super Bowl appearance while becoming the franchise’s first-ever recipient of the Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards.

Unfortunately, it’s now extremely difficult to envision Young following a similar path to Newton’s—or anything even close to it. But maybe, just maybe, Bryce’s story still isn’t over in Carolina.

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Panthers Wire mailbag: What fans want to know ahead of Week 1

Panthers Wire contributor Jared Feinberg answers some of your questions as we head into Week 1 of the 2024 season.

The Carolina Panthers enter the opening week of the regular season with plenty of question marks yet to be answered. Fans are curious about how their team will perform heading into the year, and want to gauge what is to come.

With Week 1 just days away, let’s reach into our very first mailbag here at Panthers Wire and answer a few of your inquiries . . .

(Note: Some questions have been edited for length and clarity.)

Expectations for Jonathan Mingo

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Justin asks – What are you expecting from Jonathan Mingo in Year 2?

There was a lot of criticism about Mingo’s play as a rookie in 2023. The second-round pick’s spatial awareness and feel as a wideout were inconsistent at best—resulting in him being out of position, overrunning passes thrown his way and, overall, just offering a skill set that was plain raw.

It’s not Mingo’s fault that the bar may have been set too high. The former Ole Miss standout was a bit overdrafted, and struggled in a bad 2023 Panthers offense. Grace should be given to the 23-year-old.

Mingo turned in a terrific summer where he displayed strides as a route runner and an improved feel for the game. He all but established himself as the No. 2 outside receiver–the off-ball Z–and a potential top target for fellow draft classmate and Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.

This season should see Mingo come close to doubling his yardage total from last year, where he caught 43 passes for 413 yards and no touchdowns. He’ll be the team’s top run-after-catch playmaker outside of rookie Xavier Legette and should receive a decent number of targets.

Xavier Legette’s role in the current rotation

Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Chris asks – How do you think they work Leggette into the rotation? I assume he’ll start the season as WR4.

Chris, you are correct. Legette is currently listed as the team’s No. 4 receiver on the unofficial depth chart. While some fans have voiced concerns about Legette potentially not seeing ample playing time early in the season, the team’s first-round selection should hit the gridiron plenty.

Legette will likely be in when the team needs a big play downfield, or if they want to get him in space where he can split defenders and create yards after the catch. He would rotate in with Adam Thielen and Mingo, with snaps as the Z-receiver and in the slot to garner off-coverage looks. But, no, I don’t expect him to get eight to 10 targets per game—at least early on.

Look for Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik to get him schemed targets and allow him to function as a quality rotational piece before getting more snaps throughout the campaign.

How the new DBs could play a role in the secondary

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

Malte asks – Do you see any of the new DBs cracking the rotation besides Mike Jackson?

As Malte alluded to, the team traded for Mike Jackson and is expected to start him alongside Jaycee Horn. Then, last week, Carolina took advantage of the No. 1 priority on the NFL’s waiver wire and came away with three cornerbacks.

Those three players–Keenan Isaac, Tariq Castro-Fields and Shemar Bartholomew–are all players with size, length and athleticism. That has value. It’s possible we see these three on special teams and occasionally rotated in to give Horn and Jackson a breather.

However, it’s also possible that one of these three could be inactive depending on the matchup and how each player performs in practice. All three received quite favorable Pro Football Focus grades, which matched some of the tape displayed during the preseason with their former teams.

It’s important that Carolina added bigger corners that resembled their starters. By doing this, it gives them depth with the expectation that their level of play is elevated.

Biggest strength and weakness of the roster

Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

CoastalPanther asks – What areas of the roster do YOU feel are our strongest and weakest this season? For me, I feel for the first time in ages WR is bright and I feel DE and a strong No. 2 CB are areas of concern until we see how the new additions shake out. But, feel great with direction and seriousness.

Great question! I do agree with you that there is alignment, direction and deliberateness in the Panthers’ process currently.

President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan is making it known what he is looking for with the Seattle prototype of big, lengthy cornerbacks. I’m intrigued with the waiver wire additions. But until it shows on the field, it’s an unknown.

The biggest weakness on this roster is the No. 2 outside linebacker spot. The team claimed an undrafted free-agent edge rusher, Jamie Sheriff, to add depth to the room. However, head coach Dave Canales has yet to determine who will be starting opposite of Clowney for the season opener in New Orleans.

Carolina’s biggest strength is undoubtedly the safety room. While Canales has made an argument for his group of wideouts, it’s hard to ignore the talent and depth the team’s backend possesses.

Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller will be manning the deep thirds this season. And backup Nick Scott, who could start on several teams, gives the unit a seamless transition if one of the two were injured.

Additionally, second-year defensive back Jammie Robinson is the physical player in the group—providing physicality and power as a tackler while adding value on special teams.

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NFL waiver wire order following Tuesday’s roster cuts

The Panthers will get the first crack at Wednesday’s waiver claims.

Well, at least the Carolina Panthers are No. 1 in something.

Now that every team is down to their initial 53-man roster, there is a plethora of players just waiting to be pounced on. Those who have been waived by Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline can be claimed off waivers by 12 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Leading the pack with the first crack at every player from now through the third week of the regular season are the Carolina Panthers and general manager Dan Morgan, who has made his intentions of taking advantage atop the list quite clear this offseason.

“So I think the pretty cool thing about us right now, we don’t want this to be every year, but we’re first in the waiver wire transactions,” Morgan said back in May. “So anybody that gets cut, we’re gonna have first dibs to be able to claim them. I think we’ll be aggressive there. I think if the right opportunity presented itself, the right player presented themself—that we’d have the opportunity to claim ’em and get ’em on our roster.”

But what about the rest of the league?

Here is the full waiver wire order ahead of Wednesday’s claims:

  1. Carolina Panthers
  2. Washington Commanders
  3. New England Patriots
  4. Arizona Cardinals
  5. Los Angeles Chargers
  6. New York Giants
  7. Tennessee Titans
  8. Atlanta Falcons
  9. Chicago Bears
  10. New York Jets
  11. Minnesota Vikings
  12. Denver Broncos
  13. Las Vegas Raiders
  14. New Orleans Saints
  15. Indianapolis Colts
  16. Seattle Seahawks
  17. Jacksonville Jaguars
  18. Cincinnati Bengals
  19. Los Angeles Rams
  20. Pittsburgh Steelers
  21. Miami Dolphins
  22. Philadelphia Eagles
  23. Cleveland Browns
  24. Dallas Cowboys
  25. Green Bay Packers
  26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  27. Houston Texans
  28. Buffalo Bills
  29. Detroit Lions
  30. Baltimore Ravens
  31. San Francisco 49ers
  32. Kansas City Chiefs

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Panthers HC Dave Canales ‘excited’ to get to final roster cuts

Panthers HC Dave Canales is excited to tackle the challenge of cutting down to his very first initial 53-man roster.

There will obviously be a lot of firsts in 2024 for first-year head coach Dave Canales. And among those new experiences will be the process of getting to his first initial 53-man roster.

In less than a week’s time, the Carolina Panthers must be down from 90 players to 53—leaving 37 difficult decisions to make. Nonetheless, Canales is looking forward to the challenge.

“Yeah, it’s hard. And I’m excited for it,” he told reporters following Wednesday’s practice. “When you respect and regard the whole unit and you’re kinda bringing everybody up at the same time—with the teaching, with the practices, the drill work and all those things as we improve everyone—it makes the decisions harder and harder.

“So I’m really excited about doing this with Dan [Morgan], with Brandt [Tilis], with the coaching staff. We’ve kinda had our touch-points throughout camp to evaluate where we’re at right now, and then we’ll have that culmination after we get through this last game.”

That last game takes place on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET against the Buffalo Bills. Canales has yet to decide if his starters will take up some of that outing, perhaps leaving fewer opportunities for the players who are still trying to claim a roster spot.

Teams will have until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to get down to 53 players.

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Report: Panthers made offer to CB Stephon Gilmore before he decided to sign with Vikings

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Panthers made an offer to CB Stephon Gilmore before he reached an agreement with the Vikings.

A second homecoming for Rock Hill, S.C. native Stephon Gilmore was simply not to be.

The 33-year-old free-agent cornerback is a free-agent cornerback no longer, as he has reportedly decided to sign with the Minnesota Vikings. Gilmore’s newest pact, per ESPN senior NFL insider Adam Schefter, is a one-year agreement worth up to $10 million—including $7 million in guarantees.

And here’s the extra interesting part . . . the Carolina Panthers may have actually still been in on their old friend.

Minutes later on Sunday morning, Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler would then report that the Panthers—who are expecting to be without projected starting corner Dane Jackson for a handful of weeks—made an offer to the five-time Pro Bowl defender.

Gilmore, who played nine games for the Panthers in 2021, had been linked back to Carolina quite a few times this offseason. Not only did former University of South Carolina teammate Jadeveon Clowney hint at a recruitment attempt of his fellow Gamecock, but president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan had also spoken on the possibility of signing Gilmore this offseason.

He was last asked about Gilmore in late July.

“I think with all free agents, they’re on the street,” Morgan replied. “We contact all the free agents out on the street, kinda get their status, see where they’re at from a money perspective, just kinda see where they’re at. Are they interested in our organization? Are they interested in playing for us here?

“So we keep in contact with everybody. We’re gonna try to sign guys that fit what we do. And if they’re a fit out there and they’re a free agent on the street, then we’re gonna entertain all those guys.”

Well, he’s not on the street anymore.

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Panthers CB Dane Jackson reveals why he signed with Carolina

CB Dane Jackson revealed why he chose to sign with the Panthers this offseason.

Opportunity knocked this spring for Dane Jackson, who saw Carolina Panthers waiting on the other side of his door.

The fifth-year cornerback spoke with reporters following Monday’s outing of training camp. Jackson, who signed with the Panthers on a two-year deal worth up to $14.5 million this offseason, was asked if he had other suitors before making his decision.

“There was a few teams,” Jackson replied. “But, like I said, I let my agent handle that pretty much, and I don’t get too caught up in that. I just wanna play football. So whoever was the best opportunity, and it was here. So I’m just happy to be here.”

That opportunity could see Jackson as the defense’s No. 2 at the cornerback position. If so, it’ll be a step up in responsibility for the 27-year-old—who wasn’t a regular starter in his first four seasons with the Buffalo Bills.

Buffalo, though, is where Jackson crossed paths with Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan. And according to Jackson, Morgan had an impact on his move down south.

“Just the talks between my agent and Dan, whoever else he was talking to, just made me feel comfortable,” he said about the appeal of Carolina. “It made me feel like they wanted me and that’s what a player wants in this league. They wanna feel wanted, to make a place home and go out there and give it their all.”

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Panthers host record 39 team legends at Back Together Saturday

Some familiar faces were in attendance for the Panthers’ Back Together Saturday event.

The “Back Together” in Back Together Saturday meant a little bit more for the Carolina Panthers this summer.

In addition to the 90 or so active players the organization currently employs, 39 franchise legends were in attendance for this morning’s training camp practice at Bank of America Stadium. Per Vashti Hurt of Carolina Blitz, the 39 attendees are the most in the team’s history of the event.

Those former Panthers are as follows:

  • Mario Addison
  • Steve Beuerlein
  • Tre Boston
  • Corey “Philly” Brown
  • Brentson Buckner
  • Matt Campbell
  • Vinny Ciurciu
  • Stephen Davis
  • Thomas Davis
  • Jake Delhomme
  • Kevin Donnalley
  • Dwan Edwards
  • Nick Goings
  • Deveron Harper
  • Roman Harper
  • Richard Huntley
  • Charles Johnson
  • Luke Kuechly
  • Kris Mangum
  • Brett Maxie
  • Justin Medlock
  • Dan Morgan
  • Muhsin Muhammad
  • Captain Munnerlyn
  • Cleveland Pinkney
  • Ryne Robinson
  • Mike Rucker
  • Don Sasa
  • Kawann Short
  • Jonathan Stewart
  • Dwight Stone
  • Quinton Teal
  • Charles Tillman
  • Mike Tolbert
  • Al Wallace
  • Wesley Walls
  • Will Witherspoon
  • Donnell Woolford

Before getting back at Back Together Saturday, the legends met up with each other at the stadium on Friday. Addison, who played for the Panthers from 2012 to 2019, spoke about the importance of the reunion.

“We need this. We need to do this more,” Addison said, via Kassidy Hill of Panthers. “People tend to leave the league and do their own things. Life happens. You have a family, have kids, and tend to never look back. But being able to come back and see all these guys in this environment—it’s like a (family) reunion. A football reunion…we need to share the stories for the younger generation can hear how we did it and how we paved the way.”

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Panthers OLB Jadeveon Clowney: ‘I don’t plan on coming here and just losing’

Panthers OLB Jadeveon Clowney isn’t prepared to lose in 2024.

Despite what his general manager said at the lectern right before him, Carolina Panthers outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney doesn’t expect to lose in 2024.

The 11th-year veteran spoke with reporters this afternoon, shortly after Dan Morgan stated that he wasn’t going to place any expectations on a playoff run this upcoming season. Clowney seemed to disagree.

“I can just say this—I’ve been on six teams and I’ve never been a loser, really,” he replied. “And I never went nowhere and lost and I don’t plan on coming here and just losing. I’ve told them guys this is my sixth team and I know what it look like, I know what it take to win. So it’s coming together every day in practice. We all here for a reason, we’re all professionals. And we all got what it takes to win in this organization.”

This organization has had a rough go at trying to win, as they’ve missed the playoffs in each of the past six seasons. They hit rock bottom in 2023, piecing together an NFL-worst 2-15 record.

But the former No. 1 overall pick, three-time Pro Bowler and Rock Hill, S.C. native feels like his homecoming will be a triumphant one.

“I think that’s what it’s gonna come down to—everybody bonding and hearing it from guys that’s been from other teams telling them we got what it takes, and show up every day and come to work,” Clowney added. “Let the chips fall where they may, but like I said—I’ve seen what it looks like. We got the tools, we just gotta prepare like it.”

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Panthers GM Dan Morgan: ‘I’m not gonna put any expectations’ on 2024 season

Panthers GM Dan Morgan isn’t shying away from the fact that his team has plenty of work to do to become a contender.

This may come as an absolute shocker to some, but don’t be surprised if the Carolina Panthers aren’t ready for the playoffs in 2024.

Dan Morgan spoke with reporters this afternoon—a day ahead of his first training camp as the Panthers’ president of football operations and general manager. He was asked, even after a nightmare 2023, if his team is primed for postseason contention.

“I’m not gonna put any expectations on anything right now,” Morgan replied. “What I do know is that there’s a lot of work ahead of us—not only from a personnel standpoint, but the players. The players know that they gotta put the work in out there. We have a lot of new players that gotta gel together out there and become a team.”

“So in terms of playoffs, we’ll reach that when we’re ready. But I think right now—we focused on today, tomorrow and just trying to get better as a team and an organization.”

As long as we’re being realistic, there’s almost nowhere to go but up for Morgan and the Panthers. Carolina is coming off an NFL-worst 2-15 record this past season, where they also fielded what may have been the most lifeless offense in the franchise history.

But now, they’re looking to build their product the right way—even if that means it’ll take a bit of time.

“Like I said before, we have a plan,” he said. “We have a plan in place, we have a process. We’re aligned in that plan and we’re gonna stick to it. And I feel like if we’re disciplined and we stick to our plan on building this thing, that we will build a winner eventually. I think we’re pretty confident in that.”

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