Tag: Ja’Tyre Carter

Panthers assemble initial 16-man practice squad for 2024 season

The Panthers have officially assembled their initial 16-man practice squad for the 2024 season.

The Carolina Panthers have officially assembled their first 16-man practice squad for 2024.

Some faces you’ll recognize—such as quarterback Jack Plummer, running back Mike Boone, wide receiver Jalen Coker, linebacker Chandler Wooten and safety Alex Cook, who appeared in 10 games for the Panthers during the 2023 campaign.

And same faces you’ll have to get to know—such as offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter, linebackers Tarron Jackson and Thomas Inboom and cornerback Lonnie Johnson, who spent last season with the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints.

So, without further ado, here is Carolina’s initial practice squad on the year:

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Panthers 2024 initial practice squad tracker

Follow along as we track each of the Panthers’ additions to their initial 2024 practice squad

Yesterday wasn’t the only instance of heavy construction that we’ll see this week.

On Tuesday, NFL teams cut ties and made moves on over 1,000 players in shaping their initial 53-man rosters for the 2024 campaign. Some of those players will find their ways back on to other active rosters and even more will return to a locker room as practice-squad players.

As soon as the activity on Wednesday’s waiver wire is through, those who are not claimed can be signed to practice squads—often a 16-man group used as depth for practice sessions, scout work and emergency game situations.

Now, there’s little question as to if the Carolina Panthers and general manager Dan Morgan will be busy today. Morgan, on a few occasions, hasn’t been shy to flex the advantage of having the league’s very top spot on the waiver wire.

But when that work is through, we’ll need to shift our focus right to the taxi squad.

So, keep it here as we track each of the team’s additions to their initial practice squad for 2024 . . .

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What the Bears’ offensive line is expected to look like vs. Raiders

With Nate Davis sidelined and Cody Whitehair’s snapping struggles, what can we expect the Bears offensive line to look like vs. Raiders?

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Chicago Bears are going to have yet another starting offensive line combination — and we’re only in Week 7.

With right guard Nate Davis sidelined with an ankle injury and center Cody Whitehair’s struggles with snaps, there was bound to be some change ahead of Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders

So what can we expect the starting offensive line to look like Sunday?

According to The Athletic‘s Adam Jahns, Whitehair will in fact be in the lineup, and there’s plenty of shuffling along the interior. The tackle situation remains the same with Larry Borom at left tackle (in place of an injured Braxton Jones) and Darnell Wright at right tackle.

But the interior is where things get interesting: Lucas Patrick will be at center with Whitehair at left guard and Teven Jenkins moving to right guard as a result.

At this point, it’s become clear that Whitehair could be on his way out after this season. He’s struggled — both at left guard and center — and general manager Ryan Poles needs to shore up multiple positions along the offensive line this offseason.

But, for whatever reason, head coach Matt Eberflus is electing not to stick with benching Whitehair — which is exactly what he did last Sunday after his snapping issues. You’d think Chicago would like to get a look at second-year pro Ja’Tyre Carter, who’s shown promise at right guard, and not force Jenkins to move from his left guard spot just to make room for Whitehair.

This lineup could certainly change ahead of Sunday’s kickoff against the Raiders. But, at least right now, it doesn’t seem ideal.

Bears RG Nate Davis doubtful vs. Bucs for personal reasons

The Bears will be without another starting offensive lineman as Nate Davis (personal) won’t travel with the team as they face the Bucs.

The Chicago Bears will be without a starting offensive lineman when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.

Bears right guard Nate Davis won’t travel with the team to Tampa Bay for Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers. He’s been listed as doubtful.

According to Brad Biggs and Courtney Cronin, Davis is dealing with a death in the family that happened Saturday morning. It was also the reason why Davis missed time this offseason.

As a result, Chicago has flexed offensive lineman Aviante Collins to the active roster from the practice squad. Cornerback Josh Blackwell (hamstring), previously listed as doubtful, has been downgraded to out.

With Davis not expected to suit up, the Bears will most likely turn to Ja’Tyre Carter at right guard. When Davis was sidelined for most of the summer, it was Carter who saw reps with the first-team offense. Plus, Carter is listed as the primary backup at both guard positions.

Davis appeared in three games as a rookie last season, all in a reserve role.

Dan Feeney, who the Bears acquired in a trade with the Dolphins this summer, could also factor into things. Feeney has versatility along the interior, having played all three positions.

Chicago is now without both starting guards — Davis and left guard Teven Jenkins, who landed on injured reserve with an unspecified leg injury.

Meanwhile, the Bears will be without defensive coordinator Alan Williams, who also won’t travel with the team to Tampa due to persona reasons.

Chicago Bears stock exchange: Who’s up, who’s down after preseason Week 2?

With just a week to go before roster cutdowns, here are the Bears players whose stock is rising and falling.

Chicago Bears training camp 2023 has come and gone, and there’s only one more week to go in the preseason. In other words, meaningful football isn’t far away. The Bears have one more week to determine who deserves a spot on the initial 53-man roster, but after two preseason games, many players have already made their case.

Some have surprised with impressive performances, while others are falling behind. It doesn’t matter if they’re a projected starter or a reserve; everyone is looking to put their best foot forward to begin the season on a positive note. Going into the final preseason game against the Buffalo Bills this Saturday, here are the players whose stock is rising and falling in the debut of the Chicago Bears stock exchange.

Report: Bears G Teven Jenkins could miss multiple weeks with leg injury

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Teven Jenkins could be out up to 6 weeks.

The offensive line for the Chicago Bears may have just taken a big hit as they prepare for the start of the regular season. On Sunday evening, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported Bears guard Teven Jenkins is dealing with a leg injury that could cause him to miss multiple weeks. Biggs reports the injury may keep Jenkins out up to six weeks, leading the third-year offensive lineman to miss time through September.

The Bears have been mum on most of their injuries up to this point with head coach Matt Eberflus saying they’re minor. Jenkins would be the first starter to have an issue that crept into the regular season. But the timing is interesting to say the least.

Jenkins started last week’s preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans and departed with no issues along with the rest of the offensive starters. He participated in joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts this past week and even spoke with the media on Thursday. In fact, Jenkins commented on his durability and how he believed he was feeling positive about his body going into the season.

“It hopefully shows signs of my wanted durability of myself for the rest of the season,” Jenkins said on Thursday via Adam Hoge of CHGO. “So as long as I’m staying out here right now through training camp, hopefully it shows positive signs for the rest of the year.”

Jenkins did not play in Saturday’s 24-17 preseason loss to the Colts, but neither did any of the offensive starters. The only training camp practices missed by Jenkins occurred when he left the field on August 2nd with a trainer and missed one full day. He was back by August 5th.

If Jenkins in fact misses time, the Bears would likely start either Ja’Tyre Carter or Alex Leatherwood at this point. They could also opt to bring in a veteran guard like Dalton Risner or see who becomes available on the waiver wire when rosters are trimmed in a couple weeks. Regardless, they will need to hone in on a backup plan. The Bears could opt to place Jenkins on injured reserve when rosters are finalized, but he would need to be out for a minimum of four games. Otherwise, he would take up a roster spot until he was healthy.

The injury bug isn’t new for Jenkins, unfortunately. After former general manager Ryan Pace traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select him in the second round as the team’s future left tackle, Jenkins missed 11 games his rookie year with a back injury. In 2022 after moving to right guard, he was in and out of the lineup with various ailments, but missed time late in the season after he suffered a scary neck injury. He’s played in 19 of a possible 34 games to start his career.

The Bears are counting on Jenkins as an anchor on the interior offensive line for the upcoming season. He moved to left guard this offseason following the signing of Nate Davis and has proved to be a solid option when healthy. Now with yet another injury, one has to wonder if he’s in the team’s long-term plans.

Here’s how impressive the Bears offensive line was against the Titans

The Bears played a great game against the Titans on Saturday, and the offensive line was graded as one of the best by PFF.

The Chicago Bears generally played well on Saturday against the Tennessee Titans, with many of the stars putting their best foot forward in their first live-action game of 2023.

Bears such as quarterback Justin Fields, receiver DJ Moore, running back Khalil Herbert and cornerback Kyler Gordon all impressed in their limited snaps. But the real treat was the strong showing of the positions many considered to be weaknesses, providing an extremely pleasant surprise for the fans.

The designated weak points of the team are considered both the offensive and defensive lines, extremely important positions that can prohibit the Bears from making a big leap in play this year. The guys in those spots, however, proved that they weren’t going to be written off so easily on Saturday.

The defensive line was the star of the show, as players like rookie defensive tackle Zacch Pickens and defensive ends Trevis Gipson and Terrell Lewis became a force that the Titans couldn’t contain. Conversely, the Bears’ offensive line was able to hold their own for most of the game, being a big reason why Moore and Herbert were able to score long catch-and-run touchdowns.

Evaluating the offensive line can be a tough task, considering they aren’t the focal point of any play and they don’t have a category of stats that you can look up following a game.

Pro Football Focus recognized the Bears as having the highest pass blocking grade in the first week of preseason (87.1). They also had the second-highest run blocking grade (88.3).

The Bears’ O-line as a whole allowed only three QB pressures, the second fewest of all NFL teams in preseason Week 1, trailing only the Las Vegas Raiders. Offensive linemen Alex Leatherwood (86.4), Ja’Tyre Carter (85.7), Larry Borom (83.5), and Doug Kramer (82.5) led the way for Chicago.

As for those three QB pressures, Borom allowed one while Aviante Collins allowed two pressures.

It’s encouraging that what was widely considered the most suspect aspect of the team had such a strong showing. The play of the offensive line should only get better too, as starting right guard Nate Davis returned to practice Monday.

Things are starting to come together for the Bears.

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Every standout player from Bears’ preseason win vs. Titans

Several Bears came to play in the team’s first preseason game, and we’re examining those standout performances.

The first week of the Chicago Bears’ preseason is officially in the books, and the Bears’ game against the Titans was a fun one.

Quarterback Justin Fields threw two touchdowns on only three passes thanks to the heroic efforts of wide receiver DJ Moore and running back Khalil Herbert. A perceived weakness suddenly became a strength as the defense racked up eight sacks, and Chicago came away with the win.

Players on every level of the depth chart came to play, and we’re going to go through every standout players from the Bears’ preseason win against the Titans.

Bears notebook: What we learned from Day 12 of training camp

The Bears had a long and physical practice on Wednesday. Our Brendan Sugrue was in attendance and shared his observations from Halas Hall.

The Chicago Bears preseason opener will be here before we know it and Wednesday’s practice served as a true tune-up for the game. The pads were back on and the Bears held their second-to-last public camp practice up at Halas Hall and it was a long one.

For just over two hours and 15 minutes, the Bears engaged in a physical practice packed with plenty of 11-on-11 drills. There was some good, some bad, and some concerning as the Bears lost a couple of key players to injuries.

For the second consecutive day, I was able to take in practice from the stands and here is what I observed and learned throughout the session.

Bears 2023 training camp preview: Offensive line

Our next Bears position preview is the offensive line, a group that will look very different than it did in 2022.

Chicago Bears training camp is less than a month away, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We’re unveiling our Bears 2023 training camp position previews, where we’re breaking down every player by position and examining the biggest question facing the group.

Rounding out the offensive side of the ball is the offensive line, a group that only has one projected starter playing the same position they played in 2022. Braxton Jones is back at left tackle but the rest of the line has done more shuffling than the 1985 Bears.

Teven Jenkins and Cody Whitehair were both prominent starters in 2022 who are now playing new positions, while newcomers Nate Davis and Darnell Wright were added to anchor the right side of the line. Meanwhile, players like Lucas Patrick and Larry Borom are now backups after entering last year’s camp as starters.

Here’s a closer look at the Bears’ offensive line heading into training camp.