Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
With Thursday’s addition of Josh Thomas, the Panthers are back up to a 90-man roster as they head out of mandatory minicamp.
On Thursday, the Carolina Panthers got themselves back to 90 men—as they claimed safety Josh Thomas off waivers from the Arizona Cardinals.
So, with mandatory minicamp in the books and a six-week break ahead, let’s take an updated glance at the roster:
The Panthers claimed S Josh Thomas off waivers on Thursday.
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The Carolina Panthers may have just begun their post-minicamp/pre-training camp break, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t have some work left over.
That work involved getting their roster up to a full 90-man program, as the team claimed safety Josh Thomas off waivers on Thursday. The Panthers entered the week at 89 players after parting ways with defensive tackle Jalen Dalton on Monday.
Thomas began his NFL journey as an undrafted free agent out of nearby Appalachian State University. Over five seasons in Boone, N.C., he totaled 163 tackles (7.5 for a loss), seven interceptions and a forced fumble in 45 games.
He signed with the Buffalo Bills following the 2020 NFL draft. Thomas would then spend the first two years of his pro career bouncing back and forth between the Bills’ practice squad and active roster, appearing in two games during his rookie campaign.
The six-foot, 205-pounder went on to spend the 2022 season with the Arizona Cardinals. He played in a pair of games and totaled four tackles.
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The Cardinals announced the release of offensive lineman Julien Davenport and safety Josh Thomas. Thomas appeared in two games last season.
The Arizona Cardinals announced a pair of roster moves before they took the field on Wednesday for their final practice of mandatory minicamp. They released offensive lineman Julien Davenport and safety Josh Thomas.
They did not announce any corresponding moves, so we can expect a pair of roster additions at some point.
Davenport was signed to the practice squad last November and then was re-signed to a futures deal after the season was over.
Thomas was signed to the practice squad last September and elevated to the active roster twice at the end of the year. He played 14 defensive snaps and 19 special teams snaps, collecting four total tackles.
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#Bills elevate Josh Thomas, Nick McCloud from practice squad ahead of facing the #Chiefs:
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The Buffalo Bills elevated two players up from their practice squad on Saturday ahead of facing the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional round on Sunday.
Those two were safety Josh Thomas and cornerback Nick McCloud.
Despite being called up from the taxi squad, there’s a chance both do not play against the Chiefs (12-5).
Just last week the Bills (11-6) elevated two players from their practice squad in the wild-card round. Both were inactive on game day.
Signs point to that potentially happening again considering Buffalo’s injury report this week was very light and the two have not appeared in any games for the Bills this season.
Only defensive end Mario Addison appeared on the injury report this week excluding veteran rest days.
Only McCloud played twice in the regular season. However, both appearances came while he was with the Cincinnati Bengals.
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Buffalo Bills 2020 roster analysis of safety position and 2021 look ahead including Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer.
The Buffalo Bills had an excellent 2020 season as a team, but position-by-position is a different story. Some were better than others and as the offseason is now in full swing, Bills Wire will give a quick analysis of the team’s current roster by reflecting on the season that was and looking ahead to 2021.
Next up, here is our breakdown on the team’s safety unit:
Roster moves announced by the Buffalo Bills on Saturday ahead of New England Patriots meeting including Levi Wallace.
The Buffalo Bills announced multiple roster moves on Saturday ahead of their Week 8 meeting against the New England Patriots.
While cornerback Josh Norman (hamstring) has already been ruled out, the Bills (5-2) will have the services of Levi Wallace (ankle) against the Patriots (2-4). The Bills’ No. 2 cornerback in Wallace spent three weeks on injured reserve and the team officially activated him on Saturday.
In a bit of a corresponding move, the Bills lose the services of another cornerback for at least a couple of games as well. Cam Lewis (wrist) was placed on Buffalo’s injured reserve list. Lewis did not play last week against the Jets, but had been practicing with a club on his injury. Lewis now has to spend at least three weeks on the team’s IR before he can return.
In addition to their roster moves regarding the IR, the Bills called up three players from their practice squad. One is another cornerback, Dane Jackson, the rookie seventh-round pick who was called up in Week 7 against the Jets and recorded an interception.
The other two callups indicate the Bills will most likely be without at keast two other impact-makers.
Defensive tackle Brandin Bryant was called up, which likely means at least one of two injured tackles, Quinton Jefferson (knee) and Vernon Butler (groin) will not play. Both are currently listed as questionable. If both can’t go, which seems likely, Harrison Phillips, who was scratched the past two games, will likely make his return to the lineup as well.
The final played brought up to the active roster from the practice squad was safety Josh Thomas, an undrafted rookie. Thomas likely signals that starter Micah Hyde (concussion) will not play in Week 8.
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Wisconsin faces Milwaukee in Madison on Saturday afternoon. Badger fans should be sure to know these three opposing players.
After suffering an ugly loss the last time it took the court, Wisconsin (5-5) will look to get back in the win column at home against Milwaukee (5-6) on Saturday afternoon.
The Badgers own a 26-2 record all-time against the Panthers, including a blowout 71-49 victory the last time these programs met in 2017.
Wisconsin has lost four of its last five leading into Saturday’s matchup, most recently falling to Rutgers in a 72-65 decision in Piscataway last Wednesday. Milwaukee hasn’t fared much better than Bucky as of late, as head coach Patrick Baldwin’s group has dropped four in a row and five of its last six. The Panthers were taken down by Eastern Illinois 75-68 at home last weekend in their most recent outing.
The Badgers are in desperate need of the confidence boost that a dominant showing against their in-state foe on Saturday would provide before hitting the road to Knoxville to take on No. 21 Tennessee next weekend. Considering the quality of their opponent and how well they have played in Madison this season, you have to like their odds.
However, Milwaukee has been pesky at times against Wisconsin and actually defeated it as recently as 2015. The Panthers are capable of doing so again this time around if their stars step up.
Here are the three players on the other side who Badger fans should keep a close eye on throughout Saturday afternoon’s contest.
Darius Roy – Guard
2019 stats: 16.0 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.0 spg, 39.4 FG%, 36.2 3P%
Baldwin has to be pleased with the return on investment that he has gotten from Roy since bringing him to Milwaukee from the JUCO ranks.
Roy began his college career at Mercer before transferring to Connors State College in Oklahoma after his freshman season. His one and only season there landed him on Division I radars after he was the maestro of an offense that averaged 90.3 points per game, putting up 12.8 points, 5.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals on his own in the process.
His decision to join the Panthers has turned out quite well for both parties, as Roy led the team in scoring in his first season in Milwaukee last year and his doing so again in 2019. His average of 16 points per game is the fifth-highest mark in the Horizon League, while he also ranks No. 7 in assists.
Roy has been a double-digit scorer in eight of Milwaukee’s 11 games, including 25 and 24-point efforts in his last two outings. The 6-2 senior has proven capable of lighting it up against top-notch competition, as those 25 points came in the Panthers’ loss at Kansas.
Te’Jon Lucas – Guard
2019 stats: 14.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.6 apg, 1.5 spg, 40.2 FG%,, 28.2 3P%
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Many Wisconsin fans may be familiar with Lucas, who was a prep star at Milwaukee Washington and was named the runner-up for the state’s Mr. Basketball award as a senior, an honor that was shared by current Badger Trevor Anderson and his teammate at Stevens Point, Sam Hauser.
The nation’s No. 138 overall recruit according to the 247Sports composite rankings, Lucas signed with Illinois over an offer list that also included schools such as USC, Memphis and Purdue. He played two seasons in Champaign, averaging 5.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and a team-high 3.2 assists per game as a sophomore before deciding to transfer back to his hometown to play for the Panthers.
Lucas has gotten off to a great start to his first season at Milwaukee as team’s tone-setter on both ends of the floor, leading the Panthers in assists and steals and ranking second in points and rebounds per game. The 6-2 junior’s assist and steal averages are the third and seventh-highest in the Horizon League, respectively.
It’s worth noting ahead of tomorrow’s matchup that Lucas has struggled against Wisconsin in the past, as he hasn’t scored in either of the two games he’s played for the Fighting Illini against the Badgers despite averaging 23.5 minutes per game in those contests.
Josh Thomas – Guard
2019 stats: 11.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 1.9 apg, 44.8 FG%, 20.0 3P%
As with Lucas, Thomas is enjoying a productive start to his career at Milwaukee.
The 6-4 junior from Chicago played his high school ball at powerhouse Simeon Career Academy, a school that has produced players such as Jabari Parker and Derrick Rose, before getting his first two years of collegiate competition under his belt at Wabash Valley College, a JUCO school in Illinois. Baldwin brought Thomas to Milwaukee after he averaged 15.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game and was a first-team all-region selection last year.
The 6-4 junior currently ranks third on the Panthers in scoring, rebounds and assists.
