The Broncos worked out two linebackers, two defensive backs and two offensive linemen. Here’s a quick review of the six players.
Linebacker Michael Barrett (6-0, 239 pounds) was picked by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of this year’s NFL draft out of Michigan. He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks this summer and then cut by Seattle. Barrett then had a brief stint on the practice squad of the Cleveland Browns.
Linebacker K.J. Cloyd (6-2, 228 pounds) went undrafted out of Miami this spring. He had brief stints with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants.
Offensive lineman Matt Farniok (6-5, 316 pounds) was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL draft out of Nebraska. The guard/center dressed for 19 games for the Cowboys in two seasons, appearing in two games in 2022. He spent time on the practice squads of the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions in 2023.
Offensive lineman Brady Latham (6-5, 304 pounds) signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Arkansas this spring. He suffered a freak injury during the offseason when a hunting knife fell out of its sheath and wounded his calf. The guard-turned-center did not make New York’s roster.
Defensive back Keenan Isaac (6-2, 190 pounds) signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama State in 2023. The cornerback dressed for two games as a rookie and then had a brief stint with the Panthers before returning to the Bucs. Isaac dressed for five games this fall before being waived earlier this week.
Defensive back Jaylen Key (6-2, 210 pounds) was picked by the Jets in the seventh round of this year’s NFL draft out of Alabama. The safety started his rookie season on New York’s practice squad before being released in October.
Broncos tryout players
LB Michael Barrett
LB K.J. Cloyd
DB Keenan Isaac
DB Jaylen Key
OL Matt Farniok
OL Brady Latham
Denver’s 53-man roster and 17-player practice squad are both full. The Broncos might be looking at candidates for future contract signings after the 2024 season.
The Panthers made a handful of moves just ahead of their regular-season opener in New Orleans.
The Carolina Panthers made a handful of last-minute adjustments before this weekend’s regular-season opener.
As announced on Saturday, the team placed tight end Ian Thomas on injured reserve—helping prompt one of two new additions to the active roster. Taking Thomas’ spot will be fellow tight end Feleipe Franks, who entered September as a member of Carolina’s practice squad.
Franks, a quarterback during his collegiate career at the University of Florida, cracked into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. He began his transition to the tight end position in the summer of 2022.
The Panthers first inked Franks on July 26, 2024, waived him a month later during their initial roster cutdown and then re-signed him to the practice squad. He’ll help provide some depth at tight end with the absences of Thomas and starter Tommy Tremble, who has been ruled out of Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints with a hamstring injury.
Joining Franks on the active roster is defensive lineman Jayden Peevy, another member of the team’s practice squad.
Carolina also promoted running back Mike Boone and safety Lonnie Johnson for the contest.
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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
There’s a new No. 0 in town for the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina Panthers tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders has his own number.
On Monday, the team announced new uniform numbers for six players ahead of the 2024 regular season. The rookie pass catcher headlined the switches, as he’ll be going from No. 85 to No. 0.
Sanders, Carolina’s fourth-round pick from this year’s draft, wore No. 0 during his final two seasons for the University of Texas Longhorns. And that number saw some numbers—as he reeled in 99 receptions for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a pair of First-team All-Big 12 selections in 2022 and 2023.
Shortly after being selected by the Panthers, Sanders told reporters that he was planning on claiming his digit—but also admitted that he had to earn it first.
“That’s the plan,” he said with a smile. “If I’m lucky enough to get 0, then I’m definitely taking it for sure.”
The 21-year-old will be the second player in franchise history to don No. 0—which was first worn by Brian Burns in 2023.
All six uniform number adjustments are as follows:
The Carolina Panthers and general manager Dan Morgan put their top spot on the waiver wire to good use on Wednesday, claiming a total of six players following the league’s initial roster cutdowns.
Here’s a fresh look at Carolina’s roster following the additions:
Panthers HC Dave Canales spoke a bit on the waves of roster moves between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Last week, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales stated that he was looking forward to the challenge of constructing his first initial 53-man roster. So, how is he feeling now that it’s over with?
He was asked that on Wednesday, following his team’s second practice of the week.
“I just really feel like we owe it to this team to look,” Canales said of the roster changes. “We looked across all the league and kinda compared it to the roster we had. And we’ve been talking about challenging our roster from the beginning. Really started off with the secondary room. And so, that was a place we really wanted to see if we can start trying to get a look at a lot of guys.”
After getting down to their first 53 on Tuesday, the Panthers turned around and claimed six new players off waivers earlier this afternoon. That secondary room is set to welcome in three of those hopeful additions—cornerbacks Keenan Isaac, Shemar Bartholomew and Tariq Castro-Fields.
But those additions resulted in some subtractions. Over the past few days, the Panthers have been forced to part ways with many of their guys—including a few summer standouts at the corner spot.
“The guys that were here—D’Shawn [Jamison], Dicaprio [Bootle], Lamar Jackson—all those guys. They did a fantastic job showing who they are,” Canales added. “We know who they are, we know what they look like. It’s gonna be a long season, but we wanted to make sure we got eyes on a lot of people to see who can help us this year.”
The Panthers officially announced their claims for six players on Wednesday.
Yes, guys. It’s official. It’s confirmed. The deals are sealed.
Following yesterday’s cutdowns to this season’s initial 53-man rosters, the Carolina Panthers announced waiver claims for six players on Wednesday afternoon. The group features former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Keenan Isaac, former New York Jets cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, former Washington Commanders cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields, former Seattle Seahawks linebackers Jamie Sheriff and Jon Rhattigan and former San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston.
Carolina’s fresh trio of cornerbacks is headlined by Isaac, who had a standout preseason for the divisional rival Bucs. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound defensive back earned a 90.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus over his three exhibition outings on the summer.
To make room for the claims, the Panthers also announced the departures of six players from their initial 53-man roster—wide receivers Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Jalen Coker, offensive lineman Cade Mays, defensive lineman Jayden Peevy, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison and safety Demani Richardson.
It looks like the Panthers are putting that No. 1 spot on the waiver wire order to good use.
Well, Carolina Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan really wasn’t kidding about being aggressive with the top spot on the waiver wire.
The wire opened up to a flurry of activity this afternoon, as players waived during Tuesday’s initial roster cutdowns were officially up for grabs. And the Panthers, who will be in the No. 1 spot of the order through the third week of the regular season, certainly took advantage of their positioning.
According to numerous reports, Carolina staked claim to five defenders on Wednesday—including a trio of cornerbacks. Those players are as follows:
Isaac, who had a standout preseason for the NFC South rival Bucs, may be the most intriguing and familiar name of the bunch. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound corner earned a 90.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus over his three exhibition outings for Tampa Bay.
The Bucs are shoring up their depth as injuries have begun to plague them.
The team announced on Thursday that cornerback Keenan Isaac has been elevated to the active roster. On top of that, the team re-signed tight end David Wells to the practice squad after cutting him the previous day.
Isaac’s promotion comes with grim tidings. Starting cornerback Jamel Dean recently suffered a bad ankle injury against the San Francisco 49ers, and while the team appears to have avoided something major, he’ll likely miss some time. Cornerback Carlton Davis is dealing with a hip injury, too, but he’ll likely play through it on Sunday.
Isaac hasn’t appeared in game for the Bucs this season. The team also has players like Derek Pitts Jr. to rely on, too, but the move gives the Bucs a few more options with its cornerback depth.
The team has used J.J. Russell’s three practice squad elevations and must sign him to the 53-man roster if it wants to play him again.
In light of injuries, the Bucs are elevating linebacker J.J. Russell and corner Keenan Isaac from the practice squad for Sunday's matchup against the Saints. #GoBucs
As injuries continue to plague the defense, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made more practice squad elevations ahead of their Week 4 game against the New Orleans Saints.
The team announced Saturday that it intends to elevate linebacker J.J. Russell and cornerback Keenan Isaac to the 53-man roster for Sunday’s game. Russell has been elevated for the last three weeks, while Isaac will have his chance to make his NFL debut.
Russell is once again elevated in lieu of LB SirVocea Dennis, who has been sidelined due to a hamstring injury for some time now. Russell has been elevated three times, the max allowed for a practice squad player — if the Bucs want to play him again for the rest of the year, they will have to officially sign him to the 53-man roster.
Isaac, meanwhile, is likely covering for special teamer Derrek Pitts, who is out Sunday with a hamstring injury. Isaac has yet to be elevated and has a chance to see his first NFL action against New Orleans.
The Bucs play the Saints at 1 p.m. EST in New Orleans.
