Tag: Natrell Jamerson

Panthers activate 3 as COVID-19 replacements ahead of Falcons game

The Carolina Panthers have activated three players designated as COVID-19 replacements ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons:

The Carolina Panthers have activated three players designated as COVID-19 replacements ahead of tonight’s matchup with the Atlanta Falcons: guard Mike Horton, defensive back Natrell Jamerson and wide receiver Marken Michel.

Horton is an undrafted rookie who played his college ball with Derrick Brown at Auburn. He was promoted last week in a similar fashion but wound up as an inactive against the New Orleans Saints.

Jamerson is one of a handful of surprise holdovers from the Ron Rivera era. He played five games for Carolina last year, with the vast majority of his playing time coming on special teams.

Michel is one of several former Eagles players on the roster. He hasn’t seen any action in a live NFL game as of yet.

All three were among the practice squad players who the Panthers protected from being signed by other teams this week. We’ll find out if they’re in the lineup when inactives come out in about three hours.

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Eagles sign WR/TE Hakeem Butler off Panthers practice squad

Philadelphia is listing the 6-foot-5, 227 pound Butler as a tight end instead of a wide receiver.

With tight end Dallas Goedert going down on Sunday with a small ankle fracture, the Philadelphia Eagles were in need of another red zone weapon.

Today, the team filled that need by signing Hakeem Butler off the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad. Philadelphia is listing the 6-foot-5, 227 pound Butler as a tight end instead of a wide receiver.

Carolina could still use one of those weapons of their own.

They never really tried to replace Greg Olsen after they released him and their most promising candidate, 6-foot-2 rookie wide receiver Omar Bayless is on injured reserve for the year. After three games, they rank No. 30 in red zone touchdown efficiency.

In related news, the team has reactivated defensive back Natrell Jamerson to the practice squad. He had previously been on the COVID-19/reserve list.

There’s still one open spot on the practice squad following the release of kicker Kai Forbath last week.

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3rdAndRun Podcast: Nolan Rucci signing, Ryan Connelly was cut and new NFL practice squad rules

The 3rdAndRun Podcast is back for its fourth episode with topics including what Nolan Rucci’s commitment means for the future of the…

The 3rdAndRun Podcast is back for its fourth episode with topics including what Nolan Rucci’s commitment means for the future of the program, why the New York Giants made a massive mistake cutting LB Ryan Connelly and, finally, what new NFL practice squad rules mean for former Badgers in the NFL.

3rd-and-Run is a brand new Wisconsin and Big Ten football podcast hosted by myself, BadgersWire staff writer Ben Kenney.

The podcast will come out once a week until the Badgers take the field and will include interviews with media members across the Big Ten, incoming recruits and much more.

Listen, subscribe, rate, share and have a take as we all try to unpack what is going on in college football and what the future holds for the sport.

Two former Badgers are on the NFL Week 1 ‘practice squad protected list’

This year in the NFL–like every other sport–has been and will be unlike any other. Some of the changes we’ve already seen include…

This year in the NFL–like every other sport–has been and will be unlike any other. Some of the changes we’ve already seen include zero preseason games, a virtual NFL Draft and, if you watched HBO’s Hard Knocks, a completely different training camp structure.

One of the new alterations that will become significant as the season progresses are the new practice squad rules–the size increasing from 12 to 16 players, 1-2 players on the squad allowed to be elevated to the active roster for games, teams getting two “free” practice squad active moves per player before he hits waivers and, finally, teams being allowed to designate four players per week who can’t be signed by other teams.

For the six former Badgers who found themselves on a practice squad after cut day last week these new rules are huge news, and could be the reason they find themselves on an NFL field this season.

Well, with opening night of the NFL tomorrow and a full slate of Week 1 games this weekend two Wisconsin products are already benefitting from 2020’s unique structured as they were designated by their teams as players who cannot be signed by another NFL team.

Those two players are Panthers defensive back Natrell Jamerson and Chargers offensive lineman Ryan Groy.

What does this mean?

At least in the short term it keeps the two on their current practice squads. But in the long term it shows that the organization still values them and may have future plans to bring them up to the active roster were somebody ahead of them on the depth chart to get injured or test positive for COVID-19.

In any other year we may have seen the likes of Jamerson, Groy, D’Cota Dixon, Chris Orr, Beau Benzschawel and Dare Ogunbowale–the six Wisconsin products currently on NFL practice squads–without a job going into the season.

With the new rules this year, the NFL dream has stayed alive for all six of them.

Making an active roster was obviously the goal for all six players, but at least now there is security on the practice squad and a more-than-possible path to the active roster as the season progresses.

Two former Badgers waived by the Carolina Panthers

Normally right now the nation would be watching preseason NFL games and following how roster long-shots perform in their on-field…

Normally right now the nation would be watching preseason NFL games and following how roster long-shots perform in their on-field opportunities, trying to project whether the players will the 53-man roster.

Now, without preseason games, the cuts still need to happen–this time, though, only based on what coaches saw during OTAs and training camp.

After two former Badgers–Dare Ogunbowale and Nick Nelson–were recently released by their NFL teams two more have joined the list: now-former Carolina Panthers Natrell Jamerson and Chris Orr.

Jamerson’s NFL path since the Saints took him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft has been a windy one, bouncing from the Saints, to the Texans, to the Packers and then to the Panthers in a span of only two seasons.

His best season of production was the 2018 season during which he played in a combined 12 games for two different teams and recorded 10 tackles and one pass defended.

Orr, on the other hand, was recently signed by the Panthers after the 2020 NFL Draft after absolutely dominating during his senior season in Madison.

The path towards making a roster as a late-round pick or undrafted free agent is undoubtably more challenging this year without the opportunity of preseason games and an overall shortened offseason.

The two players will now be placed on waivers and other teams will get a shot to land them before they become free agents. The most likely result of the process for both Jamerson and Orr is a spot on the Panthers’ practice squad where they’ll await another shot at the 53-man roster.