Tag: Omar Bayless

Panthers 2021 practice squad tracker

Keep your tabs on who the Carolina Panthers are keeping their tabs on for the start of the 2021 practice squad.

The Carolina Panthers have made their final adjustments, at least as far as the Tuesday deadline was concerned, to their initial 53-man roster. Now, let’s see which of their cuts end up sticking on to start the regular season.

Keep it here to see which Panthers are still Panthers, and landed themselves a spot on the team’s practice squad to kick off 2021.

  • RB Spencer Brown
  • WR C.J. Saunders
  • OT Aaron Monteiro
  • DL Frank Herron
  • TE Stephen Sullivan
  • RB Rodney Smith
  • WR Omar Bayless
  • CB Jalen Julius
  • WR Keith Kirkwood
  • QB James Morgan

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Panthers cut QB Will Grier

The Will Grier experiment (if you could’ve called it that) is now over for the Carolina Panthers.

Two years ago, former Carolina Panthers general manager Marty Hurney had the fortitude to rank Will Grier higher up on his draft board than he did Kyler Murray. Today, new general manager Scott Fitterer had the fortitude to squash that mistake.

2019 third-round selection Will Grier was amongst the team’s early cuts on Tuesday morning. So not only has the 26-year-old quarterback lost out in the battle for the backup spot to starter Sam Darnold, but he’s now lost out on his spot completely.

Grier struggled to see the field since he was drafted, then struggled when he did, totaling just 228 yards, zero touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 28 of his 52 attempts (53.8 percent) over his only two appearances. Although he wasn’t as offensive this preseason, he obviously did not do enough to inspire the staff to keep him onboard into his third year.

Joining Grier in the early cuts are outside linebacker Christian Miller (the pick after Grier in 2019), linebacker Josh Bynes, wide receivers Omar Bayless, C.J. Saunders and Keith Kirkwood, tight end Stephen Sullivan, offensive linemen Sam Tecklenburg, Mike Horton and Aaron Monteiro, running back Spencer Brown, cornerback Jalen Julius and defensive lineman Frank Herron.

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Carolina Panthers 53-man roster projection: Training camp edition

Some players are showing out for the Carolina Panthers in training camp, making the team’s decision on their final 53-man roster increasingly tough.

The Carolina Panthers have released their first unofficial depth chart of the 2021 season. And you know what that means . . . Yes! More speculation!

So, off the heels of our previous 53-man projection back at OTAs, here is our latest forecast in the midst of the team’s training camp activities.

Panthers Highlights: Sam Darnold hooks up with Omar Bayless on long ball

Watch Darnold hook up with wide receiver Omar Bayless on a long ball with rookie corner Jaycee Horn in coverage.

There’s something to be said for managing the game and taking what the defense gives you. It’s tough to compete in the NFL without a quality deep ball, though. The Panthers should be getting an upgrade in this department with Sam Darnold compared to Teddy Bridgewater.

Watch Darnold hook up with wide receiver Omar Bayless on a long ball with rookie corner Jaycee Horn in coverage.

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Panthers 2021 training camp: 5 under-the-radar players to watch on offense

Here are five under-the-radar players to watch on offense during 2021 training camp.

The Carolina Panthers begin their 2021 training camp schedule on July 28. Once it begins, we will be hearing a lot about big names like Christian McCaffrey, Sam Darnold and Brian Burns along the way. A lot of guys will wind up flying under the radar, though.

Let’s take a look at five players on offense who will be worth following as training camp unfolds this year.

Former Cardinals wide receiver Hakeem Butler visited Panthers

The Panthers hosted former Cardinals wide receiver Hakeem Butler for a visit on Wednesday, according to the league’s transactions report.

The Panthers hosted former Cardinals wide receiver Hakeem Butler for a visit on Wednesday, according to the league’s transactions report.

Butler was a fourth-round pick by Arizona in the 2019 NFL draft coming out of Iowa State. He spent his rookie year on injured reserve and the Cards cut him just before the 2020 season began.

While he’s on his way to earning a bust label, Butler has tantalizing athleticism (36-inch vertical) and size (6-foot-5 and 227 pounds), which helps explain the interest. Carolina never really replaced tight end Greg Olsen after he was released and their biggest receiver – the undrafted rookie Omar Bayless – was placed on injured reserve after undergoing knee surgery.

This organization should know as well as any that size doesn’t necessarily make a capable receiver, though. Kelvin Benjamin had a similar frame and he’s currently a free agent after flaming out.

There’s one report that the team is expected to sign Butler to their practice squad but there’s no official word from the Panthers as of yet.

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Panthers rookie WR’s tweet could indicate he’s being cut

Tweet by Panthers undrafted rookie wide receiver Omar Bayless could indicate he’s being cut.

The Panthers have to cut their roster down from 80 to 53 players by tomorrow at 4:00 eastern time. Coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Thursday that some cuts may be coming today, though. While there’s nothing official, this tweet by undrafted rookie wide receiver Omar Bayless could be an indication that he’s going to be one of them.

Bayless doesn’t spell anything out here, but this is a pretty typical inspirational kind of tweet players usually share when they either get cut or suffer a serious injury.

While he had a strong start to training camp, Bayless has been out for a few weeks due to swelling in his knee which required surgery. Carolina placed him on injured reserve August 26. His recovery time is supposed to be only a couple of weeks. However, every rep was critical this offseason due to having no preseason games and Bayless’ absence at practice could definitely cost him a roster spot.

Originally we were projecting Bayless would take the team’s seventh and last wide receiver spot. Now, it’s looking more like they will only carry six.

There’s always a chance the Panthers will bring Bayless back, though. His size and catch radius make him a unique receiving option. Greg Olsen used to be the team’s best red zone target. Now that he’s in Seattle, Carolina needs somebody to fill that void.

Ian Thomas hasn’t proven he can be a reliable receiver yet and the other wideouts on the roster are all relatively small compared to Bayless. The fact that Teddy Bridgewater has been talking up Chris Manhertz as a potential red zone target says a lot about his total lack of options.

Even if there’s no room for him on the 53, Bayless would be an excellent candidate for the practice squad.

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Teddy Bridgewater believes Chris Manhertz can be a red zone weapon

Bridgewater said he believes he can be an effective red zone target.

Teddy Bridgewater will have plenty of weapons at his disposal as he attempts to become the Panthers’ new franchise quarterback when this season begins. He’s got the most talented running back in the NFL, a deep and capable wide receiver group and a dynamic, young offensive coordinator calling the plays.

One thing Bridgewater doesn’t have a lot of though is the traditional red zone weapon type of receiver. Big-bodied wideouts haven’t done too well in Carolina in recent years, but there’s nothing wrong with being tall and having a wide catch radius. The current playmakers at the position are fast. None of them are particularly large though, especially now that undrafted rookie Omar Bayless is out following knee surgery.

Tight end would normally be where you’d go to find that answer. This year, there are only questions. Ian Thomas has potential. However, his catch rate is worrisome enough that there’s no guarantee he will have a significant role in this offense. The team’s No. 2 tight end Chris Manherz is an elite blocker. However, he’s never been much of a pass-catcher.

Teddy is trying to help fix that. Bridgewater stayed late again after Wednesday night’s practice at Bank of America Stadium. He was the last player off the field again. Manhertz was the second to last and Bridgewater was spotted coaching him up on his route running.

When he was asked about Manhertz at today’s press conference, Bridgewater said he believes he can be an effective red zone target.

Manhertz has scored one touchdown each of the last three seasons, including on a trick play pass from Christian McCaffrey. Time will tell if Bridgewater and Brady can turn him into more than just a full-time blocker and occasional gadget play option.

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Panthers sign 2 wide receivers, put Omar Bayless on IR, waive CB Derrek Thomas

The Carolina Panthers have announced several roster moves designed to improve their depth at wide receiver after a slew of injuries.

The Carolina Panthers have announced several roster moves designed to improve their depth at wide receiver after a slew of injuries.

First, the team has made the signing of former XFL receiver Cam Phillips (six-foot, 174 pounds) official. He played with backup quarterback P.J. Walker on the Houston Roughnecks and was the league’s most productive wideout. Carolina also signed wide receiver Darrell Stewart Jr. (six-foot, 212 pounds). He played his college football at Michigan State, where he posted four touchdowns and 697 yards on 49 catches last season.

To make room for the two new receivers, the team placed undrafted rookie Omar Bayless on injured reserve. According to the Charlotte Observer, he underwent successful surgery on his knee yesterday. The recovery time is only expected to be a couple of weeks, so we might see him again in 2020.

Cornerback Derrek Thomas was also waived/injured. He left practice early on Tuesday but it’s not clear exactly what happened.

More moves could be coming soon. The team recently tried out two rookie defensive backs plus former Falcons defensive end Austin Larkin.

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Panthers injury updates: Another wide receiver out at practice

Another one.

Another one.

The Carolina Panthers came into 2020 training camp with one of the deepest, most talented wide receiver groups in the NFL. While that’s still true, the unit has been bitten hard by the injury bug. Today, another receiver did not participate in practice.

This time it’s former Saints wideout/returner Tommylee Lewis, who signed with the Panthers nine days ago. According to the Charlotte Observer, Lewis is wearing a red jersey today. Meanwhile, Omar Bayless (knee), Keith Kirkwood (shoulder) and Seth Roberts (concussion) all remain out.

Not great, Bob.

Lewis won’t be a critical part of the offense no matter what happens these next few weeks, but every rep is critical given how short this offseason has turned out to be.

On the bright side, if there’s one position group that can take a hit, it’s this one. D.J. Moore is still healthy, Robby Anderson has been flashing during team drills and their depth has been on display with even Brandon Zylstra getting some headlines lately.

Help is also on the way. Over the weekend, the Panthers tried out former XFL standout Cam Phillips and three other receivers.

Several other players also sat out today’s practice, including Tahir Whitehead, Marquis Haynes, Tyler Larsen (again) and Kenny Robinson.

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