Tag: Panthers Practice Squad

Report: Panthers sign another emergency kicker to practice squad

For his career, Hajrullahu has made 47 of 55 field goal attempts and averaged 44.1 yards per attempt as a punter.

The Carolina Panthers have been keeping an emergency kicker around on their practice squad for most of the 2020 season. That role has been filled by Kaare Vedvik, Kai Forbath and most recently Taylor Bertolet. The latest is Lirim Hajrullahu, who is signing with the practice squad according to a report by Joe Person at the Athletic.

Hajrullahu comes to Carolina from the CFL. He got started with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he played from 2014-2015. He’s also put in two years each with the Toronto Argonauts and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Rams had him on their roster earlier this year but he didn’t play a game.

For his career, Hajrullahu has made 47 of 55 field goal attempts and averaged 44.1 yards per attempt as a punter.

While Joey Slye has had some issues of late, we probably won’t see Hajrullahu activated unless Slye is injured or placed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. When asked about potentially changing kickers earlier this week, coach Matt Rhule said he’s “comfortable” with Slye.

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Panthers re-sign WR Shelton Gibson to practice squad, place DT on COVID-19 list

The Carolina Panthers just announced a couple of practice squad moves.

The Carolina Panthers just announced a couple of practice squad moves.

First up, defensive tackle Bruce Hector has been placed on the practice squad COVID-19/reserve list. Hector has appeared in 11 games in his NFL career, all with the Eagles from 2018-2019. He hasn’t gotten on the field yet this year. However, he’s frequently been one of the four players that the Panthers have protected from being signed by other teams.

Carolina signed wide receiver Shelton Gibson to take Hector’s place. Gibson was on the squad a few weeks earlier in the season. He’s put in 20 games so far, also all with Philadelphia.

In related news, the team released emergency kicker Taylor Bertolet a couple of days ago. Yesterday, they brought in three free agent kickers who could take his place, including Chandler Catanzaro.

The Panthers are currently on their bye. They will host the Broncos when they return to action Week 14.

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Panthers rule out Christian McCaffrey, Donte Jackson for Week 12 vs. Vikings

The Panthers also placed wide receiver Ishmael Hyman on the practice squad injured reserve list.

The Carolina Panthers have made some announcements and roster moves ahead of tomorrow’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.

First, running back Christian McCaffrey will not be traveling with the team. He was listed as questionable but it always seemed like a long shot that he would return this week. As expected, Mike Davis has been named the starting running back again.

Cornerback Donte Jackson has also been ruled out. No replacement has been named as of yet but last week rookies Troy Pride Jr. and Stantley Thomas-Oliver split his reps outside opposite Rasul Douglas.

Carolina also has elevated practice squad defensive back Natrell Jamerson to the active roster as a COVID-19 exemption. So far, he’s played in two games this year, putting in 12 snaps on special teams and one on defense. Unless there’s a couple of injuries to the DBs ahead of him on the depth chart, Jamerson will most likely rarely see the field in Minnesota.

The Panthers also placed wide receiver Ishmael Hyman on the practice squad injured reserve list.

Emergency kicker Taylor Bertolet was also re-signed to the practice squad.

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Panthers host 2 running backs, 2 defensive backs for Tuesday tryouts

Today, they brought in two free agents at each spot who might be able to help.

The Carolina Panthers are a bit thin at running back and on the back end of their defense right now. Today, they brought in two free agents at each spot who might be able to help.

Here is a review of who came in for Tuesday tryouts.

RB Tavien Feaster – South Carolina

In college, Feaster (six-foot, 221 pounds) played 48 games for the Gamecocks, totaling 2,002 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on 346 attempts, an average of 5.8 yards per carry. He was also used sparingly as a receiver, posting 40 receptions, 270 yards and one touchdown catch. At this level, he’s put in time with the Jaguars, Giants and Lions.

RB Wes Hills – Slippery Rock

Hills (6-foot-2, 218 pounds) was named First Team All-PSAC West in 2018. That year he lit up Cal for 248 yards and four touchdowns. He was a participant in the 2019 Senior Bowl, where he posted a 21-yard run. Hills then went undrafted and spent last season with the Lions, playing only 23 offensive snaps.

Rodney Smith fumbled in Sunday’s win over the Lions, so he might be out of favor. Either Feaster or Hills could wind up taking his spot at the bottom of the depth chart.

DB Picasso Nelson Jr. – Southern Mississippi

Nelson (5-foot-10, 195 pounds) is a second-generation football player who did a bit of everything in college. He racked up five interceptions, 13 passes defensed and 11.5 tackles for a loss in 47 career games for the Golden Eagles. He was on the practice squad for the Titans earlier this year.

CB Travis Reed – South Alabama

Reed (6-foot-1, 175 pounds) is a rookie who posted three interceptions, three tackles for a loss and 10 passes defensed in his Senior year at South Alabama. The Colts were the first team to sign him as a UDFA.

Reading between the lines, we can probably assume that both Christian McCaffrey (shoulder) and Donte Jackson (toe) will sit out this weekend’s game against the Vikings, hence bringing in more depth at both positions.

In related news, the team also re-signed safety Sean Chandler to their practice squad and released kicker Taylor Bertolet again.

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Panthers make practice squad, roster changes ahead of Week 11 game

The Panthers have just announced a series of roster/practice squad moves ahead of tomorrow’s game with the Lions.

The Panthers have just announced a series of roster/practice squad moves ahead of tomorrow’s game with the Lions.

Here is a quick review of the team’s Saturday transactions.

LB Chris Orr signed to active roster

First, Carolina’s undrafted rookie linebacker Chris Orr has been signed to the active roster. This will be his second straight game on the official 53. He played 20 special teams snaps against the Buccaneers Week 10. Orr posted 15 sacks and 21 tackles for a loss during his time at Wisconsin.

LB/S Sean Chandler waived

In a corresponding move, the team waived former Giants linebacker Sean Chandler, who was picked up after Juston Burris suffered his rib injury back in Week 6. Instead of starting Chandler, the team looked to rookie Sam Franklin to take Burris’ place in the lineup. Chandler wound up not playing a single snap for the Panthers.

DB Natrell Jamerson activated (COVID-19)

DB Natrell Jamerson has also been activated from the practice squad. He has a COVID-19 designation so he won’t count against the roster. He’s appeared in 18 live games since since the Saints picked him in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL draft, all on special teams.

K Taylor Bertolet re-signed to practice squad

Former Texas A&M kicker Taylor Bertolet has been on and off the practice squad these last few weeks. He serves as an emergency kicker option for the team in the event that Joey Slye either gets injured or tests positive for COVID-19 and can’t be cleared in time to play.

LB Daniel Bituli signed to practice squad

Bituli has also been hovering around the edges of the practice squad for a couple weeks. This is the first time he’s been signed, though. He played his college ball at Tennessee and provides depth at linebacker/special teams following veteran Adarius Taylor being placed on injured reserve.

In related news, the team waived former Eagles wide receiver Shelton Gibson from the practice squad on Friday.

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Panthers sign former Lions DE to their practice squad

Today, they signed one of them to their practice squad: former Lions defensive end Jonathan Wynn.

The Panthers hosted three defensive linemen for tryouts on Tuesday. Today, they signed one of them to their practice squad: former Lions defensive end Jonathan Wynn.

Wynn (6-foot-5, 265 pounds) played his college football at Vanderbilt. He totaled five sacks, 9.5 tackles for a loss and seven passes defensed in 40 games. He went undrafted after his senior season in 2017 and eventually was signed by Detroit. He spent much of the 2019 campaign on the Lions’ practice squad and was only on the field for 12 snaps in live games.

When signings like this happen, some fans assume it’s because he can offer inside information about the Lions or their playbook. That usually seems far-fetched, as is the case here.

Signing Wynn is about adding more depth on the edges. Stephen Weatherly was recently placed on the injured reserve list and Yetur Gross-Matos, Marquis Haynes and Austin Larkin were all listed as questionable last week.

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Panthers release TE Seth DeValve from their practice squad

The team just announced on Twitter that they have released him from their practice squad.

Some things simply aren’t meant to be. The Carolina Panthers and tight end Seth DeValve might just be one of them. The team just announced on Twitter that they have released him from their practice squad.

DeValve was originally signed by Carolina in March with an eye on helping replace some of the depth the team lost when Greg Olsen was suddenly released. DeValve didn’t last long, though. He was cut early in June due to a non-football injury. The Panthers brought DeValve back two weeks ago for a spot on their practice squad.

It’s possible that the recent practice-squad signing of Tommy Stevens made DeValve expendable. While they listed him as a quarterback to announce the news, Stevens also has some previous experience playing tight end.

There’s also a chance that more moves could be coming. In addition to Stevens, the team also hosted linebacker Daniel Bituli last week.

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Panthers activate Juston Burris from IR, promote RB from practice squad

Getting Burris back is a welcome development for a young defense that needs all the help it can get.

The Carolina Panthers have activated defensive back Juston Burris from the injured reserve list ahead of Sunday’s division matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Burris started the first six games of the season but suffered a rib injury in the loss to the Chicago Bears. He had been on IR since.

Getting Burris back is a welcome development for a young defense that needs all the help it can get. It also presents an interesting question for defensive coordinator Phil Snow. Undrafted rookie safety/linebacker Sam Franklin took Burris’ place in the lineup the last three games and has flashed some genuine potential. Burris will likely start, but Franklin may demand more snaps in the future. We may learn a lot about how they feel about Franklin based on how much he plays Week 10.

Also, with Christian McCaffrey ruled out this week and Reggie Bonnafon going on injured reserve yesterday, the team needed more depth at running back. So, they have promoted rookie Rodney Smith from the practice squad. Smith played his college ball at Minnesota and posted some impressive rushing numbers in 2016 and 2019. He will be the third running back on the depth chart behind Trenton Cannon and Mike Davis.

The Panthers also re-signed kicker Taylor Bertolet to their practice squad.

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Panthers sign RB Reggie Bonnafon to active roster, place LB on IR

Panthers sign running back Reggie Bonnafon to active roster, place linebacker Adarius Taylor on injured reserve list.

Panthers running back Reggie Bonnafon was activated from the practice squad injured reserve list yesterday. Today, he was signed to the active roster, according to the official team website. Bonnafon has been out since Week 4, when he suffered a high ankle sprain – a common affliction for Carolina’s players in this injury-raved year. In limited action, he’s totaled 69 yards on 12 carries (5.8 YPC) and has scored one touchdown as a receiver.

This move is likely in anticipation of star running back Christian McCaffrey being ruled out for this week’s game against the Buccaneers. He suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs and is reportedly not expected to play.

In a corresponding move, the team placed veteran linebacker Adarius Taylor on the injured reserve list. Taylor has posted nine tackles on defense but he’s done most of his work on special teams, playing 63% of those snaps.

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