Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Panthers have signed 11 members of their practice squad to future deals.
Carolina Panthers assistant general manager Dan Morgan began the organization’s transition from Scott Fitterer on Monday.
In addition to signing tight end Stephen Sullivan and defensive linemen Nick Thurman and LaBryan Ray to one-year extensions, the team also brought back 11 practice squad members on future deals.
Here are those 11 players:
Here is the Carolina Panthers’ initial 16-man practice squad for the 2023 season:
The Carolina Panthers have officially rounded out their initial practice squad for the 2023 season—adding former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver and Frank Reich draft pick Dezmon Patmon on Tuesday.
So, let’s take a look at the entire (and complete) 16-man group:
The Panthers signed the first 11 players to their initial 2023 practice squad.
The Carolina Panthers did plenty of work on Tuesday, making over 20 moves to get their once 90-man roster down to just 53. But, as always, their work was never done.
Next, on Wednesday, came the construction of the team’s initial practice squad. Here, as announced this afternoon, are the first 11 members of the group:
With NFL teams allowed to carry 16 players per practice squad, the Panthers will have five more spots to fill in the upcoming days. So expect, especially after the extra cuts and maneuvering throughout the league on Wednesday, some more additions soon.
As for who those additions may be, Carolina could look to bring back the trio of players they just waived in quarterback Matt Corral, wide receiver Derek Wright and linebacker Chandler Wooten.
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Keep it here as the Panthers build their initial practice squad for the 2023 season:
Now that the Carolina Panthers have established their initial 53-man roster (and whatever tweaks that may come after it), it’s time to build the initial practice squad.
Keep it here as we track each addition to the group.
The Panthers are cutting summer standout Raequan Williams.
The release of former Pro Bowl linebacker Deion Jones wouldn’t prove to be the only surprise cut for the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday.
As first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the team is letting go of defensive lineman Raequan Williams.
Williams cracked into the NFL back in 2020, as an undrafted free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chicago, Ill. native and Michigan State University product lasted a pair of seasons in the City of Brotherly Love, where he appeared in seven games with one start during the 2021 campaign.
After an offseason stay with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, Williams signed on to the Panthers’ practice squad on Oct. 18 of that season. He wouldn’t play as an active member of the roster, but was inked to a reserve/future contract on Jan. 9, 2023.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder figured to factor into Carolina’s plans on defense, especially with a strong summer as well as the departure of nose tackle Marquan McCall. Williams totaled three pressures (1.0 sack) over 91 defensive snaps this preseason.
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Matt Corral will have one last chance to prove he’s worth a roster spot, for either the Panthers or another potentially interested party.
Which Carolina Panthers should you be focusing on in the team’s 2023 preseason finale?
Here are four players who should be of particular interest on Friday night:
Here’s why the Panthers parted ways with DL Marquan McCall on Monday:
On Aug. 8, Marquan McCall was officially listed as the starting nose tackle in the Carolina Panthers’ initial depth chart. And now, two weeks later, he’s not even on the roster.
Why?
On Monday, perhaps less than 60 seconds from when McCall was waived, head coach Frank Reich explained the surprising move.
“It really comes down to fit, with a certain scheme and style we’re lookin’ for, and then some of the young guys that we brought in have really risen to the challenge,” he told reporters. “So it’s been very competitive, right?
“This time of the year, as you guys know—like this next week, for us coaches, this is as tough as it gets. You feel like literally—legitimately, I feel like very guy on our 90-man roster, I feel like every one of these players is good enough to make a 53-man roster.”
Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer then asked Reich to quantify the parting of ways with McCall, who seemed to be the prototypical nose tackle at 6-foot-3 and almost 380 pounds.
“It’s in multiple ways,” he said. “I don’t wanna really—it’s a very fair question, ’cause you’re right. Just body type and other ways you think he is the traditional 3-4. And that’s why I think he’s gonna be on a roster.
“I think for us in our scheme, there’s more nuances to it than the traditional thing. So, I’ll just leave it at that.”
That scheme, as Reich alluded to, has seen a few dark horses gallop to the forefront of late. The most notable of the bunch has been Raequan Williams, who initially joined the Panthers as a practice squad member in October of 2022.
The 6-foot-4, 305-pounder has made quite an impression during the summer. And his little breakout, perhaps, culminated in this past Friday’s preseason outing against the New York Giants—where he recorded a sack, a quarterback hit and three stops.
So, look for Williams to claim that vacated area in the middle rather soon.
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Panthers WR Shi Smith is on the ups after another impressive outing this preseason.
Which Carolina Panthers just increased (and decreased) their chances at making the initial 53-man roster?
Here are the players who notably helped and hurt their causes in Friday night’s preseason loss to the New York Giants:
With a pair of impressive outings on Friday, Raheem Blackshear and Shi Smith may be getting closer to securing their spots on the Panthers’ 53-man roster.
Who took the biggest steps forward and who took a few steps back in Friday night’s preseason loss to the New York Giants?
Here are our studs and duds from the Carolina Panthers’ second preseason outing of the summer:
Did Derrick Brown’s breakout 2022 season earn him a breakout rating in “Madden NFL 24?”
Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Derrick Brown burst onto the scene this past season, putting forth a career campaign that finally made him look like the seventh overall pick the franchise drafted him to be. So, did that reflect in his new “Madden NFL 24” rating?
Here is Brown’s and the rest of the Carolina d-line’s numbers:
