Tag: Reggie Bonnafon

Preseason finale was serious for Reggie Bonnafon and Dax Milne

Dax Milne felt like he’s earned a spot on Washington’s 53-man roster.

An NFL preseason finale is boring for some and crucial for others.

The last preseason game is often viewed as meaningless because most teams rest the vast majority of their starters, choosing to not risk injury.

Yet, for some players, it is that final preseason game that provides them the largest opportunity they will experience prior to the regular season. Consequently, it means they can feasibly win one of the final roster spots of that team, or perhaps put enough on film that another team will claim them.

Saturday’s Commanders game was momentous for running back Reggie Bonnafon and receiver Dax Milne. Bonnafon is attempting to make the Commanders roster for the first time, after being with the Panthers (2019-21). While Milne is attempting to keep his spot earned last year as a rookie.

Bonnafon was in on 38 offensive snaps (50%), experiencing the thrill of scoring a touchdown on a 13-yard completion from Sam Howell. Reggie also rushed 10 times for 24 yards, and caught 3 passes for 19 yards.

“It was a nice read from Sam (Howell), and he caught me in stride. I turned and headed downfield, and I thought I had the goal line and was surprised they called me out at the one. But thank God for review, and they got the call right. It’s exciting to score.”

Reggie also rushed 10 times for 24 yards, and caught 2 passes for 19 yards. After the game he said he was expecting the workload in the game. “(I’m) not surprised, and I always appreciate it. We knew going into the game that it would basically be me and Jaret (Patterson). Now, we’ll see where the chips fall. It’s a weird time, because you’ve done all you can, and now it’s just a waiting game.”

The game was also urgent for Milne. He was drafted 258th in 2021, catching 9 passes for 83 yards last season. So what guarantee did he possess coming to training camp that he would be on the team for a second year?

“This is something the coaches continue to mention to us – not paying attention to what we’re hearing, just putting our best out on the field at all times. It’s what we put on our resume. Some guys don’t handle it well, but others do. I think I’m handling it OK, and I’m putting enough out there.”

Milne was targeted 4 times, catching all four, gaining 37 yards, including one for 21 yards.

Milne was asked if he feels like he deserves a spot on the team.

“I do. I do.”

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Panthers place WR Terrace Marshall Jr., OT Cameron Erving on IR

Panthers WR Terrace Marshall Jr. ends his quiet rookie campaign with just 17 receptions for 138 yards and zero touchdowns.

The buzz started for Terrace Marshall Jr. almost as soon as the Carolina Panthers selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. Unfortunately, he hardly got started himself once his season began.

On Wednesday, the team announced the placement of Marshall Jr. (foot) on the injured reserve, effectively keeping him out of the Week 18 finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and putting a cap on his rookie campaign. The year’s 59th overall pick, who was expected to play a decent role for the Carolina offense following an eye-opening preseason, amassed just 17 receptions for 138 and zero touchdowns.

Joining him was offensive tackle Cameron Erving (calf), who didn’t quite have the 2021 he was probably hoping for either. The seventh-year veteran started in just nine games at left tackle after signing a two-year, $10 million contract this past offseason.

In some good news, however, the team was able to activate defensive end Haason Reddick, tight end Tommy Tremble, quarterback P.J. Walker and running back Reggie Bonnafon off the reserve/COVID-19 list. Plus, an additional pair of roster moves saw the team sign defensive end Jacob Tuioti-Mariner off the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice squad and add cornerback Jalen Julius back to theirs.

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Panthers place DT Derrick Brown on reserve/COVID-19 list

In addition to placing DT Derrick Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the Panthers made a few adjustments ahead of their trip to Buffalo.

The Carolina Panthers, as of this very moment, have gone relatively unscathed through the latest wave of COVID-19 cases. But they will, unfortunately, be headed to Buffalo without one of their key defenders.

On Saturday afternoon, the team announced the placement of defensive tackle Derrick Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list. In order for a player who has tested positive to return under the updated league protocol, he must be asymptomatic over a 24-hour period. This, obviously, takes the second-year lineman out of their Week 15 matchup with the Bills.

Brown had been coming off one of his best performances of the season in the 29-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, having totaled five tackles (two for a loss) and a pair of quarterback hits. The Panthers will go into Sunday with DaQuan Jones, Bravvion Roy and Phil Hoskins as their only defensive tackles.

Carolina, additionally, made a few adjustments in the lead-up to tomorrow’s tilt. Cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver III has been activated while running back Reggie Bonnafon and wideout Willie Snead have been elevated from the practice squad.

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Panthers sign P Ryan Winslow to active roster, place WR Brandon Zylstra on IR

The Panthers called a guy up, put a guy down and brought another guy back in a trio of roster moves on Tuesday.

The Carolina Panthers did their due diligence yesterday, having worked out punter Drue Chrisman alongside long snapper Turner Bernard. But, it seems they’re just fine with the leg they have there now.

On Tuesday, the team announced the signing of Ryan Winslow to the active roster. Winslow was an addition to the practice squad last week following the back injury to Joseph Charlton.

In his call-up in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, the 27-year-old booted six punts for an average of 40.7 yards per attempt. Three of those six were pinned inside the Minnesota 20-yard line.

Winslow will be taking the roster spot of wideout Brandon Zylstra, who has been placed on the injured reserve after sustaining a hamstring injury in the loss. Despite his return to the game following the issue, the fourth-year receiver will sit the next few weeks out.

Over the team’s six games, Zylstra has caught eight passes on eight targets for 139 yards and a touchdown.

Additionally, in a second corresponding move, the Panthers have brought back rusher Reggie Bonnafon to take Winslow’s spot on the practice squad. Bonnafon has played in 18 career games, all for Carolina, over his three-year career.

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Panthers release veteran CB Rashaan Melvin

In a bit of a surprise, the Panthers released CB Rashaan Melvin during their second wave of cuts on Tuesday.

The Carolina Panthers couldn’t follow up the shocker the New England Patriots delivered earlier in the day. Who can? But they did break out a little surprise of their own.

In their second wave of cuts on Tuesday, the team released cornerback Rashaan Melvin. Melvin, now on his seventh NFL season, was expected to provide the Carolina secondary with some veteran depth amongst an otherwise young and thin group.

That, barring the final cut coming at the expense of the position will leave the Panthers with their 2021 first-round pick Jaycee Horn, Donte Jackson, Keith Taylor, Stantley Thomas-Oliver III and Myles Hartsfield at corner. A.J. Bouye will also join the pack after he serves the remaining two games of his six-game suspension.

Alongside Melvin in these latest departures goes safety Kenny Robinson, running back Reggie Bonnafon and long snapper Thomas Fletcher. The move of Fletcher to the season-ending injured reserve effectively clinches the long-snapping job back to J.J. Jansen, who will be entering his 13th regular season with the organization.

Catch up and keep up with all the cuts here as the 4 p.m. ET deadline approaches.

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Panthers 2021 RB review: How fast can Christian McCaffrey reboot from injuries?

A healthy McCaffrey is a scary threat to every NFL defense.

Over the next few weeks, we’re taking a look at each position on the Panthers 2021 squad, evaluating the changes since 2020 and projecting the unit’s outlook for this season.

Following our evaluation of Sam Darnold and the quarterback room, we’ll switch gears and take a look at the running game, highlighted by Christian McCaffrey.

Major changes: Depth moves

When McCaffrey missed most of Carolina’s 2020 season due to injury, one player stepped up in a big way. Mike Davis had a stellar year, totaling 1,015 yards from scrimmage, eight touchdowns and a whole lot of forced missed tackles. McCaffrey’s anticipated comeback in 2021 had ramifications on that depth, though, with the Panthers losing Davis to the division-rival Atlanta Falcons early in free agency.

While there wasn’t a significant free-agent signing to compensate for that loss, the Panthers addressed the need with a big splash in the fourth round of the NFL draft, selecting Oklahoma State back Chuba Hubbard.

Hubbard (6-foot, 201 pounds) was known as one of the best rushers in college football a couple of seasons ago, especially after he ran for 2,094 yards and 21 touchdowns in just his Sophomore campaign with Oklahoma State. Hubbard looked to be a Day 2 lock until he got hurt. An injury-riddled 2020 season led to a steep slide down draft boards, allowing Carolina to select him in round four, something that would have sounded impossible just a year earlier. Assuming Hubbard is healthy again, he’ll be another versatile pass-catching, between-the-tackles back who may even prove to be an upgrade over Davis.

The big question: How fast can McCaffrey bounce back?

When a team’s best player only suits up for three games in a season, it usually doesn’t bring about many wins. Last year’s Panthers were no exception. Struck by injury after injury, McCaffrey was left on the sidelines 13 games, contributing to a less-than-ideal 5-11 finish. Still, most analysts agree that McCaffrey will return to form. The third-ever 1,000-1,000 rusher and receiver recently made PFF’s list of the NFL’s 50 best players in 2021.

Better or worse? Better

This unit decisively got better this offseason. A healthy McCaffrey is a scary threat to every NFL defense and adding Hubbard could lead to another potent Carolina 1-2 punch. Further down the depth chart, there’s Reggie Bonnafon, who was also bit by the injury bug last year, looks to be the frontrunner for the RB3 spot, but we should expect a competition. Return specialists like Trenton Cannon and fullbacks like Mikey Daniel are also vying for a roster spot, each bringing a different dimension to a complete and a well-rounded running back room.

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Panthers place DE Stephen Weatherly, RB Reggie Bonnafon on season-ending IR

Neither will play again during the 2020 NFL season.

The Carolina Panthers just announced that they have placed both defensive end Stephen Weatherly and running back Reggie Bonnafon on the injured reserve list. Neither will play again during the 2020 NFL season.

Weatherly began the year as the team’s starting defensive end opposite Brian Burns. He never made much of an impact, though. Despite playing 61% of the team’s defensive snaps to date, Weatherly only totaled 17 combined tackles, three quarterback hits and no sacks. He’s still under contract for next season with a base salary of $4.4 milion, according to Over the Cap. Weather’y issue was a finger injury, which required surgery.

As for Bonnafon, he spent most of his abbreviated 2020 season on the team’s practice squad. During the offseason, his role as Christian McCaffrey’s first backup was taken by Mike Davis, who has more than justified that decision. Bonnafon only wound up playing 23 offensive snaps, posting 87 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown catch. Apparently, Bonnafon re-aggravated the high ankle sprain that him on the practice squad injured reserve list earlier in the year.

The players who stand to benefit the most from this news are rookie defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos and running back Trenton Cannon, who will backup Davis on Sunday.

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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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Panthers bring back rookie RB Rodney Smith for practice squad

Today, the team announced that they have signed undrafted rookie Rodney Smith to their practice squad.

Even though Mike Davis is playing like a superstar, the Panthers could stand to add more depth at running back. With both Christian McCaffrey and Reggie Bonnafon on injured reserve, the team is looking to a familiar face to help fill that need.

Today, the team announced that they have signed undrafted rookie Rodney Smith to their practice squad.

Smith (5-foot-11, 210 pounds) played his college ball at Minnesota, where he had a stupendous Sophomore season, totaling 1,158 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns.

Smith spent the “offseason” with the Panthers and was one of the final cuts when the team trimmed the roster down to 53 players for the regular season. He’ll be the second back on the practice squad. Pete Guerriero is the other.

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Panthers rookies show real promise in team’s second win of 2020

This 2020 Panthers team wasn’t supposed to be competitive.

This 2020 Panthers team wasn’t supposed to be competitive. In fact, a lot of people were expecting a disaster. It’s not difficult to see why.

Let’s count up the pieces: A new coach whose only prior NFL experience amounted to a year’s worth of assistant work, a new quarterback trying to follow the franchise’s greatest athlete, a new system to learn in a process greatly limited by a deadly pandemic and a new roster, with a league-low 46.9 percent of snaps returning from the 2019 season.

Team owner David Tepper even sent out a letter to season-ticket holders bracing them for the long struggle to come.

Guess what? This young team is under control and competing every week.

Rhule’s Panthers continue to pick up steam, as they chalked up their second straight victory in a 31-21 trouncing of the Cardinals. Unlike their outlook heading into this turbulent 2020 campaign, the win was almost never in doubt.

The victory was highlighted by what was supposed to be their most fatal flaw – the defense. After spending their entire bag of draft capital to rebuild this unit, the investment is incredibly already paying off.

The star of the band is second-round pick Jeremy Chinn, who came into this week leading all rookies in tackles and continued his strong start to the season. He led the way with a team-high eight tackles against Arizona’s high-powered offense today. Most impressively, 6-foot-3, 220-pound Swiss Army knife was tasked with spying on the agile and super-quick Murray, a plan that limited one of the game’s most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks to just 211 total yards. For the fourth straight game, Chinn appeared explosive and made impact plays all over the field.

Fellow second-rounder Yetur Gross-Matos made his presence known as well, forcing a strip-sack of Murray to halt an eight-play drive that got as far as Carolina’s 38-yard line.

The recovery by safety Tre Boston set up the Panthers for an ensuing eight-play, 74-yard touchdown trip.

Let’s not forget the headliner of the rookie class either, that dancing bear known as Derrick Brown. Brown’s power up the middle helped stunt Arizona’s rushing attack, as running backs Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds combined for a paltry 51 yards on 17 carries (three yards per attempt).

As good as the defense looked at times, Carolina’s 31 points didn’t just appear out of nowhere.

Teddy Bridgewater was the maestro the organization signed him to be in the offense’s most commanding performance thus far. Save for one interception, Bridgewater was everything offensive coordinator Joe Brady could’ve asked of him, completing 26 of his 37 attempts for 276 yards and a pair of scores. He even ran one in on this slick 18-yard scamper.

The offense’s crown jewel possession came with 1:08 remaining in the third quarter and didn’t end until nearly halfway through the fourth. The 15-play drive ate up a massive amount of time – 8:30 off the clock, effectively clipping the Cardinals’ wings. By then, the Panthers’ 17-point edge was too much to overcome.

Much of that success can be credited to a fine outing by the offensive line. They executed their pass sets incredibly well throughout, not allowing a single sack of Bridgewater and paving the way for a combined 137 rushing yards from the backfield combination of Mike Davis and Reggie Bonnafon. Davis continues to run with conviction, reminiscent of another No. 28 before him and made his case for more playing time even more appealing.

Now a quarter of the way through the 2020 season, the Panthers sit at 2-2. It’s not what the “Tank for Trevor” fans want to see, but at least this team is not painful to watch. They might even be fun.

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