A few surprises were included on the Panthers’ list of Week 10 inactives.
The Carolina Panthers’ list of inactives for their Week 10 outing included a couple of surprises.
Tight end Tommy Tremble and outside linebacker Charles Harris are among the seven players who will not suit up for this morning’s matchup against the New York Giants. Tremble was listed as questionable for the contest after a full practice on Friday while Harris, the team leader in sacks (3.0), was not included on the injury report at all.
His absence will likely give way to fellow pass rusher D.J. Wonnum, who is set to make his Panthers debut out of Munich, Germany. Wonnum has been sidelined all season due to complications from a torn quad.
Here’s the full list of inactives for the Panthers:
The Panthers will be without a few key offensive weapons in Denver this afternoon.
If Bryce Young wants to make a statement in the Mile High City this afternoon, he’ll have to do it without the help of a few key weapons.
The Carolina Panthers have ruled seven players as inactive for their Week 8 matchup against the Denver Broncos, including wideout Diontae Johnson. Johnson will miss his first game of the campaign due to a rib injury.
With the Panthers at 1-6 and the trade deadline just a little over a week away, Johnson’s absence has raised some speculation about a possible deal. Head coach Dave Canales was asked on Friday if the decision to hold Johnson out relates to preserving a move of the one-time Pro Bowler.
“Those are all conversations that Dan [Morgan] and Brandt [Tilis] will handle,” Canales replied. “For me, it’s like, I wanna do the best thing for Diontae, the best thing for the offense and the continuity of what we’re trying to get done. And the fact that he couldn’t get back on the field this week, I felt confident about the guys being able to step in there and do it.”
The Panthers will also be without last year’s leading receiving Adam Thielen, who is still on his way back from a hamstring strain. Thielen was designated to return to practice on Wednesday, but has yet to be activated to the main roster.
Here is the full list of inactives on the day for Carolina:
The Panthers named seven inactives for their regular-season opener in New Orleans.
The Carolina Panthers have listed seven inactives ahead of this afternoon’s regular-season opener against the New Orleans Saints.
Those players are as follows:
CB Shemar Bartholomew
G Jarrett Kingston
DL LaBryan Ray
C Andrew Raym
S Jammie Robinson
TE Messiah Swinson
TE Tommy Tremble
With Tremble down due to a hamstring injury and Ian Thomas now on injured reserve with a lingering calf issue, the Panthers are expected to start rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders in what will be his first official NFL game. The fourth-round pick earned rave reviews from head coach Dave Canales earlier this summer.
“So JT is taking those steps that we’re looking for,” Canales said of the 21y-year-old during training camp. “Made a big play at Fan Fest to end it, to end the scrimmage on a corner. Had a couple nice plays today, nice catches. He’s doin’ it. He’s making the most of his opportunity. It’s pushed him right up with that first group, to be able to show the guys you can count on him and he’s been really dependable with that.”
Sanders will be backed by veteran Jordan Matthews and Feleipe Franks, who was signed to the active roster on Saturday.
Panthers Wire contributor Jared Feinberg answers some of your questions as we head into Week 1 of the 2024 season.
The Carolina Panthers enter the opening week of the regular season with plenty of question marks yet to be answered. Fans are curious about how their team will perform heading into the year, and want to gauge what is to come.
With Week 1 just days away, let’s reach into our very first mailbag here at Panthers Wire and answer a few of your inquiries . . .
(Note: Some questions have been edited for length and clarity.)
Expectations for Jonathan Mingo
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Justin asks – What are you expecting from Jonathan Mingo in Year 2?
There was a lot of criticism about Mingo’s play as a rookie in 2023. The second-round pick’s spatial awareness and feel as a wideout were inconsistent at best—resulting in him being out of position, overrunning passes thrown his way and, overall, just offering a skill set that was plain raw.
It’s not Mingo’s fault that the bar may have been set too high. The former Ole Miss standout was a bit overdrafted, and struggled in a bad 2023 Panthers offense. Grace should be given to the 23-year-old.
Mingo turned in a terrific summer where he displayed strides as a route runner and an improved feel for the game. He all but established himself as the No. 2 outside receiver–the off-ball Z–and a potential top target for fellow draft classmate and Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
This season should see Mingo come close to doubling his yardage total from last year, where he caught 43 passes for 413 yards and no touchdowns. He’ll be the team’s top run-after-catch playmaker outside of rookie Xavier Legette and should receive a decent number of targets.
Xavier Legette’s role in the current rotation
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Chris asks – How do you think they work Leggette into the rotation? I assume he’ll start the season as WR4.
Chris, you are correct. Legette is currently listed as the team’s No. 4 receiver on the unofficial depth chart. While some fans have voiced concerns about Legette potentially not seeing ample playing time early in the season, the team’s first-round selection should hit the gridiron plenty.
Legette will likely be in when the team needs a big play downfield, or if they want to get him in space where he can split defenders and create yards after the catch. He would rotate in with Adam Thielen and Mingo, with snaps as the Z-receiver and in the slot to garner off-coverage looks. But, no, I don’t expect him to get eight to 10 targets per game—at least early on.
Look for Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik to get him schemed targets and allow him to function as a quality rotational piece before getting more snaps throughout the campaign.
How the new DBs could play a role in the secondary
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Malte asks – Do you see any of the new DBs cracking the rotation besides Mike Jackson?
As Malte alluded to, the team traded for Mike Jackson and is expected to start him alongside Jaycee Horn. Then, last week, Carolina took advantage of the No. 1 priority on the NFL’s waiver wire and came away with three cornerbacks.
Those three players–Keenan Isaac, Tariq Castro-Fields and Shemar Bartholomew–are all players with size, length and athleticism. That has value. It’s possible we see these three on special teams and occasionally rotated in to give Horn and Jackson a breather.
However, it’s also possible that one of these three could be inactive depending on the matchup and how each player performs in practice. All three received quite favorable Pro Football Focus grades, which matched some of the tape displayed during the preseason with their former teams.
It’s important that Carolina added bigger corners that resembled their starters. By doing this, it gives them depth with the expectation that their level of play is elevated.
Biggest strength and weakness of the roster
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CoastalPanther asks – What areas of the roster do YOU feel are our strongest and weakest this season? For me, I feel for the first time in ages WR is bright and I feel DE and a strong No. 2 CB are areas of concern until we see how the new additions shake out. But, feel great with direction and seriousness.
Great question! I do agree with you that there is alignment, direction and deliberateness in the Panthers’ process currently.
President of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan is making it known what he is looking for with the Seattle prototype of big, lengthy cornerbacks. I’m intrigued with the waiver wire additions. But until it shows on the field, it’s an unknown.
The biggest weakness on this roster is the No. 2 outside linebacker spot. The team claimed an undrafted free-agent edge rusher, Jamie Sheriff, to add depth to the room. However, head coach Dave Canales has yet to determine who will be starting opposite of Clowney for the season opener in New Orleans.
Carolina’s biggest strength is undoubtedly the safety room. While Canales has made an argument for his group of wideouts, it’s hard to ignore the talent and depth the team’s backend possesses.
Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller will be manning the deep thirds this season. And backup Nick Scott, who could start on several teams, gives the unit a seamless transition if one of the two were injured.
Additionally, second-year defensive back Jammie Robinson is the physical player in the group—providing physicality and power as a tackler while adding value on special teams.
There’s a new No. 0 in town for the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina Panthers tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders has his own number.
On Monday, the team announced new uniform numbers for six players ahead of the 2024 regular season. The rookie pass catcher headlined the switches, as he’ll be going from No. 85 to No. 0.
Sanders, Carolina’s fourth-round pick from this year’s draft, wore No. 0 during his final two seasons for the University of Texas Longhorns. And that number saw some numbers—as he reeled in 99 receptions for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a pair of First-team All-Big 12 selections in 2022 and 2023.
Shortly after being selected by the Panthers, Sanders told reporters that he was planning on claiming his digit—but also admitted that he had to earn it first.
“That’s the plan,” he said with a smile. “If I’m lucky enough to get 0, then I’m definitely taking it for sure.”
The 21-year-old will be the second player in franchise history to don No. 0—which was first worn by Brian Burns in 2023.
All six uniform number adjustments are as follows:
On Wednesday, the Carolina Panthers announced they had staked claims on six players following the NFL’s initial roster cutdowns. One of the six was cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, who was let go by the New York Jets on Tuesday.
Well, it turns out that the Panthers weren’t the only team with interest in the 24-year-old defender. In fact, he was very much in demand.
As reported by NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero this morning, Bartholomew had claims from four different teams—the most amongst all players on yesterday’s waiver wire. The undrafted rookie was claimed by the Panthers, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.
Bartholomew’s impressive summer may have led to his popularity. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder allowed zero receiving yards over nine targets and a passer rating of just 39.6 when targeted during the preseason—good enough for an 85.2 coverage grade.
Carolina—who has the No. 1 priority in the waiver order—also reeled in fellow cornerbacks Keenan Isaac and Tariq Castro-Fields, guard Jarrett Kingston, outside linebacker Jamie Sheriff and inside linebacker Jon Rhattigan.
The Carolina Panthers and general manager Dan Morgan put their top spot on the waiver wire to good use on Wednesday, claiming a total of six players following the league’s initial roster cutdowns.
Here’s a fresh look at Carolina’s roster following the additions:
Panthers HC Dave Canales spoke a bit on the waves of roster moves between Tuesday and Wednesday.
Last week, Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales stated that he was looking forward to the challenge of constructing his first initial 53-man roster. So, how is he feeling now that it’s over with?
He was asked that on Wednesday, following his team’s second practice of the week.
“I just really feel like we owe it to this team to look,” Canales said of the roster changes. “We looked across all the league and kinda compared it to the roster we had. And we’ve been talking about challenging our roster from the beginning. Really started off with the secondary room. And so, that was a place we really wanted to see if we can start trying to get a look at a lot of guys.”
After getting down to their first 53 on Tuesday, the Panthers turned around and claimed six new players off waivers earlier this afternoon. That secondary room is set to welcome in three of those hopeful additions—cornerbacks Keenan Isaac, Shemar Bartholomew and Tariq Castro-Fields.
But those additions resulted in some subtractions. Over the past few days, the Panthers have been forced to part ways with many of their guys—including a few summer standouts at the corner spot.
“The guys that were here—D’Shawn [Jamison], Dicaprio [Bootle], Lamar Jackson—all those guys. They did a fantastic job showing who they are,” Canales added. “We know who they are, we know what they look like. It’s gonna be a long season, but we wanted to make sure we got eyes on a lot of people to see who can help us this year.”
The Panthers officially announced their claims for six players on Wednesday.
Yes, guys. It’s official. It’s confirmed. The deals are sealed.
Following yesterday’s cutdowns to this season’s initial 53-man rosters, the Carolina Panthers announced waiver claims for six players on Wednesday afternoon. The group features former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Keenan Isaac, former New York Jets cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, former Washington Commanders cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields, former Seattle Seahawks linebackers Jamie Sheriff and Jon Rhattigan and former San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston.
Carolina’s fresh trio of cornerbacks is headlined by Isaac, who had a standout preseason for the divisional rival Bucs. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound defensive back earned a 90.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus over his three exhibition outings on the summer.
To make room for the claims, the Panthers also announced the departures of six players from their initial 53-man roster—wide receivers Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Jalen Coker, offensive lineman Cade Mays, defensive lineman Jayden Peevy, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison and safety Demani Richardson.
It looks like the Panthers are putting that No. 1 spot on the waiver wire order to good use.
Well, Carolina Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan really wasn’t kidding about being aggressive with the top spot on the waiver wire.
The wire opened up to a flurry of activity this afternoon, as players waived during Tuesday’s initial roster cutdowns were officially up for grabs. And the Panthers, who will be in the No. 1 spot of the order through the third week of the regular season, certainly took advantage of their positioning.
According to numerous reports, Carolina staked claim to five defenders on Wednesday—including a trio of cornerbacks. Those players are as follows:
Isaac, who had a standout preseason for the NFC South rival Bucs, may be the most intriguing and familiar name of the bunch. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound corner earned a 90.2 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus over his three exhibition outings for Tampa Bay.
