Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Panthers added six new faces on Wednesday.
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.”
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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.
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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.
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