We have some non-QB news from the Panthers this afternoon . . .
There was actually a bit of non-quarterback news coming out of 800 South Mint Street on a rather eventual Wednesday afternoon.
The Carolina Panthers have announced that they have signed defensive lineman T.J. Smith and inside linebacker Chandler Wooten to their practice squad. Both players were waived from the active roster on Tuesday.
Wooten initially joined the Panthers in 2022, when the team scooped him off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad shortly after the trade of running back Christian McCaffrey. He has since played in 20 games for Carolina, mostly as a special teamer.
Week 7 saw Wooten record 51 defensive snaps, the most in his three seasons as a Panther. He amassed six combined tackles in the 40-7 loss to the Washington Commanders.
Smith first signed with Carolina this past spring. The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder would prove to be one of the team’s summer standouts, as he tallied 2.0 sacks over three preseason contests.
He has appeared in three games during the regular season.
The Panthers announce a handful of moves on Tuesday.
The Carolina Panthers are really trying to make things work on defense.
Tuesday afternoon played host to a flurry of moves for the team, as they announced three additions and five departures. Among the five players on the outs is outside linebacker Shaq Lawson, who was signed to the practice squad a few weeks ago.
Lawson, a Central, S.C. native, was selected with the 19th overall pick of the 2016 draft by the Buffalo Bills. The Clemson University product was elevated to the main roster for this past Sunday’s 40-7 loss to the Washington Commanders, where he recorded 14 defensive snaps.
Carolina also released fellow pass rusher Marquis Haynes Sr., who has now spent each of his seven NFL campaigns with the Panthers. Haynes Sr. saw action in Week 6 and Week 7, totaling one pressure over 41 snaps.
In addition, the Panthers waived inside linebacker Chandler Wooten and defensive lineman T.J. Smith from the 53-man roster while releasing defensive lineman Jayden Peevy from the practice squad.
Those moves helped make room for the signings of defensive lineman Jonathan Harris and outside linebacker Cam Gill to the active roster and rookie center Andrew Raym to the practice squad.
The Panthers, among a handful of moves made on Saturday, officially announced the release of CB Troy Hill.
The Carolina Panthers made a handful of adjustments a day ahead of their Week 7 matchup against the Washington Commanders.
As first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport yesterday afternoon, the team has released cornerback Troy Hill. The 10th-year veteran has spent the last two seasons as a member of the Panthers.
After splitting his previous eight campaigns between the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams and Cleveland Browns, Hill initially signed with Carolina in August of 2023. He’d go on to appear in 16 games that year—totaling 48 combined tackles, an interception (and subsequent return for a touchdown), a forced fumble and six passes defensed.
Hill re-signed with the Panthers on a one-year deal this past spring. The 33-year-old played in all six games this season.
Along with Hill’s departure, Carolina also waived rookie center Andrew Raym.
Those two spots on the active roster will be filled by defensive lineman T.J. Smith and cornerback Dane Jackson, who has yet to make his team debut after signing a two-year, $8.5 million contract this offseason. Jackson, while continuing to recover from a hamstring injury, was designated to return to practice on Oct. 2.
They’ll be joined by outside linebacker Shaq Lawson and inside linebacker Shaquille Quarterman, who have been elevated from the practice squad for tomorrow’s contest.
The Panthers have signed OLB Marquis Haynes Sr. to their active roster.
Well, it seems as though Marquis Haynes Sr. is game-ready.
The Carolina Panthers announced on Saturday that they have signed the seventh-year outside linebacker to their active roster. Haynes Sr., who spent all six of his previous seasons with the organization, returned as a member of the practice squad on Oct. 4.
With the team’s top pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney considered doubtful for tomorrow’s matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, head coach Dave Canales talked about the possibility of elevating Haynes Sr. and/or fellow veteran Shaq Lawson from the practice squad for Week 6.
“Know how to use their hands,” Canales said of the two on Friday. “They got a plan for playing the run game, playing the pass game. Nice toolboxes in the pass rush, and those things. So again, it’s just a matter of getting eyes on them and feeling comfortable about them being ready to play football.”
Haynes Sr. appeared in 71 games for the Panthers between 2018 and 2023. He amassed 99 combined tackles, 14.0 sacks and four fumble recoveries.
Carolina also added tight end Ian Thomas to the active roster. Thomas began the regular season on injured reserve due to a calf issue.
Joining Haynes Sr. and Thomas in uniform tomorrow will be offensive lineman Brandon Walton and defensive lineman T.J. Smith—both of whom have been elevated from the practice squad.
Additionally, to help make some room on the roster, the Panthers placed center Austin Corbett on season-ending injured reserve with his biceps tear.
The Panthers will not activate TE Ian Thomas and CB Dane Jackson for tomorrow’s contest in Chicago.
As expected, the Carolina Panthers won’t have tight end Ian Thomas and cornerback Dane Jackson ready for tomorrow.
The team announced on Saturday that both Thomas and Jackson have been ruled out for Sunday’s Week 5 matchup against the Chicago Bears. The two, who began the regular season on injured reserve, returned to practice for the first time at the start of the week.
Head coach Dave Canales spoke about their returns on Monday.
“We talk about competition all the time, and I love what it brings to our group—just being able to get out there, play fast, guys who are excited to get back to football,” he told reporters.
“But again—they gotta be out there, they gotta handle the load. Still, with all that timing, they haven’t been on the field with us running our plays and all that. So this is a great opportunity for those guys to get rolling and for us to get a look at them.”
Thomas has entered his seventh pro season, all of which have come for the Panthers.
Jackson is in his first campaign with Carolina after signing a two-year pact this past spring.
The Panthers will, however, have defensive lineman T.J. Smith and outside linebacker Thomas Incoom available on Sunday. Both were elevated from the practice squad this afternoon.
The Panthers have officially assembled their initial 16-man practice squad for the 2024 season.
The Carolina Panthers have officially assembled their first 16-man practice squad for 2024.
Some faces you’ll recognize—such as quarterback Jack Plummer, running back Mike Boone, wide receiver Jalen Coker, linebacker Chandler Wooten and safety Alex Cook, who appeared in 10 games for the Panthers during the 2023 campaign.
And same faces you’ll have to get to know—such as offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter, linebackers Tarron Jackson and Thomas Inboom and cornerback Lonnie Johnson, who spent last season with the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints.
So, without further ado, here is Carolina’s initial practice squad on the year:
Follow along as we track each of the Panthers’ additions to their initial 2024 practice squad
Yesterday wasn’t the only instance of heavy construction that we’ll see this week.
On Tuesday, NFL teams cut ties and made moves on over 1,000 players in shaping their initial 53-man rosters for the 2024 campaign. Some of those players will find their ways back on to other active rosters and even more will return to a locker room as practice-squad players.
As soon as the activity on Wednesday’s waiver wire is through, those who are not claimed can be signed to practice squads—often a 16-man group used as depth for practice sessions, scout work and emergency game situations.
Now, there’s little question as to if the Carolina Panthers and general manager Dan Morgan will be busy today. Morgan, on a few occasions, hasn’t been shy to flex the advantage of having the league’s very top spot on the waiver wire.
But when that work is through, we’ll need to shift our focus right to the taxi squad.
So, keep it here as we track each of the team’s additions to their initial practice squad for 2024 . . .
Which four cuts by the Panthers raised the most eyebrows on Tuesday?
It’s probably safe to say that the deepest collection of talent in the NFL doesn’t reside in Charlotte. But that doesn’t mean the Carolina Panthers didn’t have some tough decisions to make on Tuesday.
After a wave of moves throughout the morning and afternoon, the team has finally reached its initial 53-man roster for the 2024 campaign. And to get there, they had to cut ties with a few notable names.
Here are the four biggest surprise cuts from a busy day:
RB Mike Boone
Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images
The well-traveled 29-year-old had a handful of factors working in his favor.
For one, neither Jonathon Brooks nor Raheem Blackshear played a single snap of preseason action due to injury. With both backs on the mend, Boone could’ve conceivably snuck in as the third healthy rusher behind Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders.
Those absences also helped give way to a pretty productive summer showing for Boone, who rushed for 76 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. So between that and his head coach’s hankering to establish the run, Boone seemed to be a decent enough bet to make the roster.
But now, the Panthers are reportedly hoping he makes it back to the locker room in the next wave of moves.
Sure, he had himself an impressive offseason, and perhaps a new coaching staff could’ve finally extracted all that potential we’ve been waiting on. But reports of his departure have lingered in Carolina for a few years now—and the recent additions of Jonathan Mingo, Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette were phasing him out.
The surprise here is that Marshall Jr. wasn’t among the whopping seven wide receivers who were kept around. The former second-round pick, instead, lost out to the likes of returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette, veteran David Moore and undrafted rookie Jalen Coker.
TE Jordan Matthews
Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Matthews endeared himself to coaches, teammates and fans alike this summer.
The 32-year-old wideout-turned-tight end not only turned heads on the practice field, but also turned his opportunities into some real results in the preseason. After recording a team-high 48 receiving yards in the opener in New England, Matthews punctuated the offense’s beautiful opening drive with a touchdown in the finale versus Buffalo.
Carolina, however, moved ahead with just three tight ends—Tommy Tremble, fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders and franchise mainstay Ian Thomas.
DL T.J. Smith
Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
Like Marshall Jr.’s, Smith’s departure is somewhat of a head-scratcher given the amount of players the team kept at his position.
The Panthers, who run a 3-4 base, opted for seven defensive linemen. If we had known that number prior to today, Smith would’ve seemed like a shoo-in—especially after notching a team-leading 2.0 sacks in the preseason.
Before we jump into the Panthers’ preseason finale on Saturday, let’s hit the film for some standouts from last week’s outing.
The Carolina Panthers fell short to the New York Jets in their second preseason game last Saturday—where the team’s starters were, once again, held out of action. So, this left even more meaningful playing time to those whose jobs aren’t exactly secure.
Unfortunately, some of the players who took advantage of their opportunities are no longer on the roster—most notably running back Dillon Johnson and cornerback Lamar Jackson. But after taking a deep dive into the All-22 film from the contest, we still have three standouts to highlight . . .
LG Jack Anderson
Anderson has already made quite a few stops since entering the league as a seventh-round pick in 2021. Carolina, who reeled in the Texas Tech product on Aug. 11 to counter the injuries along their offensive line, became his sixth.
I came away not only thoroughly impressed, but also surprised by how seamlessly he played against the Jets’ second-team defensive line—which featured a couple of players who could’ve been starters elsewhere.
The #Panthers signed iOL (LG) Jack Anderson just days for this game. In just one preseason matchup, he fit what is to be the code of the OL: putting defenders into the dirt.
Anderson did some good work on duo blocks, creating creases for Johnson and fellow running back Mike Boone. He displayed the mobility to work effortlessly to the second level, and impressed with his movement skills and flexibility—which allowed him to wash out looping pass rushers.
The 6-foot-4, 313-pounder did a nice job of getting his pads low and winning with leverage. He was looking for extra defenders to block or help his fellow linemen with and put multiple defenders in the ground.
While he isn’t a lock for the Panthers’ initial 53-man roster, Anderson could make for a solid depth piece or practice squad player in another opportunity.
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders
Sanders, who has continued to grow into the chances he’s received due to injuries at his position, was one of a few rookie standouts on the night.
It wasn’t long ago that the former Texas Longhorn was the No. 3 tight end on the depth chart. With Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble banged up, that allowed the team’s fourth-round selection to get his time in the spotlight.
TE Ja’Tavion Sanders could see his role expand much quicker than expected. I appreciate his physicality after the catch and his willingness/feistiness as a blocker. Keep progressing, 85. #Pantherspic.twitter.com/sFA4pEUBPN
There was a concern that the rookie would need to allocate some time as a big slot as he developed his in-line skill set. Instead, Sanders seems quite comfortable as an in-line Y and blocker.
He’s displaying more effort and willingness to stay attached to blocks. This allowed for some decent yardage for Boone and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo at times. Early in the game—off a play-action bootleg—Sanders ran a flat route to the boundary, catching it in stride and lowering his shoulder to bulldoze a would-be tackler.
With Thomas still dealing with an injury and Tremble having another potential hamstring issue after practice on Thursday, Sanders could be in line to have not only significant playing time in Week 1, but make his first career start in the NFL.
LB Trevin Wallace
A raw linebacker out of Kentucky, Wallace was arguably the most questionable selection by Carolina in the 2024 draft. And that rawness still shows, as he must continue to work on not overthinking each play and moving with the flow of the game.
But Wallace put on a show that made Panthers fans giddy for the future of the middle of their defense.
#Panthers LB Trevin Wallace flashed a ton of what made him an appealing player to Dan Morgan.
> sideline to sideline ability
> upper-tier athleticism
> POP at the point of contact
> “see ball, get ball”
The former All-SEC defender displayed the sideline-to-sideline range and elite athletic ability that intrigued general manager Dan Morgan. Wallace brings a good amount of pop at the tackle point while flashing consistent technique as a tackler.
Remember how vicious Luke Kuechly’s tackles were? There were some shades of that, as Wallace sifted through traffic well while displaying good run fits and tackles in space.
Other standouts
Rookie cornerback Chau Smith-Wade was impressive with his reps at outside corner and at the nickel. He displayed good effort and willingness to come downhill in run support. There were also instances of him upending ball carriers. Don’t be surprised if he’s in line to start Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints at nickel.
Smith-Wade’s teammate, second-year defensive back Jammie Robinson, had an outstanding game against the Jets. He showed physicality in the run game, making physical tackles in the open field while being a great run support and defender in coverage.
Outside linebacker D.J. Johnson and interior defensive lineman T.J. Smith were two performers that stood out to me as well, especially in the first half. I appreciated Johnson’s effort and ability to seal off the backside of inside or outside zone runs. The Panthers’ 2023 third-round selection made some good plays against the run. Smith continued his strong preseason with great effort and his second sack in as many weeks. He has become a top candidate for the practice squad heading into the final game of the preseason.
Here are four Panthers who have really improved their chances of making the team’s initial 53-man roster:
With just one preseason game left, the Carolina Panthers are currently working through a crucial week in evaluating their 90-man roster. And by the time that week is done, the roster will 37 men lighter.
By 4:00 p.m. ET on Aug. 27, all NFL teams must cut down to 53 players. Unfortunately, perhaps especially to those who have really impressed this offseason, that means a lot of guys will be looking for new opportunities.
But which Panthers, particularly the ones on the bubble, have made their cases to stick on by the end of next Tuesday?
Here are four players who have most improved their chances of making Carolina’s initial 53-man roster:
RB Mike Boone
Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images
Boone has come out of nowhere to make his case.
The early feeling around Carolina’s backfield was that it would include Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Raheem Blackshear as the top three rushers out of the gate. Second-round pick Jonathon Brooks, who remains on the active/non-football injury list, would then factor in upon his return.
But now, Boone may have a lane into the backend of the group. The 29-year-old has amassed 56 yards on 14 carries as well as three receptions for 13 more yards—showing patience and good vision in the backfield along with the shiftiness to create chunk plays.
WR Terrace Marshall Jr.
Grant Halverson/Getty Images
Marshall Jr.’s NFL career has been nothing if not consistent—but not in a great way. He’ll create some buzz during training camp and preseason, and then underwhelm once the real games begin.
Year No. 4 has been no different, at least through the first phase. Marshall Jr. seems to be making strides in practices, showing he can win at the line of scrimmage and be more consistent as a route runner.
The talent is there. He’s a big receiver at 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, with the length and ball skills to make things happen any time the ball is thrown his way.
So while Marshall’s future is still up in the air, his improvement will be tough to overlook for head coach Dave Canales and company.
iDL T.J. Smith
Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports
The Panthers are looking for someone to step up alongside Pro Bowler Derrick Brown in 2024. And although they signed A’Shawn Robinson and have a handful of solid linemen returning this season, one unlikely man has emerged as a potential option.
That’s Smith, who has played some productive football in the team’s first two preseason outings. In fact, he leads the defense with a pair of sacks going into the finale on Saturday.
The 6-foot-3, 300-pounder fashions himself as a true five-technique who can create disruption and generate pressure. His explosiveness and ability to gain leverage has allowed him to get into the backfield quickly and create chaos.
There is a reason to believe that the former Razorback could be one of five defensive linemen on the final roster after next week’s cuts. If not, he has a clear path to being a quality player on the practice squad.
CB D’Shawn Jamison
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
After opening some eyes as a rookie last season, Jamison has stood out this summer.
While the former Texas Longhorn is listed at just 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, he plays much bigger than his billing. He’s physical, competitive and aggressive at the catch point—traits that may qualify him to be one of general manager Dan Morgan’s “dawgs.”
Jamison also has value as a special teams player, both in coverage and as a returner. He fielded a pair of kickoffs in the preseason opener, taking both attempts for 26-yard runs.
With projected starter Dane Jackson out for an extended period due to a hamstring injury, Jamison is making his case to play on Sundays once again.
