Tag: Tommy Tremble

Panthers Week 1 injury report: Starting TEs ruled out vs. Saints

As expected, the Panthers will be without both of their starting tight ends to begin the 2024 regular season.

As expected, the Carolina Panthers will begin the 2024 regular season without a couple of their starters on offense.

The team has officially ruled out both Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back) and Ian Thomas (calf) from Sunday’s opener against the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints. Tremble and Thomas, who did not participate in practice all week, have been listed as the first-string tight ends on Carolina’s first unofficial depth chart of the new campaign.

Their absences could give way to opportunities for 2024 fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders as well as Jordan Matthews. The 21-year-old rookie and the 32-year old veteran have impressed throughout the summer, and should serve as the next men up for Tremble and Thomas.

Carolina might also be without backup tackle Yosh Nijman, who has been deemed questionable due to a tibia injury.

Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game status
TE Ian Thomas Calf DNP DNP DNP Out
TE Tommy Tremble Hamstring/back DNP DNP DNP Out
OT Yosh Nijman Tibia Limited Limited Limited Questionable
RB Miles Sanders Finger Limited Full Full –
CB Troy Hill Heel Limited Full –

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Panthers still without TEs Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas at practice

The Panthers held out TEs Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas for the second straight practice.

Another day, another practice for the Carolina Panthers without their top two tight ends.

As was the case on Wednesday, the team held out both Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back) and Ian Thomas (calf) from this afternoon’s session. So the statuses of Tremble and Thomas, who are currently listed as the offense’s starters at the tight end position, remain rather uncertain heading into Sunday’s regular-season opener against the New Orleans Saints.

The two are again joined on the injury report by running back Miles Sanders (finger) and offensive tackle Yosh Nijman (tibia). Sanders was bumped up from a limited outing yesterday to a full one on Thursday.

Carolina also added veteran cornerback Troy Hill (heel) to the bill.

Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game status
TE Ian Thomas Calf DNP DNP
TE Tommy Tremble Hamstring/back DNP DNP
OT Yosh Nijman Tibia Limited Limited
RB Miles Sanders Finger Limited Full
CB Troy Hill Heel Limited

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Panthers hold out starting TEs from practice on Wednesday

Both Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas did not participate in Wednesday’s practice.

The Carolina Panthers’ very first injury report of the 2024 regular season didn’t bring us any surprises.

As expected, tight ends Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back) and Ian Thomas (calf) were held out from Wednesday’s practice ahead of this weekend’s opener against the New Orleans Saints. Both were listed as starters on yesterday’s unofficial depth chart.

Tremble and Thomas are backed in the pecking order by 2024 fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders and 32-year-old veteran Jordan Matthews, who was promoted to the active roster shortly after this summer’s initial cutdowns. Carolina, additionally, officially signed rookie Messiah Swinson off the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad to provide insurance at the position.

Running back Miles Sanders (finger) and offensive tackle Yosh Nijman (tibia) were also included on today’s injury report. They were designated as limited participants.

Injury Wednesday Thursday Friday Game status
TE Ian Thomas Calf DNP
TE Tommy Tremble Hamstring/back DNP
OT Yosh Nijman Tibia Limited
RB Miles Sanders Finger Limited

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Panthers reportedly signing former Packers TE to active roster

With the statuses of Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas still up in the air for Week 1, the Panthers added some insurance to the TE room.

The Carolina Panthers may very well be without their top two tight ends when they kick off their regular season on Sunday. So, they’re looking to grab a little bit of insurance.

As first reported by Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston on Tuesday, the team is signing tight end Messiah Swinson off the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad. The 6-foot-7, 259-pound rookie will now be added to Carolina’s active 53-man roster ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the New Orleans Saints.

A Bay Shore, N.Y. native, Swinson split his collegiate career between the University of Missouri (2019 to 2021) and Arizona State University (2022 to 2023). Over those five years, he amassed 28 receptions for 317 yards and two touchdowns.

Swinson was signed by the Packers as an undrafted free agent in May. He’d later be released during the team’s cutdown to their initial 53-man roster and was later brought back as a member of their practice squad.

With the statuses of projected starter Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas still up in the air for this weekend, Swinson should provide some depth alongside fellow rookie and fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders as well as veteran Jordan Matthews.

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Panthers add TE Jordan Matthews to 53-man roster, place rookie on IR

The Panthers brought TE Jordan Matthews up to their 53-man roster.

Jordan Matthews’ feel-good story is back on track.

As officially announced on Thursday morning, the Carolina Panthers have added the veteran tight end to their 53-man roster. Matthews, one of the team’s summer standouts, was released during the initial roster cutdown on Tuesday and brought back as a practice-squad member on Wednesday.

The 32-year-old began turning heads during training camp, and parlayed his practice performances into a productive preseason. Matthews finished second on the team in receptions (seven) and receiving yards (68), and capped off the first-team offense’s impressive opening drive in the finale on an 8-yard touchdown connection with quarterback Bryce Young.

Carolina is currently dealing with injuries in their tight end room to Tommy Tremble (hamstring) and Ian Thomas (calf). 2024 fourth-round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders had been the only healthy tight end at practice following the move to their 53-man roster.

To make room for Matthews’ promotion, the Panthers placed rookie defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy on injured reserve. The 2024 sixth-rounder, who has been sidelined with a high-ankle sprain, will now miss at least the first four games of the regular season.

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Initial 53-man roster projection for the 2024 Panthers

Here is our final projection for the Panthers’ initial 2024 53-man roster:

Now that the preseason is officially in the books, the Carolina Panthers have another task to tackle—the big cutdown.

Between now and 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the Panthers and the rest of the NFL’s 31 teams must get down to their initial 53-player rosters.

Here is our final projection for Carolina’s initial 53:

Quarterbacks (2)

In: Bryce Young, Andy Dalton
Out: Jack Plummer

Plummer impressed in the summer finale, completing 21 of his 29 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. But that still won’t be enough to devote a third spot on the roster to a quarterback.

Running backs (4)

In: Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, Raheem Blackshear, Mike Boone
Out: Jaden Shirden
Reserve/NFI list: Jonathon Brooks

Boone has benefitted from the inactivity of both Blackshear and Brooks, who isn’t expected back for at least a handful of weeks into the regular season. And luckily for the former, his successful track record as a kick returner keeps him around.

Wide receivers (6)

In: Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, Jonathan Mingo, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, David Moore
Out: Terrace Marshall Jr., Michael Strachan, Jalen Coker, Sam Pinckney

The sixth and final spot came down to Marshall Jr. and Moore. Moore’s experience on special teams and his previous history with head coach Dave Canales in both Seattle and Tampa Bay give him the edge.

Tight ends (4)

In: Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Jordan Matthews
Out: Feleipe Franks, Jacob Hollister, Jesper Horsted

Matthews earned his spot with a spectacular summer. The 32-year-old opened the preseason with a team-high 48 receiving yards in New England and ended it with a touchdown to kick off the last outing in Buffalo.

Offensive linemen (9)

In: Ikem Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Austin Corbett, Robert Hunt, Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Yosh Nijman, Cade Mays, Chandler Zavala
Out: Ricky Lee, Jeremiah Crawford, Mason Brooks, Andrew Raym, Jack Anderson, Ike Boettger, Tyler Smith

Given that he’s the only true center on the roster, Raym has a shot to stick on. But the versatility of backups such as Nijman, Christensen and Mays allows the Panthers to keep the number of hog mollies at nine.

Defensive linemen (5)

In: Derrick Brown, A’Shawn Robinson, Shy Tuttle, Nick Thurman, LaBryan Ray
Out: Jaden Crumedy, T.J. Smith, Ulomoo Ale, Jayden Peevy, Walter Palmore, Junior Aho

Crumedy, the team’s sixth-round selection from this spring, could be in trouble while dealing a high-ankle sprain. So could Smith, who’d be a favorite to sneak back on as a practice squad member after recording a pair of sacks this preseason.

Outside linebackers (5)

In: Jadeveon Clowney, K’Lavon Chaisson, DJ Johnson, Eku Leota, Luiji Vilain
Out: Cam Gill, Derrick McLendon, Kenny Dyson
Reserve/Physically unable to perform list: D.J. Wonnum, Amaré Barno

Vilain and Gill could be battling for the fifth locker. But if it actually doesn’t go to either, look for the Panthers to pick up a pass rusher off the street.

Inside linebackers (4)

In: Shaq Thompson, Josey Jewell, Trevin Wallace, Claudin Cherelus
Out: Chandler Wooten, Tae Davis, Aaron Beasley

Canales does not take special teams prowess for granted. Cherelus and Wooten could claim spots with theirs.

Cornerbacks (6)

In: Jaycee Horn, Michael Jackson, Troy Hill, Chau Smith-Wade, Dicaprio Bootle, D’Shawn Jamison
Out: Willie Drew, Chris Wilcox, Quandre Mosely
Injured: Dane Jackson

The “significant” hamstring injury to Jackson (Dane, that is) could force the Panthers to keep a few outside options—including both Bootle and Jamison.

Safeties (5)

In: Xavier Woods, Jordan Fuller, Nick Scott, Jammie Robinson, Alex Cook
Out: Demani Richardson, Rudy Ford
Injured: Sam Franklin Jr.

As Canales has stated, there’s no replacing Franklin Jr.—who will be out for quite a bit while healing up a broken foot. Cook, however, could give the Panthers a little bit back on special teams.

Specialists (3)

In: Eddy Piñeiro, Johnny Hekker, JJ Jansen

Well, nothing to see here.

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Panthers get big names back from injuries on Monday

Monday’s practice saw a few important Panthers return to the practice field.

The Carolina Panthers are getting healthy.

Monday’s installment of training camp played host to a handful of notable, and much-welcomed, returns. On offense, the team got back wide receiver Xavier Legette (foot) and tight end Tommy Tremble (hamstring).

Head coach Dave Canales talked a bit about Legette’s recovery from his injury on Saturday.

“Yeah, he’s doin’ great,” Canales said of his rookie pass catcher. “Again, it’s a really a day-to-day thing. And we’re just trying to get the discomfort out of the foot completely, clear it up before we start getting him into really fast change-of-direction things. So the in-line stuff is great. And we’ll be smart about that and bring him along.”

Canales, however, didn’t seem hopeful about Legette or Tremble suiting up for this weekend’s preseason matchup with the New York Jets.

Also joining the party this morning was linebacker Shaq Thompson, who has been sidelined with a hamstring issue of his own. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was asked how the 10th-year veteran looked during his first day back.

“He looked good, he looked good,” Evero replied. “He picked up where he left off at. The one thing you don’t have to worry about with Shaq—whether he’s rehabbing or out there playing is that he’s gonna work his butt off. I didn’t see any rust or anything like that from that standpoint.”

Thompson missed 15 games last season after fracturing his fibula in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints. The 30-year-old is currently on the final season of his contract.

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Panthers rookie TE Ja’Tavion Sanders experiencing ‘exponential growth’ in training camp

Panthers HC Dave Canales praised rookie TE Ja’Tavion Sanders for stepping up to his opportunities this summer.

Carolina Panthers rookie Ja’Tavion Sanders isn’t backing down from opportunity.

With so many of his fellow tight ends currently sidelined with injuries, the 21-year-old has stepped up this summer. Head coach Dave Canales spoke on Sanders’ progress following Saturday’s outing of training camp.

“It’s exponential growth, every day,” Canales said. “What I’ve seen him do is just kinda really take big leaps in the techniques. And you’ll see that with young guys. You’ll see big leaps, and then you wanna get them to the point where it’s consistent. And then we take our incremental growth—just like some of the veteran guys who have been around.

“So JT is taking those steps that we’re looking for. 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.”

The Panthers selected Sanders with the very first pick in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL draft. He comes over from the University of Texas fresh off a pair of First-team All-Big 12 selections—thanks, in part, to his 99 receptions, 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns between 2022 and 2023.

As of now, Carolina is currently without Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas and Stephen Sullivan—the team’s top three options at the tight end position from a year ago. So if Sanders keeps growing, perhaps that No. 4 spot will be a bit too small for the promising pass catcher.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales provides injury updates on handful of key players

Panthers HC Dave Canales provided the latest on a few notable injuries.

The Carolina Panthers are continuing to proceed through the summer with caution.

Head coach Dave Canales provided some injury updates on a handful of notable players early this afternoon. Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer asked Canales about tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas, left guard Damien Lewis and inside linebacker Shaq Thompson.

“Tommy is probably a week-ish out with the hamstring,” Canales said of Tremble, who has been shut down with his setback. “Trying to get him to full health before we get him back out there. Ian, Ian’s got a calf that’s gonna take some time. That’s gonna take us really closely up to Week 1. So our goal is to just get those guys back. Instead of forcing them back out here, let’s make sure we get them healthy and feel really good about getting them out.

“Damien Lewis—the shoulder, just trying to make sure we’re managing that. It’s still a little bit stoved up right now, so we’re just trying to get his shoulder to calm down so he can get back out here. But he’s been getting auxiliary work.

“Shaq, same thing, just the hamstring. He caught it early, so we’re just trying to get on top of that, making sure he’s getting his conditioning and putting him out there.”

Canales and the Panthers have already lost one of their leaders, safety and special teams ace Sam Franklin Jr., to a broken foot. The timeframe for his return is not yet known.

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Panthers shut down TE Tommy Tremble with hamstring injury

Panthers TE Tommy Tremble may be down for a bit.

The Carolina Panthers’ tight end renaissance, or at least their journey to one, took a bit of a hit this week.

Fourth-year veteran Tommy Tremble was sidelined for Thursday’s outing of training camp. After practice, head coach Dave Canales hit the lectern and was asked about the status of his top tight end.

“Tommy, we had to shut Tommy down,” Canales replied. “He was startin’ to experience some tightness in his hamstring, so we wanted to make sure we get ahead of it. Instead of trying to nurse him through a bunch of days, let’s get him really healthy and let’s have him come back to us the way we know he can be.”

This particular position has been quite the disappointment for quite some time in Carolina. Over the past three seasons, all Panthers tight ends have combined for 1,530 yards and eight touchdowns on 154 receptions

Canales’ “tight end-friendly” offense, however, has sparked some hope for their group—with Tremble as the perceived No. 1 of the bunch.

Still just 24 years old, the former third-round pick hit career-highs in catches (23), receiving yards (194) and receiving touchdowns (three) this past season.

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