Tag: Troy Pride Jr.

Panthers place CB Troy Pride Jr. on IR, part with 3 others

In addition to the trade of OT Greg Little, the Panthers maneuvered around four other players to reach Tuesday’s 85-man roster limit.

As unfortunate as this side of the business can be, five players were headed to the chopping block for the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday afternoon. What’s even more unfortunate is that one of them has come as a result of a crushing injury.

During their cutdown to the 85-man roster limit, the Panthers announced they have placed cornerback Troy Pride Jr. on the injured reserve. Pride Jr. sustained a knee injury late in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts and was carted off into the locker room.

The 23-year-old defender was drafted by the team in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He started in eight of his 14 games played as a rookie last season, totaling 41 tackles and a pair of pass deflections.

Pride Jr.’s spot on the roster was already in jeopardy, even prior to the injury. With Carolina boasting a sudden crop of solid depth at cornerback, teammates Keith Taylor and Stantley Thomas-Oliver III were presumed as favorites to knock off Pride Jr. on the depth chart.

The Panthers also released fullback Rod Smith, who they had signed less than two weeks ago, and waived/injured the duo of center Mike Panasiuk and linebacker Nate Hall.

Offensive tackle Greg Little was served his walking papers as well, with the team announcing a trade of the 2019 second-round pick to the Miami Dolphins at the head of this Tuesday wave of departures.

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Panthers injury update: CB Troy Pride Jr. carted away with leg injury

Panthers CB Troy Pride Jr. left Sunday’s preseason opener with an apparent leg injury.

Second-year cornerback Troy Pride Jr. already had his back against the wall entering Sunday’s preseason tilt in Indianapolis. Unfortunately, the way he exited it may not do much to help his case.

Pride Jr., who is in the trenches of a heavily contested battle for a cornerback spot on the roster, went down with an apparent leg injury in the fourth quarter. He was helped off and subsequently carted into the locker room after getting in on a nasty tackle of Colts wide receiver Tyler Vaughns.

The 2020 fifth-round pick, in an encouraging sign, did wave to fans on the way into the tunnel.

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4 Panthers to watch in preseason kickoff against Colts

Second-year CB Troy Pride Jr. will be amongst those looking to stand out for the Panthers’ preseason opener on Sunday in Indianapolis.

You were probably excited to see some of your favorite Carolina Panthers take the field today, even if for a series or two, in their first preseason contest of 2021. But, being that head coach Matt Rhule has ruled out the prospect of rolling out much of his starting unit, you’ll have to dig a little deeper for players to watch.

So, we’ll help you out. (You’re very welcome)

Here are four guys who will be worth keeping an eye in Indianapolis on Sunday.

Carolina Panthers 53-man roster projection: Training camp edition

Some players are showing out for the Carolina Panthers in training camp, making the team’s decision on their final 53-man roster increasingly tough.

The Carolina Panthers have released their first unofficial depth chart of the 2021 season. And you know what that means . . . Yes! More speculation!

So, off the heels of our previous 53-man projection back at OTAs, here is our latest forecast in the midst of the team’s training camp activities.

Panthers rule out rookie CB Troy Pride, elevate 2 from practice squad

The Carolina Panthers have announced a few moves ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Washington Football Team.

The Carolina Panthers have announced a few moves ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Washington Football Team.

CB Troy Pride Jr. ruled out

According to Will Bryan, rookie cornerback Troy Pride Jr. has been downgraded from doubtful to out for this week’s matchup due to the hip injury he suffered last Saturday night against the Green Bay Packers. He will not be traveling with the team. Pride has started in eight games this year and played in 14, totaling 42 tackles and two pass deflections. He has allowed a 118.3 passer rating in coverage, though. Look for seventh-round pick Stantley Thomas-Oliver to get more snaps as a result.

OT Matt Kasey elevated from practice squad

Also, Bryan says offensive tackle Matt Kaskey has been given the standard practice squad elevation for Sunday’s game. If he’s active, it will be the first time he’s played during his NFL career.

LB Clay Johnson also elevated

Finally, rookie linebacker Clay Johnson has also been elevated from the practice squad. He played for coach Matt Rhule at Baylor, posting 4.5 sacks and 26.5 tackles for a loss in his college career.

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Panthers rookie CB Troy Pride Jr. ‘doubtful’ for Week 16 game vs. Washington

On top of a tough loss, the Panthers suffered a couple of injuries on Saturday night in Green Bay

On top of a tough loss, the Panthers suffered a couple of injuries on Saturday night in Green Bay. Rookie defensive tackle Bravvion Roy had to leave the game at one point due to a knee issue. He later returned to the field though and helped Carolina’s frount four to a superb performance.

The team’s fourth-round pick Troy Pride Jr. was not as fortunate, though. Pride was getting picked on early and often by Aaron Rodgers and then suffered a hip/groin injury. He was listed as doubtful to return and he never got back on the field. It sounds like at least a multiple-week kind of problem. According to Joe Person at the Athletic, Pride is already considered doubtful for next week’s game against Washington.

Among the rookies who have seen significant playing time, Pride has struggled the most. In coverage, he’s allowed opponents to average 14.6 yards per completion, score two touchdowns and post a 118.3 passer rating when he’s the primary defender in coverage. Pride has also missed five tackles (10.6%).

At least the Panthers have one quality cornerback on their roster. Coach Matt Rhule told the media today that Donte Jackson had the best game he’s seen from him yet.

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Panthers CB Donte Jackson (toe) questionable to return vs. Falcons

Apparently, he reaggravated it again today and is now questionable to return against the Falcons.

The Panthers defense is off to another rough start in Atlanta against the Falcons. They got dominated at the line of scrimmage on the first drive and wound up giving up an easy touchdown run to Todd Gurley. They’re also hurting on the back end.

Cornerback Donte Jackson has been bothered by pain in his toe all season since he injured it early Week 1 against the Raiders. Apparently, he reaggravated it again today and is now questionable to return against the Falcons.

Rookie Troy Pride Jr. has taken Jackson’s place in the lineup. Atlanta leads 7-0 halfway through the first quarter.

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Analysis: Where does Eli Apple fit into the Panthers’ cornerback rotation?

After three weeks on the injured reserve list, the Carolina Panthers activated cornerback Eli Apple early Saturday morning.

After three weeks on the injured reserve list, the Carolina Panthers activated cornerback Eli Apple early Saturday morning. Under normal circumstances, Apple would be gearing up for a full game of starting cornerback duties opposite Donte Jackson. Now, his role is less clear.

So far, Carolina’s secondary has significantly outperformed the pre-season projections that ranked them as the second-to-worst unit in the league heading into 2020. That started with the improvement of third-year cornerback Donte Jackson, who has two interceptions and has only allowed a 64.7 passer rating when targeted, down from over 100 last year.

However, most of the offseason concern was about the other side of the defense, where no clear starter had emerged until very recently. The late arrival and early returns on Rasul Douglas have changed everything.

Douglas was thrown into the fire fast after Jackson suffered a toe injury early in Week 1 against the Raiders. The fourth-year corner came in and balled out despite having only a few days to learn the defense. He deflected two passes and made a few key tackles in his debut. Douglas has kept up the good work and is currently ranked among the league’s top-10 cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus going into Week 4.

Given the team’s success in the secondary so far, Apple’s role is more in question than when he first signed. We had projected him as the starter before Douglas was picked up. Now, we’re expecting Eli to play a backup role as he works his way into the rotation.

It would be foolish to take away Douglas’ starting job given how he’s performed from Weeks 1-3, and just as silly to pull Jackson given his hot start. Perhaps the injury to Apple was a blessing-in-disguise for the depth chart, since the Panthers are now faced with a good problem: having three starting-caliber outside corners on the roster.

This week’s matchup with an injury-plagued Cardinals team seems favorable for Carolina to keep the surprise momentum going, with two of Arizona’s top receivers in DeAndre Hopkins (ankle) and Christian Kirk (groin) listed as game-time decisions on their final injury report.

For now, expect to see Douglas keep his place in the starting lineup, but don’t be surprised if Apple steps in if either Jackson or Douglas has a rough game.

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Panthers rookie CB Troy Pride Jr. shares profound Vince Lombardi quote after 0-2 start

Rookie cornerback Troy Pride Jr. shared a profound and inspiring quote from Vince Lombardi on Twitter after the game.

The Panthers weren’t supposed to be good in 2020, so we really shouldn’t be shocked that they’ve started the year 0-2. Here and there we have seen flashes of potential and promise, but so far the season has been defined by what we expected going in: a lot of rookie mistakes and learning opportunities for an extremely inexperienced team.

Despair may be normal for fans after an 0-2 start, but pro athletes didn’t get where they are by throwing in the towel early. Rookie cornerback Troy Pride Jr. shared a profound and inspiring quote from Vince Lombardi on Twitter after the game.

Indeed he did not.

Pride will have to earn his way up the mountain, of course. After getting significant snaps Week 1 against the Raiders, Pride was replaced in the starting lineup by the veteran Rasul Douglas yesterday. Pride played just eight defensive snaps against the Buccaneers, 13% of the team’s total.

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Troy Pride Jr. on potentially starting for Panthers: ‘I want to be out there’

Panthers rookie Troy Pride Jr. on potentially starting: ‘I want to be out there.’

The Panthers held a “Fanfest” practice last night at Bank of America Stadium. While there wasn’t the traditional crowd or scrimmage, we did learn some interesting things about this team.

For one thing, four rookies were wearing black jerseys, which means they are in line for starting positions on defense. That includes defensive tackle Derrick Brown, defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, hybrid DB/LB Jeremy Chinn and cornerback Troy Pride Jr., who grew up rooting for the Panthers in South Carolina. When he was asked if starting is important to him by Joe Person at the Athletic, here’s what he had to say.

“Yeah. To be the ultimate competitor, I want to be out there. I feel that I’m the best suited, the best individual to be out there. So, yeah absolutely, to start, to play, to showcase my talents — but at the same time, it’s to get better. It’s to help my team, be the best for myself, be the best for my team.”

Pride also said he likes the idea of the black jerseys, as it gives players something to work toward.

As to where Pride will be playing, it could be one of two spots. Pride is in the mix for the competition to start outside opposite Donte Jackson along with Eli Apple, Corn Elder and TJ Green. He has also been getting reps at nickel. That versatility is something coach Matt Rhule has mentioned as one thing he likes about Pride.

Panthers fans should get used to the idea of not pigenholing players at specific positions, especially not on defense. Everyone from Kawann Short to Jeremy Chinn and Pride have been lining up at multiple spots at camp.

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