Marquis Haynes is set to return to Carolina. The seventh-year edge rusher has a deal in place with the Panthers, as first reported by Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer. The move is now official, per a team announcement.
Kaye notes this will be a practice squad agreement. Haynes could soon see time on the active roster, though, as he looks to reclaim the depth role he has held throughout his career. The 30-year-old has logged 71 appearances to date, all with the Panthers. He had a lengthy stay on the free agent market, a period which included a Panthers workout.
Carolina hosted a number of other veteran edge options, however, and the team did not reunite with Haynes at that point. The former fourth-rounder wound up landing a Cardinals deal in August shortly after BJ Ojulari suffered a season-ending ACL tear. In very short order, though, Haynes was let go after his Arizona pact included an injury waiver (stemming from the time he spent on injured reserve last season). Now, he will circle back to his former team in a bid to put together a healthy campaign.
Haynes played sparingly during his rookie year, but since then his snap shares have ranged from 27-41%. His most productive campaign came in 2022, when he racked up five sacks and 16 pressures. After being limited to only seven games last year, the Ole Miss product could serve as a notable depth contributor along the edge upon being promoted to the active roster. Carolina ranks 30th in the NFL with only five sacks, so production from anywhere in the organization would be welcomed.
Neither D.J. Wonnum nor Amare Barno have played this season with both spending the first four weeks of the year on the reserve/PUP list. Both players will add much-needed depth along the edge once they are activated, but in the meantime Haynes could fill in as a rotational option. Succeeding in that capacity could help his market value ahead of the 2025 offseason.