Carolina Panthers News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/3/24

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills 

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: DE Viliami Fehoko

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Seattle Seahawks

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: DL Buddha Jones

Tennessee Titans

  • Waived: LB Luke Gifford
  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR Tre’Shaun Harrison

The Eagles waived Tuipulotu to make room for waiver claim Byron Young. Tuipulotu had worked as an Eagles rotational DT, playing 232 snaps in 2022 and 162 last season. A 2021 sixth-round pick, Tuipulotu notched two sacks and three tackles for loss last season.

Early September is a bit earlier than most teams poach a player of another club’s P-squad. The Panthers doing so means they must carry Swinson, a rookie UDFA out of Arizona State, on their 53-man roster for at least three weeks. Panthers tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas are battling injuries. Swinson joins those two, veteran Jordan Matthews and rookie fourth-rounder Ja’Tavian Sanders on a rare five-TE depth chart.

Panthers Release OLB K’Lavon Chaisson

K’Lavon Chaisson‘s time with the Panthers is set to come to an end without any regular season game time. The former first-round edge rusher was released on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Chaisson played out his rookie contract with the Jaguars, unsuccessfully attempting to carve out a regular role on defense. The 25-year-old logged 11 starts across his first two seasons in Jacksonville, but his playing time notably dropped after that point. With only five sacks to his name, Chaisson understandably did not have a strong free agent market in the spring.

Carolina added him on a one-year deal including $500K guaranteed. The team will see that amount become a dead money charge as a result of this move, but it will generate $2MM in savings. The Panthers are thin along the edge as things stand, with D.J. Wonnum and Amare Barno being placed on the reserve/PUP list last week. They will miss at least the first four weeks of the season.

The Panthers were tight against the cap heading into Tuesday, and this move will help in that regard. Carolina was already known to be on the lookout for an edge rush addition before cutting Chaisson, so a move for a healthy contributor should be expected in the coming days. At the moment, the team has Jadeveon Clowney, DJ Johnson, Eku Leota and Jamie Sheriff in place.

Chaisson could remain in the Panthers’ organization via a practice squad deal. Otherwise, he will seek out a new team in advance of Week 1 as he looks to find the opportunity for a long-term NFL gig. Given the LSU product’s rotational usage on special teams, he could land an end-of-the-roster role somewhere in relatively short order.

Panthers Will Not Sign QB John Wolford

John Wolford had a deal in place to join the Panthers’ practice squad, but that will no longer be the case. The seventh-year quarterback is not heading to Carolina at this time, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Wolford spent the 2023 season with the Buccaneers, spending time under Dave Canales. Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator for that campaign, Canales took the Panthers’ head coaching gig during the 2024 hiring cycle, so it came as no surprise Wolford showed interest in following him to Carolina. Person adds the Panthers will use that practice squad spot on a different position for the time being, though.

An agreement with Wolford could still be in the cards for Carolina later on, Person notes. The 28-year-old entered the league as a UDFA in 2018, making his regular season debut two years later with the Rams. Wolford made a total of eight appearances and five starts during his Los Angeles tenure, including a wild-card win in 2020 during which he was injured early.

The Buccaneers had Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask on the depth chart last season, and that remains the case in 2024. Wolford is free to sign with any team, but a spot on a practice squad (rather than an active roster) should be expected unless the early portion of the season leaves potential suitors in need of healthy passers in short order. Attention in Carolina will remain focused on Canales’ ability to develop Bryce Young, a central part of why he was hired as the team’s new coach.

The Panthers have Young and veteran Andy Dalton on the active roster as things stand. The team also has Jake Plummer on the taxi squad as a developmental option. Changes to that depth chart could take place if Wolford finds himself in Carolina, but at least for now that will not take place.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/24

Here are Monday’s practice squad additions and subtractions:

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: WR Praise Olatoke

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: OL Blake Larson

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: DB Ayo Oyelola

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: S Kendell Brooks

Weaver has dropped from the player who logged 640 defensive snaps in 2022, when Harold Landry was sidelined for the year, to the practice squad level. The Titans waived Weaver after setting their initial 53-man roster. He will follow ex-teammate Teair Tart by joining the Texans’ D-line upon being a Titans cut. Though, Tart landed in Houston via waiver claim and never dropped to the P-squad. Weaver registered 5.5 sacks in 2022 but did not record any in 15 games last season.

The Giants waived Long last week. He will join a Colts team that has made multiple moves at corner since setting its initial roster. Indianapolis, which took some heat for not augmenting its outside CB situation this offseason, claimed Samuel Womack off waivers from San Francisco and waived Darrell Baker. Long, a former Rams third-round pick, played for three teams (Raiders, Panthers, Packers in 2023.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/2/24

Here are Labor Day’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: CB Dee Delaney

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR David Durden

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: TE Trey Knox

New Orleans Saints

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: TE Kevin Rader

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Commanders

Stromberg sustained a knee injury that will require surgery. The 2023 third-round pick, one of five 2023 draftees that did not make Washington’s 53-man roster last week, will only need an arthroscopic procedure, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. Stromberg is aiming to catch on somewhere else around the midseason point. He only played 26 rookie-year snaps on offense. The Arkansas product would technically have a chance to land back with the Commanders, depending on the terms of the settlement, but the team moving on so early may well point to the Adam Peters regime deeming the Ron Rivera– and Martin Mayhew-overseen move a mistake.

Davis figures to land elsewhere and play this season. The 28-year-old linebacker sustained a foot sprain and will be out for a few weeks, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. Davis played in 16 games, split evenly between the Saints and Panthers, last season.

Panthers Seeking Edge Rush Addition

The Panthers’ initial roster is essentially set in advance of Week 1, but depth moves could still be forthcoming. An addition along the edge in particular would not come as a surprise.

[RELATED: Panthers Add Lonnie Johnson, Claim Three CBs]

In advance of the roster cutdown deadline, Carolina placed D.J. Wonnum and Amare Barno on the reserve/PUP list. That move guaranteed both pass rushers will miss at least the first four weeks of the season, leaving the team thin on the edge. Wonnum was added in free agency and is a veteran of 31 starts dating back to his Vikings tenure. Barno has logged signficant special teams snaps during his two years in the league, but he handled a rotational defensive role last season.

With both Wonnum and Barno on the mend, the Panthers’ depth chart currently consists of Jadeveon Clowney, DJ Johnson, Eku Leota and K’Lavon Chaisson at the outside linebacker spot. Head coach Dave Canales said, via Joe Person of The Athletic, that Barno will likely be sidelined longer than the one-month minimum (subscription required). As a result, Carolina – a team which also has Tarron Jackson on the practice squad – is a prime candidate to make at least a depth addition capable of chipping in at the start of the season.

Indeed, general manager Dan Morgan confirmed (via Person) a move at the outside linebacker position is being looked into. Clowney joined the team on a two-year free agent deal, one which could provide him with a degree of stability in his career. The former No. 1 pick had a strong one-and-done campaign with the Ravens last season, matching his career best with 9.5 sacks. Since Brian Burns is no longer in the fold, production off the edge will be a key storyline for Carolina in 2024 with Clowney leading the way.

The Panthers (who, Morgan noted, do not have a firm timeline in place on Wonnum’s recovery timeline) currently sit at the bottom of the league in terms of cap space. Moves aimed at adding flexibility will be needed in the coming days to achieve cap compliance. A restructure or two should therefore be expected, but acquisition of an edge rusher should be as well. The likes of Yannick Ngakoue, Romeo Okwara and Shaq Lawson are on the open market.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/30/24

Many teams used Friday to make further adjustments to their practice squads. Here is the full breakdown:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Signed: DT Cory Durden
  • Released: DT Tuli Letuligasenoa

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Wolford’s seven regular season appearances to date have all come with the Rams. The 28-year-old spent last season with the Buccaneers, though, working with then-offensive coordinator Dave Canales. Canales is now the head coach in Carolina, and Wolford has followed him in a bid to earn a 53-man roster spot at some point during the season. The Panthers already had Jack Plummer on their taxi squad, but Wolford will offer Canales and Co. a more familiar option behind Bryce Young and Andy Dalton.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/29/24

PFR’s practice squad rundown, signaling we are indeed close to games that count, begins Thursday. Here is how teams began to handle their 16-man P-squads.

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Slovis went to camp with the Colts, joining the team as a UDFA this year. Houston placed Case Keenum on IR and released Tim Boyle, who is now the Dolphins’ P-squad QB. Slovis, who played at USC, Pittsburgh and BYU in college, is now the Texans’ de facto third-stringer.

Shelley has 11 career starts — with the Bears and Vikings — on his resume. He joined the Raiders last year but ended up with the Rams, playing in 11 games as a backup. The Giants have spent time searching for a cornerback answer, having not been too satisfied with their Cor’Dale FlottNick McCloud CB2 competition. New York did not make any waiver claims at the position Wednesday.

Reagor, who played for the Patriots last season, is back after being released earlier this week. The former Minnesota first-rounder played in 11 New England games last season, returning a kick for a touchdown. Latu joins the Browns after being a 49ers cut. The 2023 third-round pick missed all of last season with an ACL tear. Jefferson is back with the Bolts hours after being released.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/29/24

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys 

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: LB Keandre Jones, S Ben Nikke

Schlottmann suffered what Brian Daboll called a long-term injury. Elaborating on the injury Schlottmann suffered in practice Wednesday, The Athletic’s Dan Duggan notes the veteran backup O-lineman will rehab a broken fibula. The injury is expected to shut down the free agency addition for at least two months. No surgery is on tap for Schlottmann. The Giants considering him for activation may depend on their injury situation, as teams only have eight regular-season IR activations. The Giants have seven presently, as they used a summer IR designation on linebacker Matthew Adams on Tuesday.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC South

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Buccaneers, FalconsPanthers and Saints moves are noted below.

Atlanta Falcons

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Carolina Panthers

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

  • WR Jalen Coker

Waived from IR:

Signed to practice squad:

New Orleans Saints

Signed:

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad: