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Carolina Panthers News & Rumors

Panthers Designate OLB Yetur Gross-Matos For Return

November 23rd, 2023 at 10:28am CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers may be nearing the return of another important defender. Edge rusher Yetur Gross-Matos was designated for return from injured reserve on Thursday, per a team announcement.

[RELATED: Panthers Open Jeremy Chinn’s Practice Window]

Gross-Matos, like safety Jeremy Chinn, was placed on IR last month. That move required an absence of at least four weeks, a timeframe which has now transpired. The former now has up to 21 days to resume practicing before being activated. His return will give Carolina’s pass rush a welcomed boost.

The Panthers have been led off the edge by two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns, to no surprise. He has posted five sacks in nine games in his contract year, but Gross-Matos has chipped in while serving in a rotational capacity. The 25-year-old recorded 2.5 sacks, six pressures and five quarterback hits in six games before going down with a hamstring injury. With fellow edge rusher Justin Houston also on IR, Gross-Matos should be in line to reclaim a starting spot upon his return to the lineup.

The latter logged a career-high snap share of 73% last season, and he responded with a personal best in tackles (54) among other categories. Gross-Matos has failed to surpass 3.5 sacks in a season, however, and he faced questions about how well he would fit in new defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero‘s 3-4 scheme. Setting a new benchmark in sacks – as he will likely be able to do if he can remain healthy for the rest of the year – will help the Penn State alum in advance of his first foray into free agency.

Gross-Matos is set to see his rookie contract expire this offseason, so a strong showing over the next few games would boost his market either on a new Panthers deal or one with an outside team. Carolina has six IR activations at the moment, but bringing Gross-Matos (along with Chinn and cornerback Jaycee Horn) back into the lineup will leave the team with three in the near future.

Panthers Designate S Jeremy Chinn For Return

November 22nd, 2023 at 8:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Although not much else seems to be going right for Carolina this year, the struggling Panthers are set to return a major defensive starter after designating safety Jeremy Chinn to return from injured reserve, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. After missing the required four games, Chinn has returned to practice and will have 21 days to get activated before he is forced to return to season-ending IR.

The 2023 NFL season is an important one for Chinn, who is playing in a contract year this season. A strong rookie year set the tone for Chinn’s career after he finished second to Chase Young in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2020. He displayed a nose for the football over his first two seasons. In addition to surpassing 100 tackles in each of those two years, Chinn totaled three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries (two for a touchdown), two interceptions, and 10 passes defensed.

A Week 4 hamstring injury landed Chinn on IR last year, causing him to miss most or all of seven straight contests. Despite the extended absence, Chinn still finished fourth on the team with 70 total tackles and was tied for third on the team for passes defensed with six.

This year, the Panthers had shifted Chinn into a bit of a reduced role. While free agent signing Vonn Bell took over a full-time starting job next to Xavier Woods, Chinn found himself averaging less than 98 percent of the team’s defensive snaps for the first time since him rookie season, sometimes playing in less than half of Carolina’s defensive sets.

As Chinn’s role in the Panthers’ defense has changed and Carolina has found a suitable starting duo in Bell and Woods, the team began listening to offers on their former second-round pick. Before the Eagles brought in All-Pro Kevin Byard from Tennessee, Philadelphia reportedly held serious interest in taking Chinn out of Carolina.

In the end, though, Chinn remains with the Panthers. Despite the reduced role he’ll likely continue to see throughout the remainder of the season, Chinn needs to use this opportunity as an audition for the eventual free agency he is sure to face. That opportunity will begin once the Panthers complete the chain of transactions necessary to bring him off of IR.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/23

November 22nd, 2023 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Although the Rams look to be expecting Kyren Williams to be activated for Week 12, they will keep Henderson around as insurance. The Rams turned to their former third-round pick immediately after injuries moved Williams and Ronnie Rivers off the roster. Despite waiving Henderson in November 2022, the Rams plugged him back in. While Royce Freeman‘s per-carry numbers (4.3) outshine Henderson’s (2.4), the latter scored two touchdowns during his latest run in Sean McVay‘s system. While the Rams waived Henderson again Tuesday, Freeman remains on Los Angeles’ active roster.

Harmon will join team No. 3 this season. The former Patriots Super Bowl winner, a Raider in 2022, began the season with the Ravens. The Bears signed Harmon off Baltimore’s practice squad last month. Harmon, 32, would represent a veteran safety presence for a Browns team that just lost Rodney McLeod for the season.

Austin Corbett Lands On IR; Panthers G To Miss Rest Of Season

November 22nd, 2023 at 11:15am CST by Sam Robinson

Austin Corbett spent much of this year rehabbing an ACL tear. The veteran Panthers guard returned before the midseason point, coming off the reserve/PUP list. But he will finish the season with another injury designation.

The Panthers placed Corbett on IR on Wednesday. Another knee malady will sideline him. Corbett sustained another injury to his left knee, though Panthers.com’s Darin Gantt confirmed this issue is not ACL-related. But Corbett’s season is done. The veteran blocker indicated he suffered an MCL injury.

Corbett’s 2023 campaign will wrap after four games. While the sixth-year guard spent most of this year rehabbing the ACL tear he suffered in Week 18 of last season, he exited the 2022 slate having not missed a start since 2019. The Panthers have played most of this season without their starting left guard, Brady Christensen.

The Panthers gave Corbett a three-year, $26.25MM deal in March 2022. This led Corbett from Los Angeles to Charlotte; a productive Rams tenure created a midlevel market for the former Browns second-round pick. Corbett started 57 consecutive games from 2019-22, becoming a key cog for two playoff-bound Rams teams in that span. Moved into Los Angeles’ lineup shortly after an in-season trade in 2019, Corbett later started all four Rams postseason games during the team’s 2021 Super Bowl LVI charge.

Carolina did not play a game with both its starting guards this season, with Christensen going down with a biceps injury in Week 1. The Panthers did not activate Corbett until Oct. 24, completing an odyssey that began in January. Christensen suffered a broken ankle in that damaging season finale in New Orleans but was ready to go by training camp. Corbett, 28, suffering a second injury to his left knee will make him a cut candidate in 2024.

Corbett is tied to a $10MM cap number next season, the final year of his contract. No guarantees remain on the deal. With the Corbett-Christensen tandem assembled during Matt Rhule‘s run as head coach, it would make sense to see Carolina explore alternatives — especially after Corbett’s recent run of bad luck. Then again, the Panthers retained their offensive line coach — James Campen — to work with Frank Reich. And Reich’s status, despite being hired this year, is very much in doubt for 2024.

Carolina also placed cornerback Dicaprio Bootle on IR. Picked up this summer after the Chiefs waived him, Bootle started in two Panthers games and played in eight for the 1-9 team.

Steelers To Sign LB Blake Martinez Off Panthers’ Practice Squad

November 21st, 2023 at 12:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time in two days, the Steelers are signing a linebacker who recently retired. After bringing back Myles Jack, the team will add Blake Martinez.

Pittsburgh is signing Martinez off Carolina’s practice squad, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Martinez came out of retirement recently, catching on with the Panthers. The former Packers and Giants starter will move closer to game action now. Martinez has not seen game action since he retired midway through last season.

Because Martinez is being signed off another team’s P-squad, he must remain on the Steelers’ active roster for at least three weeks. The Steelers have lost two linebackers — Kwon Alexander and Cole Holcomb — for the season. The depleted group will soon have both Jack, 28, and Martinez, 29, at practice. Both began this season as retired players.

This represents quite the course change for Martinez. The Giants gave the prolific tackler a three-year, $30MM deal in 2020, but a 2021 ACL tear altered his career. Big Blue released the veteran defender just before last season, and although the Raiders eventually picked him up, a strange chapter took place soon. Martinez retired following an 11-tackle performance — in a Week 9 Raiders loss to the Jaguars — and went into business selling Pokemon cards. That venture proved to be highly lucrative in its first year, but Martinez and his company have since been met with allegations of scamming customers and banned from the online marketplace on which it operated.

Prior to the unusual retirement decision, Martinez had been one of the NFL’s premier tacklers. He totaled at least 144 stops in each season from 2017-20, being a key Packers second-level presence and initially justifying the Giants’ free agency payment. He added 11 sacks from 2018-20. The ACL tear nixed that path, leading to a pay-cut agreement in 2022. After the Giants decided to cut bait months after that salary adjustment, Martinez still made two starts for the Raiders. He will join a Steelers team that has depended on its defense throughout the season.

Alexander and Holcomb being lost for the season left Elandon Roberts as a key piece; the former Patriots and Dolphins ‘backer posted 15 tackles against the Browns. Roberts’ 71 stops lead the team. The Steelers turned to Mykal Walker as their other three-down LB against the Browns. Walker is on team No. 4 this season, moving from the Falcons to the Bears to the Raiders to the Steelers over the past few months. Suddenly, Roberts will be surrounded by veteran newcomers. Jack, who spent last season in Pittsburgh, became available shortly after Philadelphia released him from its reserve/retired list.

Panthers HC Frank Reich, GM Scott Fitterer On Hot Seat

November 18th, 2023 at 10:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Last year, the Panthers fired Matt Rhule after a 1-4 start. Interim HC Steve Wilks then led the team to a 6-6 finish that left it still in the NFC South race until Week 17. Despite many of the same cornerstone players in place, Carolina’s 2023 edition has the NFL’s worst record.

Trading up significant assets to secure Bryce Young at No. 1 overall, the Panthers were never viewed as a team that would truly contend this season. But their disappointing first half has many around the league wondering if David Tepper will bail on the power structure he signed off on in January. One member of Carolina’s power duo may be on a hotter seat than the other, but both Frank Reich and GM Scott Fitterer do not appear certain to retain their jobs beyond this season.

Many around the NFL are eyeing this situation, with the Washington Post’s Jason La Canfora noting there is a strong sense Reich will become a one-and-done. Even within the Panthers’ building, La Canfora adds the belief is jobs are on the line going into the season’s second half. This would be a stunning flip-flop from ownership — especially after Rhule went from receiving a seven-year contract to being canned after Week 5 of his third season — but Tepper has not exactly gained a reputation for stability during his early years running the NFC South team. Indeed, Tepper’s reputation is driving the speculation Reich will be canned after just one season, Sportskeeda’s Tony Pauline adds.

Tepper is believed to be irked by Young’s performance thus far, an NFL personnel exec informed La Canfora while adding the sixth-year owner drove the bus for the Alabama prospect. When the Panthers obtained the No. 1 overall pick, rumors of Reich preferring C.J. Stroud surfaced. Those steadily faded, as Young won the organization over despite his slight frame. The Panthers have seen Stroud hit the ground running with the Texans, and despite Carolina’s only win coming over Houston, the team has taken significant steps back compared to how it finished in 2022.

Among qualified passers, Young ranks only ahead of Ryan Tannehill in QBR this season. The former Heisman winner sits last in yards per attempt — at just 5.4 — and has thrown eight touchdown passes compared to seven interceptions. Young’s struggles should probably have been expected, given Carolina’s skill-position deficiencies. The team gave Miles Sanders the top RB contract in free agency; Chuba Hubbard has since leapfrogged the ex-Eagle for the starting role. Adam Thielen has gone from Vikings cap casualty to the Panthers’ No. 1 target, in his age-33 season. Thielen has been productive in Carolina; no one else in this skill group has. Neither DJ Chark nor Hayden Hurst — the latter receiving the top tight end deal this offseason — has topped 230 receiving yards this year.

After pointing to Thomas Brown being in consideration to call plays this offseason, Reich handed the duties off during the team’s bye week. Three games in, Reich took back the reins from the young OC. The Panthers did not top 15 points in a game during Brown’s short run calling the shots, and while the veteran HC said this about-face is not indicative of Brown’s long-term future, the quick change was certainly notable.

Reich beat out Wilks for the Panthers’ top job, with Tepper preferring an offense-oriented HC. The five-year Colts leader is the Panthers’ first offense-geared sideline boss. Well respected, Reich being fired from two HC jobs in two years would undoubtedly drop him back to the coordinator tier moving forward. Reich, 61, did pull back the curtain a bit on Tepper’s style earlier this season by pointing to the owner being heavily involved in football operations via the two’s weekly meetings. After the experience Reich had with Jim Irsay in Indianapolis, this is familiar territory.

But Reich may also not be the likeliest Panthers power broker to go. Fitterer should not be expected to weather this storm, according to Pauline. Fitterer arrived in 2021 to work with Rhule, following a successful tenure as a Seahawks exec, and was left in power ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. The veteran staffer pulled the trigger on a Christian McCaffrey trade, giving the Panthers four draft choices, but did not accept a Rams offer of two first-rounders for Brian Burns. The young defensive end was not believed to have drawn similar interest at this year’s deadline, which came after the Panthers could not extend him this offseason. A franchise tag is now expected for Burns, but it is far from certain Tepper will have Fitterer making that call.

Some members of the Panthers’ organization do not believe this is a well-assembled roster, and the team’s 1-8 record supports that. Despite being in a seller’s position, the Panthers pursued wide receivers — months after trading longtime No. 1 target D.J. Moore — at the deadline. Fitterer, who took a backseat to Rhule, has final say over Carolina’s 53-man roster. The Panthers lost to a Bears team missing Justin Fields; Carolina being in position to potentially hand over the 2024 No. 1 pick to Chicago would present difficult optics for Fitterer, who received a vote of confidence from Tepper after the Rhule firing.

Tepper firing Reich after one season would not make this a particularly attractive job, though the owner’s past authorizing big contracts for HCs and paying top dollar for assistants will help. This will be a situation to monitor during the season’s second half.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/18/23

November 18th, 2023 at 8:55pm CST by Ely Allen

This week’s callups and minor moves heading into Sunday:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers:

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Evans had been called up from the practice squad three times by the Cowboys, meaning he needed to be added to the 53-man roster this week to continue suiting up. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports “several teams” attempted to poach the veteran off the taxi squad, but his decision to remain with Dallas has culminated in today’s move. Evans has logged 74 combined defensive and special teams snaps with the Cowboys so far, recording three tackles.

James was out of the lineup for one game after being designated for return, but he will be eligible to suit up for the upcoming Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles. Mentioned as a trade candidate earlier this year, he will be able to add depth to a WR corps which has underperformed to date, and add to his single catch recorded in his two Kansas City games at the start of the campaign.

Panthers Designate CB Jaycee Horn For Return, Activate TE Ian Thomas

November 18th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

NOVEMEBER 18: Horn will remain on injured reserve for now, but Thomas has been activated, per a team announcement. The latter will have a large role to play immediately upon return since Hurst is out with a concussion. Thomas will aim to give Carolina a needed complementary option in the passing game late in the year with the jobs of several members of the organization potentially on the line.

NOVEMBER 13: The Panthers have been hit hard on the injury front this season, but a pair of reinforcements are on the way. The team announced on Monday that cornerback Jaycee Horn and tight end Ian Thomas have returned to practice.

Both players’ 21-day activation windows have been opened as a result. They must be activated within that span to avoid reverting to season-ending injured reserve. Horn has been eligible to return for some time now, but it was clear when he was initially placed on IR that a lengthy absence would be coming. A hamstring injury has kept the 23-year-old sidelined since Week 1.

Horn named remaining healthy as a key goal for his third season in Carolina, but injuries have remained a major factor in his young career. The former first-rounder was limited to just three games as a rookie, and he missed another four contests last year. After recording 53 tackles and three interceptions in 2022, though, his return will be a welcomed development for a Panther defense which, in his absence, has delivered a strong showing against the pass so far.

Thomas’ return will add depth to Carolina’s TE room, one which has been led by free agent addition Hayden Hurst. Thomas – who has missed the past four games due to a calf injury – showed promise as a rookie with 333 receiving yards, but he has yet to eclipse the 200-yard mark since then. The 27-year-old logged a career-low 24% snap share during his five games in 2023 prior to being placed on IR. Once back on the field, he will offer a complementary passing option as well as another contributor with respect to run blocking.

In anticipation of bringing Horn and Thomas back onto the 53-man roster, the Panthers also announced a number of other moves on Monday. Defensive back Matthias Farley and tight end Jordan Matthews have been let go, and they are now subject to waivers. Carolina also signed outside linebacker Eku Leota to the active roster since he had been designated a gameday elevation from the practice squad the maximum three times. The return of Horn and Thomas will leave the Panthers with four IR activations for the rest of the season.

Panthers Expected To Use Franchise Tag On Brian Burns

November 16th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers still have time to work out a deal with edge rusher Brian Burns, but signficant progress would need to be made for such a development to take place. A trip to free agency should not be expected in his case, though.

Burns is playing out his fifth-year option in 2023, valued at $16MM. A long-term deal will check in at a much larger figure than that, and a lucrative extension has been on Carolina’s radar for some time now. Little traction was gained this offseason, however, leaving the franchise tag as the logical backup plan for the Panthers. That is the course of action the team is expected to take at this point, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes.

This latest update comes as little surprise given where things currently stand. A recent report named Burns as an obvious tag candidate in the event a multi-year contract could not be worked out, and the 25-year-old has established himself as a franchise cornerstone. Carolina has turned down signficant trade interest in each of the past two seasons to retain Burns, demonstrating the team’s commitment to him in spite of his uncertain contractual future.

The two-time Pro Bowler is believed to be seeking a much higher AAV on a new deal than what the Panthers value him at. As a result, negotiations have been put on pause since the start of the season, and the passing of the trade deadline (during which at least five teams made a push to acquire him) has not spurred a new round of talks. Barring a signficant breakthrough, then, the one-year tag could loom as Carolina’s only option.

The 2024 tag for defensive ends – which Burns lined up as during the start of his career – will cost a projected $20.4MM. The tag for linebackers – which Burns would be listed as given the team’s switch to a 3-4 scheme this year – is scheduled to cost roughly $3MM less. It would be interesting to see if a compromise could be worked out between the two figures, though in any event a new contract would check in at a significantly higher rate given the upward trajectory of the edge market in recent years.

Nick Bosa‘s historic 49ers deal placed him at the top of the pecking order with an AAV of $34MM. While Burns has been connected to an asking price near that level, the Panthers are aiming closer to the $23.5MM mark Maxx Crosby is currently tied to. A pair of recent deals (Rashan Gary with the Packers, and Montez Sweat shortly upon arrival with the Bears) have been inked just above that rate. Carolina showed interest in the latter despite the fact he, like Burns, was set to see his rookie contract expire in March.

With Sweat now in Chicago for the long term, the Panthers can keep their attention on a new deal for Burns (and, potentially, a much more cost-effective contract for fellow pending free agent Yetur Gross-Matos). Carolina is currently slated to sit mid-pack in terms of 2024 cap space, but plenty of financial moves will be made between now and the new league year. By that point, Burns can be expected to at least have a placeholder contract in hand.

Minor NFL Transactions: 11/15/23

November 15th, 2023 at 7:41pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s minor roster moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

So far this year, Zakelj, the second-year interior offensive lineman, has only appeared in four games on special teams, but the team intended for him to compete with free agent signing Jon Feliciano for the backup center job behind starter Jake Brendel. With Aaron Banks out last week, and with the coaches wanting to get Feliciano more involved at right guard anyway, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports, Zakelj became a key backup at center. Unfortunately for Zakelj and the 49ers, a torn bicep will require surgery, taking Zakelj out for the remainder of the season.

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