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Carolina Panthers News & Rumors

Panthers’ Brian Burns Addresses Contract Situation

September 3rd, 2023 at 6:12pm CST by Adam La Rose

Brian Burns remains without a deal beyond 2023, but he elected to take part in training camp unlike a number of other high-profile players seeking new contracts. The Panthers edge rusher recently spoke about his willingness to decide against holding out and his desire to finalize an extension.

“No fault to anybody who is not participating,” Burns said, via ESPN’s David Newton. “But we’ve got something special, and I’m a big part of it, so I can’t miss no time. I’ve just got to be here.”

Burns has long been on the extension radar, and at least one offer has been made. Newton reports that negotiations remained ongoing during practice last week, and Burns added that he remains “hopeful” an agreement can be reached before the season starts. He is due $16MM in 2023 while being tied to the fifth-year option, but a signficant raise will be required to hammer out a multi-year deal.

The Florida State product posted a career-high 12.5 sacks last season and he is in position to continue leading the Panthers’ edge rush group. A shift to a 3-4 scheme could help Burns continue his career ascent as a sack artist while masking his relative deficiencies as a run defender. A long-term commitment confirming his status as a franchise cornerstone was implied when Carolina turned down a Rams trade offer which included two first-round picks and again when they did not include him in the package sent to the Bears for the No. 1 pick in this year’s draft.

Burns, 25, is likely to garner a deal placing him at least in the top 10 amongst pass-rushers. That would require an AAV of no less than $20MM, but a figure closer to Myles Garrett‘s $25MM or Joey Bosa‘s $27MM could be in play (especially if Nick Bosa‘s 49ers holdout produces a monster extension to reset the market). Given the lucrative nature of Burns’ next contract, it was perhaps unsurprising that the latest report on his situation indicated signficant progress still needed to be made regarding extension talks.

Nevertheless, Burns reiterated his desire to remain in Carolina for the foreseeable future via a long-term deal, something which would go a long way in helping the team’s chances of competing in a wide-open NFC South. Negotiations could continue into the regular season, which would give team and player extra time to come to an agreement.

“We’ve got a lot of things I want to accomplish, a lot of goals, and God-willing we’ll reach those goals,” Burns added. “But I’ve got to be here.”

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/1/23

September 1st, 2023 at 7:47pm CST by Adam La Rose

Teams continue to tinker with their taxi squads in the aftermath of roster cutdowns. Here are Friday’s updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

  • Signed: WR T.J. Luther
  • Released: WR Thyrick Pitts

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/1/23

September 1st, 2023 at 5:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

Friday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/31/23

August 31st, 2023 at 8:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Following a busy roster deadline day on Tuesday, teams continue to reshuffle their rosters. Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

  • Placed on IR: TE Stephen Sullivan

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

The Ravens brought back a trio of veterans to their 53-man roster. Brent Urban is probably destined for the biggest role, with the veteran lineman serving as the top backup to Broderick Washington at defensive end. Urban got into 16 games for Baltimore last season, collecting 21 tackles and one sack. Veteran QB Josh Johnson will slide behind Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley on the depth chart, and Kevon Seymour will continue his role as a key special teamer.

The Cardinals are temporarily losing some production with offensive lineman Dennis Daley and linebacker Myjai Sanders being placed on IR. Daley joined the Cardinals on a two-year deal this offseason after starting 15 of his 17 appearances for the Titans in 2022. Sanders had a productive rookie campaign, with the third-round pick collecting 23 tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble.

Julian Okwara has turned into a productive pass-rushing option in Detroit. The former third-round pick has collected seven sacks over the past two seasons, but he’ll now be sidelined for the start of the season while recovering from a knee injury suffered during in the preseason finale.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC South

August 30th, 2023 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

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, Falcons, Panthers and Saints moves are noted below.

Atlanta Falcons

Signed:

Claimed:

Waived:

  • OL Josh Miles

Signed to practice squad: 

Carolina Panthers

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

New Orleans Saints

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Panthers Waive QB Matt Corral

August 30th, 2023 at 2:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

2:40pm: Being impressed with the progress Corral made, Reich said he would like to bring Corral back on a practice squad deal (via ESPN’s David Newton). Corral must clear waivers, which will process Thursday afternoon, in order for Corral to become available on a P-squad pact.

1:10pm: Matt Corral made the Panthers’ 53-man roster, but the team will move him off the roster to make room for an addition elsewhere. Carolina is waiving the former third-round pick, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report.

This move comes after Corral missed all of his rookie season. Many things Panthers have changed since they traded up for Corral last year. Frank Reich is now in place as head coach, and the team is rolling with a Bryce Young–Andy Dalton depth chart.

The Panthers claimed three players Wednesday — tackle Calvin Throckmorton, linebacker Claudin Cherelus, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison — and used Corral’s roster spot to make room. Carolina also waived wide receiver Derek Wright and linebacker Chandler Wooten. The team announced the moves.

After a Lisfranc injury last year, Corral recovered and played during Carolina’s preseason slate. He completed 28 of 47 passes for 249 yards, throwing no touchdown passes and an interception. The Panthers have moved on from many Matt Rhule-era players, partially evidenced by only one Temple alum remaining on the team, and they will jettison Corral.

It is possible Corral could return on a practice squad agreement, but the team dangled the Day 2 draftee in trades in March. Three years remain on Corral’s rookie contract. A team claiming the QB would have him tied to an $870K base salary this season. Corral’s rookie deal does not include a base salary north of $1MM until 2025. The deal only contained $884K guaranteed.

Unless a P-squad spot is offered, this marks an abrupt end to Corral’s Panthers run. The GM who traded up for Corral (under Rhule), Scott Fitterer, remains in place. The 2022 draft will also see two more of its maligned QBs — Desmond Ridder (Round 3) and Sam Howell (Round 5) — join Kenny Pickett as full-time starters to open the season. While Malik Willis‘ rookie-year form showed a sizable gap to bridge before he can be considered a starter-caliber passer, Corral has dropped well below his peers early in his career.

Panthers Reduce Roster To 53

August 29th, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers cut down their roster to 53 players today, but in the process, they ruled out a key offensive lineman for at least a month:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on PUP:

Placed on IR:

Austin Corbett continues to rehab from a torn ACL and has been sitting on PUP throughout the preseason. The transaction means the starting guard can’t be activated to the active roster until Week 5, but he may need longer to get into form. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe tweets that the team is hoping to have him back midway through the season. Rookie Chandler Zavala will likely slide into the starting lineup while Corbett is sidelined.

Eric Rowe has 100 games of experience in stints with the Eagles, Patriots, and Dolphins. He’s spent the past four seasons in Miami, starting 39 of his 63 appearances. This included a 2022 campaign where he got into 14 games (six starts), finishing with 56 tackles and a pair of sacks. The two-time Super Bowl champ joined the Panthers back in April.

Panthers To Cut LBs Deion Jones, Brandon Smith

August 29th, 2023 at 9:21am CST by Sam Robinson

9:21am: The Jones release has not, in fact, helped win Smith a spot on the 53-man roster. The former Matt Rhule draftee has been waived, per ESPN’s David Newton. Smith’s draft stock was boosted by his athletic traits, but they have yet to translate to production at the NFL level. The Panthers will be able to retain him via the practice squad if he goes unclaimed.

8:10am: Deion Jones did not end up with a team until the first week of training camp, and the former Falcons standout will not be part of the Panthers’ 53-man roster. Carolina is releasing the veteran linebacker, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This move will put Jones’ career at a crossroads of sorts, as he was unable to carve out a regular role as a Browns starter following an in-season trade. Previously attached to a top-market off-ball linebacker contract with Atlanta, Jones will pass straight into free agency as a vested veteran.

Jones, 28, started 83 games for the Falcons from 2016-21 and earned a four-year, $57MM extension from the team back in 2019. The Thomas Dimitroff regime authorized that deal. GM Terry Fontenot cut bait in his second year running the Falcons, incurring substantial dead money to do so. Jones still counts on the Falcons’ payroll this year, but the Panthers did not guarantee the former second-round pick anything.

Carolina is set at the top of the LB depth chart with Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu each on the books for at least one more year. The team also added Kamu Grugier-Hill in free agency, and 2022 fourth-rounder Brandon Smith resides on the roster as well. The latter has faced questions about his roster security this summer, but the decision to move on from Jones certainly helps his chances of remaining with the team moving forward.

As teams sort out their 53-man rosters and practice squads in the coming days, Jones will seek out a new fit which could offer a clearer path to playing time than what he faced in Carolina. The chances of that could be slim, however, and he may be resigned to taking another one-year, low-cost deal with an interested team in the hopes or rehabbing some of his free agent value. It will be interesting to see how much of a market he generates ahead of Week 1, and his ability to carve out a role on his next team.

Chiefs To Trade WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette To Panthers

August 29th, 2023 at 8:18am CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs will end up collecting an asset for one of their wide receivers. The defending Super Bowl champions are sending Ihmir Smith-Marsette to the Panthers in a trade Tuesday morning, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Carolina and Kansas City will swap conditional seventh-round picks in this low-level exchange. A third-year veteran, Smith-Marsette caught on with the Chiefs after the Bears cut him last year.

Smith-Marsette accumulated 195 yards during the preseason with the Chiefs. That total ranks second during this year’s August slate. The 24-year-old Iowa alum will have a chance to stick as a backup with a Panthers team that has overhauled its first-string receiving corps under Frank Reich.

A Smith-Marsette fumble impacted the Bears in a midseason loss to the Vikings last year, leading to an in-season departure. He ended up with the Chiefs on a practice squad deal. While Smith-Marsette played in two games with Kansas City last season, he did not catch a pass. He caught five for 116 yards as a rookie in Minnesota.

The Chiefs let JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman walk in free agency, injecting questions into their receiver situation. Kadarius Toney has not practiced since suffering an injury minutes into training camp. But the Chiefs have several young players set to form an intriguing mix around Travis Kelce and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Second-rounders Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice join the likes of Justin Watson and Justyn Ross as pieces in Patrick Mahomes‘ sixth NFL offense.

The Panthers, meanwhile, have added Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and second-round pick Jonathan Mingo to their mix around No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young. Former second-round pick Terrace Marshall remains on Carolina’s roster as well, as does ex-Jaguars Round 2 choice Laviska Shenault. Smith-Marsette may have a hard time finding regular playing time, but Carolina will take a flier on the preseason standout.

Panthers Cut QB Jake Luton, 10 Others

August 26th, 2023 at 11:03am CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers have a few more days until they need to reduce their roster to 53 players, but the front office has already started the process. The team announced that they’ve waived the following 11 player:

While none of these cuts are particularly surprising, there are still some notable players in the bunch. As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets, the Panthers may be starting the process early and trying to tempt another squad to make a waiver claim, which would improve Carolina’s spot in the rankings.

Considering his position, Luton is one of the bigger names on the list. The quarterback hasn’t seen the field for a regular season game since he was winless in three starts with the Jaguars in 2020, but he’s still had backup gigs over the past few years, with the QB having also spent time with the Seahawks, Dolphins, and Saints. The former sixth-round pick joined the Panthers back in July.

Wright will surely find himself in the kicker rolodex once teams get hit with injuries. He was the Jaguars’ (mostly) full-time kicker in 2021, connecting on 87.5 percent of his field goal attempts and 86.7 percent of his extra point tries. He split the 2022 campaign between the Chiefs and Steelers, converting 15 of his 18 FGAs and all 15 of his XPAs.

Earlier today, head coach Frank Reich told reporters that the organization was going to have some difficult decisions to make before Tuesday’s roster deadline. As of today, the Panthers still have to cut 26 players.

“Literally every position has battles in place, not just for the roster, but you know, play time, who’s starting, how we’re looking at things,” Reich said (via the team’s website). “But the good news is they’re hard decisions, right? Because we feel good about the guys we have on our roster.”

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