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Carolina Panthers News & Rumors

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/31/23

July 31st, 2023 at 8:14pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: CB Lorenzo Burns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: CB Anthony Witherstone
  • Placed on IR: LB Isaiah Moore

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Derrick Gore is probably the most intriguing signee on the list, with the running back having seen time in 11 games for the Chiefs in 2021. He finished that season with 361 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns, but he didn’t have a chance for a followup performance in Kansas City. After landing on IR in late August last year, he was ultimately released by the Chiefs. Gore caught on with the Saints and spent the majority of the 2022 season on their practice squad.

Yasir Durant is another Chiefs product, with the lineman getting into 11 games for Kansas City in 2020. He appeared in seven games for the Patriots in 2021 before spending most of last season on the Saints practice squad. He’ll be taking the roster spot previously held by Christian DiLauro, who got into five games for the Titans and Broncos over the past two years.

Darius Harris will be joining the Raiders following a career year in Kansas City. After being limited to only 11 games through his first two seasons in the NFL, Harris got into all 17 games for the Chiefs last year, including four starts. The former UDFA finished the year with 43 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and he added another five tackles in three playoff games. One of Harris’s strongest performances of the 2022 season came against the Raiders when he had 10 tackles and a sack.

Panthers To Sign LB Deion Jones

July 31st, 2023 at 2:28pm CST by Adam La Rose

2:28pm: Jones’ visit has produced an agreement. He will sign a one-year deal with the Panthers, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Jones will return to the NFC South while attempting to remain healthy and boost his free agent value ahead of next offseason.

12:12pm: One of the top remaining free agent linebackers is set to meet with a potential new team. Deion Jones will visit the Panthers later today, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Jones is quite familiar with the NFC South, having spent the first six-plus years of his career in Atlanta. He showcased his playmaking skills early in his career, earning his lone Pro Bowl nod in 2017 and remaining productive through most of his Falcons tenure. 2022 was a year in which the team looked to move on from many of its largest financial commitments, though, and an injured Jones was dealt to the Browns in October.

The 28-year-old agreed to remove the final year of his contract upon arrival in Cleveland, making his brief Browns stint an audition ahead of free agency. Jones joined a team which suffered numerous season-ending injuries at the LB spot, but he still saw the field for only 59% of defensive snaps – by far the lowest total of his career. He racked up 44 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception during 11 games in Cleveland.

To date, the only team other than the Panthers known to have hosted Jones was the Giants, having done so in April. The former second-rounder remains unsigned well into training camp, but he could serve in at least a rotational capacity in his next home while attempting to rebuild his value. Carolina could stand to add depth at the second level.

The Panthers have Shaq Thompson – who re-did his deal this offseason to keep him on the books through 2024 – and Frankie Luvu at the top of their LB depth chart. The latter is entering a contract year, and the team is lacking experienced depth options aside from Kamu Grugier-Hill. Jones, who has eclipsed 100 tackles five times in his career, could add a proven playmaker to the mix.

With more than $20.5MM in cap space, Carolina is in better financial shape than most teams with respect to adding free agents. Some of that total could be aimed at acquiring an edge rusher, something the team was connected to earlier in the offseason. The nature of Jones’ visit will influence the Panthers’ interest as he seeks a deal ahead of the 2023 campaign.

Panthers Waive DT Bravvion Roy

July 31st, 2023 at 8:57am CST by Adam La Rose

A relatively recent Panthers draftee with connections to ex-head coach Matt Rhule has been let go. The team announced on Monday that defensive tackle Bravvion Roy has been waived.

Roy was drafted in 2020 as one of several players with a history of playing under Rhule at Baylor. He flashed considerable pass-rushing potential in his final college season in particular, with 5.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. That production did not translate to the NFL level, however.

The former third-rounder recorded only one sack and three TFLs across 45 games in Carolina, where he primarily played in a rotational capacity. Roy started nine games as a rookie, but only six contests after that, and his snap share in 2021 and ’22 (31% and 34%, respectively) was noticeably lower than his debut campaign. A hamstring injury led to an IR stint last season and limited him to 13 games played.

With Frank Reich having been installed as Rhule’s full-time replacement, it comes as little surprise that a player added in part for his connections to the latter is being let go. Derrick Brown is in place as the anchor of the Panthers’ defensive line, and the team inked Shy Tuttle to a three-year, $19.5MM deal in free agency. That will give Carolina a starting tandem at the DT spot similar to the Brown-Matthew Ioannidis duo which was used last year. The team has several candidates to assume Roy’s second-team snaps.

The 26-year-old will now hit the waiver wire, giving teams the chance to provide him with a fresh start. If he goes unclaimed, he will seek out an opening as training camps continue. With the roster spot opened up by Roy’s departure, fellow D-lineman LaBryan Ray was signed. The latter signed a futures deal with the Patriots in January, but was released soon after and played in the XFL. He will aim to see regular season NFL action for the first time this fall in Carolina.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/23

July 29th, 2023 at 7:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

  • Activated from NFI: G Colby Gossett 
  • Waived (injury designation): CB BoPete Keyes

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Claimed off waivers (from Titans): OL James Empey

Houston Texans

  • Placed on IR: OL Dylan Deatherage

Indianapolis Colts

  • Waived: CB Cole Coleman

New York Giants

With Butler being moved from the NFI list to injured reserve, he is out for the season. The former first-rounder signed a futures deal with New York in January, after spending the past campaign on and off the team’s practice squad. He made just one appearance for the Giants in 2022, and will be four years removed from his career-best six-sack season with the Panthers in 2019. Butler, 29, has started 19 of his 77 career regular season games.

Panthers Sign QB Jake Luton

July 29th, 2023 at 11:21am CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers have added another arm to their revamped quarterbacks room. According to ESPN’s David Newton (via Twitter), the Panthers have signed Jake Luton.

[RELATED: Panthers Name Bryce Young Starting QB]

As Newton notes, the Panthers had been seeking another arm to help soak up some training camp and preseason snaps. Luton will presumably have a legitimate chance to make the roster or practice squad.

Luton was a sixth-round pick by the Jaguars in 2020, and he ended up starting three games as a rookie. Jacksonville was winless in those three contests, with Luton completing only 54.5 percent of his passes for 624 yards, two touchdowns, and six interceptions. The Oregon State product also scored a touchdown on the ground.

The Jaguars moved on from Luton at the end of the 2021 preseason, and he’s since spent time with the Seahawks, Dolphins, Jaguars (second stint), and Saints. The 27-year-old inked a futures contract with New Orleans back in January but was waived by the organization a few months later.

The Panthers used the first-overall pick on Bryce Young, and the organization has made it abundantly clear that the rookie will start at quarterback in 2023. The team also added veteran Andy Dalton via a two-year deal, so the top spots on the depth seem pretty set in stone. Luton could theoretically compete with Matt Corral for the QB3 spot, although the organization just used a third-round pick on the quarterback in last year’s draft. Corral missed his entire rookie season while recovering from a Lisfranc injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/23

July 28th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves from around the league as we head into the weekend:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Waived: OL Dylan Deatherage

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

  • Waived: OL James Empey

Mullen was placed on the NFI list two days ago. Apparently, his failure to disclose the non-football injury led to his release. Claimed off of waivers early into the offseason this year, Mullen has spent a good amount of time in Baltimore but has yet to see any game time. The Ravens hoped he might add some depth to their secondary, but with today’s transaction, the former second-round pick hits the free agent market.

Dantzler, a former third-round pick in Minnesota, also finds himself available in free agency after a short stint with the Bills. After signing with his second team of the offseason last month, Dantzler was waived with an injury designation.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/27/23

July 27th, 2023 at 7:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Signed: WR Ty Scott

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Signed: CB Isiah Brown
  • Waived/injured: CB Jordan Perryman

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: LB Blake Lynch

New York Giants

  • Signed: DT Kevin Atkins

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

Ben Burr-Kirven was a fifth-round pick by the Seahawks back in 2019, and he transformed into a key special teamer through his first two seasons in the NFL. However, he suffered a knee injury during the 2021 preseason that ended up wiping out that entire season. The issues persisted in 2022, and after spending that year on PUP, he was ultimately released in March. Coach Pete Carroll apparently reversed course and ended up bringing back the linebacker.

“He’s in a little bit of an experimental mode,” Carroll said earlier this year (via the team’s website). “The surgeries that he has had and the process he is going through, he is making progress. He’s always in the weight room with us. He’s always here working with a tremendous mentality. The nerve issues, really intricate stuff going on, so he’s had to have a really good attitude about it to stay in the fight and he is. He’s planning on getting back out there. So, we are going to give him every chance. If he can do it, this is going to be the place that he does it.”

Xavier Henderson was released today with an injury settlement, according to Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post (via Twitter). The undrafted free agent landed on the physically unable to perform list earlier this week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/23

July 26th, 2023 at 9:07pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: WR Cody Chrest
  • Placed on NFI: OT Caleb Jones
  • Waived/injured: WR Jeff Cotton

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Among the additions on today’s list, defensive back A.J. Moore is the most notable. The defensive back spent four years with the Texans to begin his career, compiling 69 tackles in 55 games while primarily playing on special teams. The 27-year-old spent a chunk of last season on the Titans practice squad, and he ultimately got into one game with the big-league club.

Panthers Name Bryce Young Starting QB

July 26th, 2023 at 12:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Not that there was too much drama surrounding the Panthers’ plans at quarterback, but no Andy Dalton-led buildup period will occur involving the No. 1 overall pick.

Frank Reich confirmed Wednesday that Bryce Young is the team’s No. 1 QB. A 14-game Saints starter last season, Dalton can be viewed as one of the league’s top backups. The offseason Panther pickup said recently he still views himself as a starter-caliber QB. Barring something unforeseen, however, the 13th-year veteran will be backing up Young.

“When we decided to pick Bryce we imagined and saw the vision that we’d be standing here today saying he’s QB1,” Reich said, via ESPN’s David Newton.

[RELATED: Panthers Sign Young To Rookie Contract]

Shortly after making a deal to acquire the No. 1 overall pick from the Bears, the Panthers signed Dalton to a two-year, $10MM deal. That contract included $8MM guaranteed, a considerable insurance payment weeks ahead of the Young investment. The Panthers had not completely settled on Young at that point, but the team had been leaning that way. The 5-foot-10 Alabama prospect became the pick, and although Dalton took first-team reps to start the team’s offseason program, the journeyman passer will begin his mentorship role.

This differs from the Bears’ plan in 2021. Chicago named Dalton its starter upon signing him that March, keeping Justin Fields on the sideline to begin his career. Dalton made six starts that year but rebounded to overtake Jameis Winston in New Orleans in 2022. He received a guarantee in line with the high-end QB2-type free agents this offseason, illustrating the Panthers’ hope to fortify a position that has been one of the league’s biggest trouble spots since Cam Newton‘s injuries accelerated a decline.

While C.J. Stroud should be expected to start early in his Texans tenure and Anthony Richardson should see extended time for the Colts this season, neither has been named a starter just yet. Young will lead the way on this front. Dominating as a two-year Crimson Tide starter, Young earned the natural scrutiny that comes with being a 5-10 passer. But the Panthers did not view Young’s frame as enough of a concern to take Stroud or Richardson first overall. The team dispensing with any QB competition talk, unlike the 2021 Jaguars with No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence, illustrates the early confidence in Young.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/23

July 22nd, 2023 at 6:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Tennessee Titans

The Corbett news comes as no surprise, given the expectation from the spring that he would miss time in the regular season. The Panthers’ starting right guard suffered an ACL tear during the 2022 season finale, making him a candidate for a reserve/PUP designation. That would sideline him for at least four contests, so it is encouraging Carolina has elected instead to use the active designation, from which players can be activated at any time during camp.

Signed to provide last-minute offensive line help for the Jets last season, Brown played 12 games on the blindside last season while battling a shoulder ailment. Despite Mekhi Becton being healthy this offseason, the 37-year-old is the favorite to hold down the LT role for New York as the team looks to improve its pass protection at the start of the Aaron Rodgers era. If healthy in time for the spring, Brown will play a large role in determining their success on that front.

Farley’s brief NFL career has seen a continuation of his injury concerns dating back to college. The 2021 first-rounder saw a herniated disk end his season in December. He underwent surgery to address the issue, and the team may feel the need to proceed with caution given his potentially sizeable role with the Titans’ secondary. Radunz continues to recover from the ACL tear which likewise ended his second campaign in Nashville late in the regular season.

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