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Panthers Designate RB Miles Sanders For Return

January 1st, 2025 at 11:18am CST by Adam La Rose

Miles Sanders‘ Panthers tenure is likely to come to an end after the year, but he could suit up one last time for the team this Sunday. The veteran running back has been designated for return from injured reserve.

As a result, Sanders will be able to practice in advance of Carolina’s season finale. Such a move would likely not have been made if his high ankle sprain had not healed to the point where playing in Week 18 would be feasible. The 27-year-old has been on IR since late November.

During his Eagles tenure, Sanders demonstrated considerable efficiency and set a new career high with 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in the final year of his rookie contract. As expected, he managed to parlay that success into a notable deal; his four-year, $25.4MM Panthers contract was the most lucrative handed out to a running back in 2023. Things have not gone according to plan since his arrival, however.

Sanders played 16 games last year, but his 31% snap share and 129 carries both represented career lows. Chuba Hubbard surpassed him on the depth chart, something which has remained the case through to the current campaign. In spite of Hubbard’s strong play and the decision to draft Jonathon Brooks last April, Carolina initially intended to keep Sanders in place. The team’s stance about moving on changed in advance of the trade deadline, but no deal was ultimately worked out.

Given the time missed due to injury and his spot in the RB pecking order, Sanders has only recorded 237 scrimmage yards and one touchdown to date in 2024. With Brooks on the shelf with another ACL tear and Hubbard unavailable for the season finale, though, he could receive a notable workload against the Falcons. A strong showing could help rebuild his value to an extent, but with no guaranteed salary on his deal beyond this season a release would not come as a surprise. Sanders is due a $1MM roster bonus shortly after the start of the new league year, so being let go before that point would be a feasible move on Carolina’s part.

Brooks’ second ACL tear clouds his availability for the 2025 season, but with Hubbard inking a long-term extension recently his status as the Panthers’ lead back moving forward is assured. Sanders could be auditioning to potential suitors on Sunday provided he is brought onto the active roster in time to play. Carolina has one IR activation remaining.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

December 30th, 2024 at 10:39am CST by Adam La Rose

Plenty of changes took place regarding the projected draft order on Sunday. Most notably, the Giants’ first home win of the year took them out of the top spot and greatly lowered their chances of securing the No. 1 pick.

Instead, the Patriots are now in pole position to select first in April. New England already has Drake Maye in place, so adding another Day 1 passer would be out of the picture. With Travis Hunter being seen as the top overall prospect in the class, the Heisman winner could be a suitable target as a key figure in New England’s rebuilding process.

Meanwhile, a number of teams which could be in the market for a first-round passer are near the top of the order. That includes the Browns and Raiders, teams which each face uncertainty under center for 2025 despite already having a number of quarterbacks under contract beyond this season. Bringing in Cam Ward or Shedeur Sanders would provide another short-term option for next year along with a potential long-term answer at the position. Plenty could still change in the order over Week 18, though, and the evaluation process of both of the top signal-callers in the class obviously has a long way to go.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

  1. New England Patriots (3-13)
  2. Tennessee Titans (3-13)
  3. Cleveland Browns (3-13)
  4. New York Giants (3-13)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)
  6. Carolina Panthers (4-12)
  7. New York Jets (4-12)
  8. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)
  9. Chicago Bears (4-12)
  10. New Orleans Saints (5-11)
  11. San Francisco 49ers (6-9)
  12. Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
  13. Dallas Cowboys (7-9)
  14. Arizona Cardinals (7-9)
  15. Miami Dolphins (8-8)
  16. Cincinnati Bengals (8-8)
  17. Atlanta Falcons (8-8)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (9-7)
  19. Houston Texans (9-7)
  20. Denver Broncos (9-7)
  21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-7)
  22. Los Angeles Chargers (10-6)
  23. Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
  24. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6)
  25. Green Bay Packers (11-5)
  26. Washington Commanders (11-5)
  27. Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
  28. Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)
  29. Buffalo Bills (13-3)
  30. Detroit Lions (13-2)
  31. Minnesota Vikings (14-2)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1)

Patriots Move Into Top 2025 Draft Slot

December 29th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Ely Allen

With surprising wins today by the Giants and Raiders, the top of the draft order was shaken up once more. The Raiders, now on a two-game winning streak, have plummeted from a top-two pick to No. 8 overall, and a win by the Giants knocked the Colts out of playoff contention and knocked New York down three draft slots to No. 4 overall. Here’s a quick look at some other consequences of today’s games.

Today’s wins and losses have now placed New England in the driver’s seat for the No. 1 overall spot. If the Patriots lose in their season finale to the Bills, they will secure the rights to the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. This opens up a number of possibilities for New England. The Patriots have holes on the offensive line, receiving corps, pass rush, and cornerbacks group.

For some time, the top picks have been projected to be Miami quarterback Cam Ward or Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, but with no need to draft a quarterback with a top pick for the second year in a row, the Patriots are poised to shake things up. With no elite options at offensive line in this year’s draft class, they could go for Heisman-winning athlete Travis Hunter from Colorado, who could fill holes at both cornerback and receiver. Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan is another top receiver option who projects as a stronger receiving prospect than Hunter. They could also go for Penn State edge rusher Abdul Carter, though that would seem like a bit of a reach in the top spot.

The other option available to New England opens the door for any of the quarterback-needy teams to trade up into the No. 1 overall pick. The Titans (No. 2), Browns (No. 3), and Giants all have interest in adding a top quarterback to the roster. One of these teams may pursue that quarterback through free agency with Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson, and Kirk Cousins all currently on their way to free agency. If not, they can take a chance and hope to land Ward or Sanders in their current slots.

They may also want to keep an eye on teams like the Panthers (No. 6), Jets (No. 7), and Raiders, though, as all of those teams may have interest in trading into the top draft slot. All three of those teams have quarterback situations that could greatly benefit from the addition of Ward or Sanders, and the Patriots could likely still fill a major need — even offensive line — after moving back later in the top-10 picks. It would also make selections like Carter or Michigan cornerback Will Johnson seem like less of a reach.

There are way too many possibilities to speculate on from this situation at this point in time, but New England’s prospective hold on the No. 1 overall pick introduces a litany of fun potential outcomes. They will need to close it out with a home defeat at the hands of the Bills next week, but the chaos from today’s games has provided plenty for draft nerds to drool over in the days to come.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/28/24

December 28th, 2024 at 8:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves, including gameday elevations for Week 17:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Green Bay Packers

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

It was already known Lamb would be out for the remainder of the year, but the same will now be true of Oruwariye. The latter made seven appearances in 2024, his debut Cowboys season. That included four starts and a defensive snap share of 62%, making him a notable contributor on a Dallas defense which has dealt with a number of injuries. Oruwariye, 28, is a pending free agent.

McCoy and Patrick suffered injuries during the Saints’ Week 16 loss, and today’s move confirms they will both miss the remainder of the season. New Orleans’ offensive line has been dealt a number of blows in 2024, and that will continue through the final two games of the season. McCoy appeared in just seven games this year, but plenty of term remains on his pact. Patrick, by contrast, is set to hit the open market this spring.

Whitehead returned to practice earlier this week, so it comes as no surprise he will be available to the Buccaneers tomorrow. He will be expected to reprise his role as a defensive starter as Tampa Bay looks to seal the NFC South over the final two games of the campaign. Bringing back Whitehead and Johnson will leave the team with two IR activations.

Panthers Place RB Chuba Hubbard On IR

December 28th, 2024 at 9:20am CST by Ben Levine

Chuba Hubbard‘s standout season has come to a premature end. The Panthers are placing the running back on injured reserve, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Hubbard is coming off a Week 16 performance where he rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns en route to NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. The RB popped up on the injury report this week with a knee injury, and there was some optimism that he’d play tomorrow. However, the RB underwent an MRI after experiencing more pain during Friday’s practice, and he was ultimately diagnosed with a Grade 2 calf strain (per the team).

The former fourth-round pick started his career as a backup to Christian McCaffrey, but it didn’t take long for the fill-in to work his way into the starting lineup. Hubbard ended up starting 10 of his 17 appearances as a rookie, but he finished with only 786 yards from scrimmage. When McCaffrey was traded during the 2022 season, Hubbard found himself behind D’Onta Foreman on the depth chart, and the team brought in Miles Sanders in 2023 to help split the positional reps.

Hubbard ended up emerging as the preferred RB in 2023, but he still only finished with 1,135 yards from scrimmage while averaging 4.1 yards per touch. When the Panthers drafted Jonathon Brooks in the second round of this year’s draft, it seemed likely that Hubbard would keep the seat warm until the rookie was ready to return from a torn ACL.

Instead, Hubbard ended up running with the starting gig. The fourth-year RB has started all 15 games for Carolina this season, and he’s already set career-highs in yards from scrimmage (1,366) and touchdowns (11). Thanks to this production, the Panthers handed him a four-year, $33.2MM extension ($15MM guaranteed) in November.

Brooks tore the same ACL earlier this month, leaving his status for 2025 in doubt. Hubbard should be back to lead the depth chart next season, but the Panthers could use the next few weeks to evaluate their backup options. Raheem Blackshear could temporarily slide to the top of the depth chart, with Velus Jones Jr. and practice squad RB Mike Boone also around as depth.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

December 24th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Two weeks remain in the regular season, and while a number of teams are jockeying for playoff spots several others are still in contention to land a coveted draft slot. It remains to be seen where the No. 1 selection will wind up.

The Giants and Raiders entered Sunday’s action with two wins apiece, and New York’s loss kept the team strongly in contention to kick off the draft in April. By virtue of winning against the Jaguars, though, the Raiders hurt their chances of finding themselves in that position. A top-two spot (or thereabouts) may be required to draft either of this year’s top passers, but a small move up the order positioning Vegas to add one could still be on the table.

Five teams currently sit a 3-12, and a head-to-head matchup between the Titans and Jaguars on Sunday will be key in deciding where each of them wind up. Another three squads own a 4-11 record, so plenty of potential exists in terms of changes being made to the order at the top of the board. Numerous expected suitors for a Day 1 quarterback (including teams like the Browns and Jets) may very well find themselves out of reach for Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders without a trade-up being necessary. The Panthers’ starting situation with Bryce Young is certainly not settled for 2025, but adding a passer on Day 1 would come as a surprise at this point.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

  1. New York Giants (2-13)
  2. New England Patriots (3-12)
  3. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12)
  4. Tennessee Titans (3-12)
  5. Cleveland Browns (3-12)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders (3-12)
  7. Carolina Panthers (4-11)
  8. New York Jets (4-11)
  9. Chicago Bears (4-11)
  10. New Orleans Saints (5-10)
  11. San Francisco 49ers (6-9)
  12. Miami Dolphins (7-8)
  13. Indianapolis Colts (7-8)
  14. Cincinnati Bengals (7-8)
  15. Dallas Cowboys (7-8)
  16. Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
  17. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
  18. Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
  19. Atlanta Falcons (8-7)
  20. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6)
  21. Houston Texans (9-6)
  22. Denver Broncos (9-6)
  23. Los Angeles Rams (9-6)
  24. Washington Commanders (10-5)
  25. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-5)
  26. Baltimore Ravens (10-5)
  27. Green Bay Packers (11-4)
  28. Philadelphia Eagles (12-3)
  29. Buffalo Bills (12-3)
  30. Minnesota Vikings (13-2)
  31. Detroit Lions (13-2)
  32. Kansas City Chiefs (14-1)

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/24/24

December 24th, 2024 at 6:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Tuesday’s minor NFL moves, including elevations for tomorrow’s Christmas Day doubleheader:

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles 

San Francisco 49ers

The Cardinals – who were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday – will close out the season without either of their starting tackles. Both Johnson and Williams are dealing with knee injuries, and they will be shut down for the remainder of the campaign. The former was a full-time starter as a rookie last year and made 14 appearances in 2024 upon switching to the blindside. Williams signed a one-year deal in free agency to handle RT duties, but two separate knee ailments will limit him to six games played this year. The 27-year-old’s free agent stock will take a hit as a result.

Wallace has made 13 appearances in 2024, his first season with the Broncos. The veteran has handled part-time defensive duties along the way, while also chipping in on special teams. As Denver returns to health at the CB spot, though, Wallace will hit the waiver wire. Should he clear, head coach Sean Payton said the Broncos would like to re-sign him via a practice squad deal (h/t Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette).

Fashanu exited the Jets’ Week 16 contest on crutches, and it was recently reported he would miss the rest of the season as a result. Today’s move thus comes as no surprise. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said on Tuesday surgery to repair the first-round rookie’s plantar fascia would be needed, but the team has since clarified a procedure will not take place. Fashanu is expected to recover in full through rehab.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/23/24

December 23rd, 2024 at 8:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Tennessee Titans

The Titans’ decision to move on from Brayden Narveson comes as a bit of a surprise following this weekend’s roster machinations. The organization didn’t only promote the kicker from the practice squad…they also signed him through the 2025 campaign. With Nick Folk apparently approaching full health, the Titans have decided to stick with the veteran and move on from his fill-in.

Narveson’s stint with the Titans featured only a single appearance, when he missed his lone field goal attempt and converted two extra points in yesterday’s loss. Narveson spent the beginning of the season in Green Bay, where he converted 12 of his 17 field goal attempts.

Chargers Tried To Claim Diontae Johnson

December 23rd, 2024 at 5:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chargers came up as a team that was on the radar to claim Diontae Johnson. Hours after that report, the Texans lost Tank Dell to another season-ending injury. The end zone fall that ended Dell’s second season appears to have affected the Bolts’ receiver plans.

Johnson is Houston-bound, having been claimed by the Texans ahead of their Christmas Day matchup against Johnson’s most recent team. As Johnson prepares to potentially face the Ravens, the Chargers saw their chances to land him denied. The Bolts were the only other team to submit a claim, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports. The Texans carrying the slightly weaker strength of schedule gave them the advantage among these two 9-6 AFCers, as The Athletic’s Daniel Popper reminds.

This waiver effort after the Chargers and Panthers discussed Johnson at the deadline, The Bolts also . Though, a low-level Ravens offer — a pick swap involving fifth- and sixth-rounders — was believed to be the best the Panthers received. The trade backfired on Baltimore quickly.

Although both the Chargers and Texans are 9-6, the latter held the waiver priority. This could be significant for a Chargers team that has depended on second-round rookie Ladd McConkey this season. McConkey has battled injuries, most notably missing the Bolts’ rematch with the Chiefs, but emerged as their clear No. 1 target. Johnson could have given Los Angeles another proven option ahead of a likely playoff berth, albeit a rather volatile option based on how uneven his 2024 has been.

Traded twice, Johnson asked out of both situations (Pittsburgh and Carolina) and refused to enter Baltimore’s Week 13 game against Philadelphia. The Ravens suspended the sixth-year vet and then cut him. Known for his separation skills (and drop issues), Johnson caught just one pass in four Ravens games after being acquired in a low-end pick-swap trade at the trade deadline.

Jim Harbaugh‘s first offseason in L.A. led the Bolts to trade Keenan Allen and cut Mike Williams, ending a seven-year partnership. The Chargers were connected to potentially reacquiring Williams at the deadline, but the Steelers sent the Jets a fifth-round pick to do so. Los Angeles stayed the course at receiver, keeping the likes of Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston in place as McConkey complements.

Palmer’s 543 yards sit second among Chargers, but McConkey has amassed 960 in his rookie year. He is poised to become the first Charger rookie since Allen (2013) to post a 1,000-yard receiving season. Still, Justin Herbert is short on weapons in an offense that also has not seen much from its tight ends in the passing game. Palmer is due for free agency, and a pre-deadline report pointed to the sides being likely to separate come March. Johnston is also at best a work in progress, having not yet justified his 2023 draft slot while first-round peers Jordan Addison, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Zay Flowers have been better options for their respective teams. Johnston has totaled 477 yards and eight touchdowns, however, showing more than he did as a rookie. For now, the TCU alum remains in the Chargers’ plans.

It would seem Harbaugh’s second offseason will require an addition at receiver and perhaps help at tight end, the coach’s run-game interest notwithstanding. Johnson would have provided an interesting player on that front, as the Bolts would have secured exclusive negotiating rights with him until March 10 had the claim gone through. The Texans now hold those rights, as Johnson will attempt to salvage some free agency value amid his worst NFL season.

Bryce Young To Remain Panthers’ 2024 Starting QB

December 21st, 2024 at 9:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

Bryce Young‘s 2024 season did not start the way he or the Panthers wanted it to. He will remain atop Carolina’s quarterback depth chart for at least the rest of the season, though.

Young was benched in favor of Andy Dalton in Week 3, a move which put his Panthers future in doubt. Quarterbacks who lose their starting gig shortly after arriving in the draft do not have a long history of reclaiming it and remaining with their original team. Dalton suffering a sprained thumb in a car accident moved Young back atop the depth chart by default in Week 8, though, and he has maintained the starter’s role since then.

Head coach Dave Canales had previously declined to declare Young the Panthers’ starter on a full-time basis despite keeping him in place each week. The first-time head coach changed his stance in that regard this week, however, confirming it will be last year’s No. 1 pick guiding the offense the rest of the way. The manner in which Young responded to his poor outing against the Cowboys in Week 15 played a part in that decision.

“Watching him in game was what was so impressive,” Canales said (video link via Alex Zietlow of the Charlotte Observer). “To see him just continue to stay in there, to have his footwork exactly where he needed to be to throw to No. 1 in progression and really still see the field… I’ve been around football for 15 years and see where games like that can really pile up on a guy. To watch him handle it and to be composed and to talk with his teammates and keep working with the issues, I thought was so impressive and I wanted to make sure he knew that.”

Young threw a pair of interceptions on Sunday and also lost two fumbles. On the whole, turnovers and sacks taken have again been an issue in 2024, but since returning to the lineup the 23-year-old has shown flashes of his potential. Especially with the Panthers sitting well outside the playoff hunt at 3-11, it comes as no surprise the team plans to keep Young in place to close out the season and in doing so give him additional opportunities to develop.

The Alabama product has not done enough before or after Canales’ arrival to cement himself as the Panthers’ uncontested franchise quarterback, but with his rookie contract running through 2026 (or 2027, if his fifth-year option comes into play) there is still ample time to change that. For the coming offseason, adding competition for the QB1 gig could be an option; at a minimum, re-signing Dalton (a pending free agent) or bringing in another experienced veteran will be required.

Recent signs have pointed to the Panthers turning their attention to positions other than quarterback at the top of this year’s draft. Carolina is on track for a high selection on Day 1, but the team may find itself out of range for Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward. Given the Panthers’ struggles on defense, adding on that side of the ball would be a reasonable approach during the first round. Plenty of time remains for a decision on that front to be made, and Young’s evaluation process will include three more games at the helm.

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