6:35pm: To fill Ogbonnaya’s roster spot, the Panthers have activated receiver De’Andre Presley from the reserve/PUP list, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
6:06pm: With DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart now healthy, the Panthers have trimmed their running back corps by waiving Chris Ogbonnaya, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). The 28-year-old signed with Carolina on September 29, so he spent just over a month with the club while its starters recovered from various injuries.
A 2009 seventh-round pick, Ogbonnaya has made several stops around the NFL during his six-year career, spending time with the Rams, Texans, and Browns before joining the Panthers. His most notable duty came with Cleveland, as he rushed 130 times for 604 yards during parts of three seasons with the Browns. Ogbonnaya saw only 44 offensive snaps this season with the Panthers, but did manage to find the end zone in Week 5 against the Bears. Because he’s not a vested veteran, the Texas product will have to go through waivers before becoming a free agent.
The Panthers will go forward with a trio of Williams, Stewart, and Fozzy Whittaker at tailback, while fullback Mike Tolbert will soon return from IR-DTR. Additionally, the team now has a vacant roster spot, so we should soon see the club add a player to its 53-man squad. Carolina’s offensive line is currently decimated by injury, with Byron Bell, Trai Turner, and Amini Silatolu all dealing with health concerns, so perhaps they’ll look to add some depth along the front five.