HEADLINES

Damiere Byrd

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/17/18

April 17th, 2018 at 5:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/9/18

March 9th, 2018 at 8:40pm CST by Micah Powell

Here are today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Rams

 

Panthers WR Damiere Byrd Placed On IR

December 26th, 2017 at 10:12am CST by GregGoldstein

The Panthers have clinched a playoff spot after their comeback victory over the Buccaneers in Week 16. However, the team’s receiving corps has taken another hit as Damiere Byrd has been placed on injured reserve due to a lower leg injury, according to Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com (Twitter link). The team will likely activate defensive end Charles Johnson from suspension in a corresponding move, reports Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).

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Byrd, 24, was just starting to cement himself as the Panthers clear number two wide receiver before suffering the injury. In his second season in the NFL, Byrd had caught nine passes in Weeks 14 and 15, including two touchdowns. He had also solidified himself as the team’s primary kickoff return threat, having already returned one kick for a touchdown this season.

Without Byrd, head coach Ron Rivera will likely have to use running back Christian McCaffrey even more in the return game. On the offensive side of the ball, Rivera told Strickland that “it’s tough, but Kaelin Clay has stepped up.” The team also has wideouts Brenton Bersin and Mose Frazier to pick up more snaps in Byrd’s absence. In addition, the team will also get Russell Shepard from a shoulder injury next week.

Person further tweets that the Panthers will not be signing a free agent wideout to replace Byrd, instead opting to go with what the team has now going into the postseason.

The news certainly puts more pressure on the likes of Devin Funchess and Greg Olsen, who will likely see most of the targets when Cam Newton opts to throw the ball down the field. The Panthers have a chance to take the NFC South with a win and a Saints loss in Week 17.

Panthers Activate WR Damiere Byrd

December 1st, 2017 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have activated wide receiver Damiere Byrd off of injured reserve. Byrd has been out of action since Week 4 when he broke his arm against the Patriots. Damiere Byrd (vertical)

Byrd was previously designated for return, so it was just a matter of getting him back to full health and finding room on the roster. A spot unexpectedly opened up on Friday when defensive end Charles Johnson was hit with a four-game ban for performance enhancing drugs.

Byrd could be primed for a bigger role than initially projected at the start of the season. Recently, second-round pick Curtis Samuel went down with an ankle injury and Byrd could help replace his speed in the lineup.

“You never know what would happen from Week 4 to Week 12 or 13, so it kind of worked out pretty well,” Byrd recently told the team website when asked about the opportunity ahead of him. “At the end of the day, I just wanted to have a chance to come back and right now it looks like I have that. So I’m happy for it and ready to be back playing.”

Byrd, 24, has appeared in five games for Carolina over the last two seasons. He’ll look to build his stat line when the 8-3 Panthers take on the Saints this Sunday.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/17

October 3rd, 2017 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Tennessee Titans

Extra Points: Newton, Alonso, Rams

March 21st, 2017 at 10:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is set to undergo surgery to repair a partially torn rotator cuff on his throwing shoulder, reports ESPN.com’s David Newton. The former MVP is expected to miss offseason workouts, but he should be recovered for the start of training camp. Newton originally suffered the injury during his Week 14 matchup against the Chargers.

“We developed a plan for Cam to take a period of rest, a period of rehabilitation and treatment, and then start a gradual throwing program the first part of March,” said head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion. “Cam started his program, and the early parts of his rehab had been going well. However, as we worked to advance him into the next stage — the strengthening stage, the throwing stage — he started to have an increase in his pain level and started having pain while throwing.”

Newton isn’t the only Panthers player to be going under the knife. Defensive end Charles Johnson had back surgery earlier today, while wideout Damiere Byrd will have knee surgery later this week.

Let’s check out some other notes from around the NFL…

  • The Dolphins signed linebacker Kiko Alonso to an extension earlier today, only a few weeks after the team inked free agent linebacker Lawrence Timmons. Alonso told Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) that he’s excited to play with the former Steelers defender, noting that he’d be willing to play either inside or outside linebacker.
  • New Rams cornerback Kayvon Webster believes he’ll “definitely” have a chance to start opposite Trumaine Johnson (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Alden Gonzalez). Right now, Gonzalez believes he’ll have a leg-up over E.J. Gaines thanks to his familiarity with Wade Phillips‘ system. Webster said he would also like to contribute on special teams, depending on how much work he gets on defense.
  • Embattled running back prospect Joe Mixon is set to meet with the Chargers, tweets ESPN.com’s Jim Trotter. The Oklahoma product would undoubtedly be an intriguing fit for Los Angeles, although the team is currently rostering four running backs in Melvin Gordon, Kenneth Farrow, Andre Williams, and Kenjon Barner.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/29/16

December 29th, 2016 at 6:48pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Thursday’s minor moves from around the NFL:

  • The Panthers placed wide receiver Devin Funchess on injured reserve and promoted wideout Damiere Byrd from their practice squad, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Funchess has a knee issue that won’t require surgery, but it will cut his second NFL season a bit short. With just 23 catches on 58 targets, the 2015 second-round pick from Michigan had an unspectacular year, but he did average 16.1 yards per reception and add four touchdowns.
  • The Cowboys cut receiver Vince Mayle, who went without a catch for the second year in a row. Most of Mayle’s work (94 of 130 snaps) came on special teams.

Panthers Cut Scott Simonson

October 15th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Connor J. Byrne

To make room for the promotion of cornerback Lou Young from their practice squad, the Panthers have cut tight end Scott Simonson, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. The team has also added wide receiver Damiere Byrd to its practice squad as a replacement for Young (Twitter links).

Scott Simonson

Simonson, 24, joined the Panthers before the 2015 campaign and ultimately appeared in 14 regular-season games (one start) with the club. The blocking specialist tallied only one catch as a Panther after going without a reception with his previous employer, the Raiders, in 2014. Simonson’s exit from Carolina’s roster leaves Ed Dickson as the only backup to No. 1 tight end Greg Olsen.

The Panthers waived Byrd on Thursday, but he’ll now rejoin the organization after going unclaimed. Byrd originally signed with the Panthers last year as an undrafted free agent from South Carolina. He hasn’t yet logged any NFL action.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/13/16

October 13th, 2016 at 5:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Thursday’s minor moves:

  • The Packers have cut quarterback Joe Callahan, per a team announcement. Callahan joined the Packers in May as an undrafted free agent from Division III Wesley and surprisingly earned a roster spot, but he was unable to make it past Week 5. His time in Green Bay isn’t necessarily up, though, as the team plans to sign him to its practice squad if he goes through waivers unclaimed, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
  • The Panthers have waived wide receiver Damiere Byrd, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Byrd hooked on with the Panthers last year after going undrafted from South Carolina. He hasn’t yet logged any NFL action.

Panthers Sign Eight To Futures Contracts

February 10th, 2016 at 9:25am CST by Luke Adams

Having concluded their season on Sunday, the Panthers have begun to sign players to their 90-man offseason roster, inking eight players to reserve/futures contracts on Tuesday. The team’s official website has the complete list of signees, all of whom finished the season on Carolina’s practice squad:Panthers Helmet (Featured)

With eight of the 10 Panthers practice squad players re-signing with the team, only defensive end Wes Horton and linebacker Nate Askew didn’t get new deals. It’s possible that Carolina didn’t offer either player a futures contract, but it also wouldn’t be a surprise if Horton, at least, wanted to explore other opportunities.

An undrafted rookie in 2013, Horton made 15 starts for the Panthers last season in place of suspended teammate Greg Hardy. Following a rookie campaign that saw him compile eight tackles and two sacks, the former USC standout finished 2014 with 26 tackles and three sacks. However, he returned to a bench role in 2015, then was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances, before ultimately being cut from the 53-man roster in December. He signed with Carolina’s practice squad at the start of the postseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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