RSS Panthers Team Notes

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers trading Adam Thielen to Vikings

After days, maybe weeks of rumors, the Carolina Panthers have traded wide receiver Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings. The Panthers are sending out a couple of late round picks with Thielen and in return are getting a fifth round pick next year and a fourth round pick the year after.

Homecoming: Panthers and Vikings are finalizing a trade for WR Adam Thielen to return to Minnesota, sources tell ESPN.

The trade: Vikings get Thielen, a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

Panthers get a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027… pic.twitter.com/GETXaMjY21

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 27, 2025

It’s sad to see Thielen go after he established himself as not washed and a reliable target for Bryce Young. He’s been far and away the Panthers’ best receiver in his two seasons here. However, Thielen was apparently interested in a homecoming after he grew up, went to college, and started his NFL career in Minnesota. The Vikings have been hunting for wide receiver help with Jordan Addison facing a suspension and very little depth behind he and Justin Jefferson.

As for the Panthers, Thielen’s departure clears up a little bit of space in a wide receiver room that’s become somewhat log jammed. Tetairoa McMillan should be able to take over the top wide receiver spot in Thielen’s absence while Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker should theoretically make for decent complements on the outside. This also opens up playing time for interesting young guys like Jimmy Horn Jr. and Brycen Tremayne in rotational roles.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...5472/panthers-trading-adam-thielen-to-vikings

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2025 NFC South title odds

The betting conversation over the last couple of days has centered on the many futures odds that FanDuel has offered for the Carolina Panthers’ wildly unpredictable 2025 season. In short, nobody is favoring them to do much of anything. The same can be said, however, for the rest of the NFC South. So how long are Carolina’s odds really? Let’s take a look.

FanDuel Sportsbook has the Carolina Panthers at +420 to take the division. That places them third in the betting odds. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are barely favored at -105, followed by the Atlanta Falcons at +220, and the New Orleans Saints take their rightful place in the cellar at +1300.

The whole division was a combined 2-9-1 in the preseason. That kind of all-around performance doesn’t give a lot of insight into who has taken steps forward from their 2024 seasons. Nobody, and largely by design, flashed any great talent or competency that will set them ahead in 2025. These odds are mostly based on the the Bucs having won the division four years running and the Saints having imploded. It is telling that the Bucs have flown under the radar this offseason, the Panthers and the Falcons and have had widely lauded drafts, the Saints have remained solvent, and yet the odds for this season predict the four teams to finish in the exact same order they did last season.

Part of that is predicting the Panthers and the Falcons. Two newer head coaches (yes, Raheem Morris counts as newer) with young quarterbacks are a pack of wildcards. Finding differences, particularly given Carolina’s major defensive overhaul that has yet to meaningfully see the field, is an exercise in make believe until we’ve seen the first couple of games of the regular season.

That’s why I actually like the Panthers odds here. Maybe not to win the whole division, but I like their chances to out perform these odds and make a real race out of claiming the NFC South title. The most intriguing item to me is the strength of schedule for each team, based off of their opponents 2024 records. Having finished third in the division in 2024, the Panthers play a theoretically weaker field than either the Bucs or the Falcons—who have almost identical strengths of schedule.

The Panthers played the Bucs down to the wire with good Bryce Young and a historically bad defense once last season. My back-of-the-napkin-math here has good Bryce Young + Tetairoa McMillan + an improved defense as greater than Baker Mayfield + a Haason Reddick. It’s a simplified view of the offseason for both teams, with the usual disclaimer that the wheels could fall off of the Panthers’ wagon at any moment, but I think it holds up.

The biggest disconnect between sportsbooks and fans is that Carolina is largely being judged on the whole of their 2024 season by the one and on the last seven weeks of it by the other. In those last seven weeks, the Panthers only lost one game by more than a touchdown. Of course, the one game was a 14-48 shellacking at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

FanDuel Sportsbook is conducting FanDuel Futures Day on Tuesday, August 26 where you can get profit boost tokens around various futures markets throughout the day. The markets will be split up throughout the day, but they will include odds to win the Super Bowl and hypothetical Super Bowl matchups, odds to make or miss the playoffs, win totals, division winners, and player milestones. Head over to FanDuel Sportsbook on Tuesday to take advantage of FanDuel Futures Day.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/carolina-panthers-odds/55429/2025-nfc-south-title-odds

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers Reacts Survey: How confident are you entering the 2025 season?

Welcome to the end of the offseason, Panthers fans. The Carolina Panthers finished a disappointing season ironically full of promise and hope for 2025. Bryce Young’s stock was up and the team has built on that with a relatively effective free agency period and a well regarded draft class. Fan confidence was riding high on those developments right up until the preseason. Three games that looked as sad as the worst of recent Panthers football left people wondering what they should expect come the September 7th season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Week 1 starts Monday for both the Panthers and Cat Scratch Reader, so let’s get a solid feel for where we are starting the season as a fan base. This week we’re asking you if you are confident in the current direction of the Carolina Panthers and to give us a win total prediction. We’ll check back in throughout the season to see how we’re all faring through what are sure to be the ups and downs of 2025.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Panthers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ge...ow-confident-are-you-entering-the-2025-season

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Carolina Panthers 2025 roster cuts tracker

The Carolina Panthers have to cut their roster down from 90 to 53 by 4:00 PM ET on Tuesday, August 26th. That’s tomorrow from when this tracker is going live. We’re going to keep an eye here on all of the Panthers cuts, including their final decision on a kicker

We will not be tracking notable cuts from other teams in this space. Any of those who get added to the Panthers will be addressed if and when they are signed.

Keep in mind that the roster at 4 PM tomorrow is not the same thing as the roster the Panthers will open with against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, September 7th. Late cuts can lead to adjustments through the rest of this week. NFL rules also make things difficult to deal with injured players at this time of year.

Two players can be placed on injured reserve before final roster cuts and still be designated to return during the season. Any other player placed on injured reserve before 4 PM tomorrow is ineligible to return this season.

Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, for example, are two promising rookies who the Panthers are pinning a lot of hopes on for 2025 and beyond. Both suffered injuries during the preseason. Fortunately, both seem like they will be ready for early playing time, but any set backs or unpublicized complications could make their positions on the roster, and those of any other injured players, that much harder to manage for Dan Morgan.

In short, expect things to change quickly and often, even after the deadline. With that in mind, stay tuned to this space.

2025 Roster Cuts​

Jack Plummer, quarterback
Jack Henderson, safety
Tre Swilling, cornerback
Kobe Hudson, wide receiver
Jacolby George, wide receiver
Domonique Dafney, tight end
Isaac Gifford, safety
Emanuel Bailey, running back
Tyler Mabry, tight end
Matthew Wright, kicker
Bryce Perkins, quarterback
Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams, running back
TJ Luther, wide receiver
Steven Losoya, offensive line
Luke Kandra, offensive line
JJ Weaver, outside linebacker
Jacoby Windmon, linebacker
JaTravis Broughton, cornerback
Mello Dotson, cornerback
Raheem Blackshear, running back
Michael Tarquin, offensive tackle
Mike Reid, cornerback
Trevian Thomas, safety
Boogie Basham, edge rusher
Ja’seem Reed, wide receiver
Sam Roberts, defensive tackle
Krys Barnes, linebacker
Bryce Pierre, tight end
Shy Tuttle, defensive tackle
Jarrett Kingston, offensive line
Brandon Walton, offensive line
Jared Harrison-Hunte, defensive end
Maz Mwansa, linebacker
Shemar Bartholomew, cornerback
Ja’Tyre Carter, guard
Hunter Renfrow, wide receiver
Jon Rhattigan, linebacker

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...99/carolina-panthers-2025-roster-cuts-tracker

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Presenting the Panthers initial final 53 man roster

Cuts are over and NFL dreams have been made or broken this week. The Carolina Panthers are officially down to a 53-man roster for the 2025 regular season. This roster may still move a little bit as the team sifts through other team’s cuts and makes waiver claims and even surprise trades. For now, here is your favorite team. Names in bold are names we did not originally predict to make the roster, while names struck through where players we did not expect to see cut.

Offense​

Quarterbacks​

Bryce Young, Andy Dalton

Everything here is as expected. This is Young’s year to step up.

Running backs​

Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, Trevor Etienne

Etienne showed up in the preseason. Despite only having three players, this is one of the Panthers deepest skill groups.

Wide receivers​

Tetairoa McMillan, Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, Brycen Tremayne, David Moore, Jimmy Horn Jr., Hunter Renfrow

Moore over Renfrow was not a look that many were expecting and is sure to leave more than a few commenters irate. Meanwhile, the order the Panthers listed these guys in looks like a de facto depth chart, which makes Tremayne’s position fascinating compared to the “uncoverable” Horn.

Tight Ends​

Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, James Mitchell

Nailed it. This is a solid, if uninspiring group. Sanders has all the room in the world to grow into a consistent threat/safety blanket for Young. We’ll see if he takes it.

Offensive line​

Ikem Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Austin Corbett, Robert Hunt, Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Cade Mays, Yosh Nijman, Chandler Zavala

Nothing has changed here. This is the most consistency at offensive line that the Panthers may have ever had, bringing back all nine linemen they had last season with zero changes to the projected starting five. Now to keep them all healthy for 18 weeks.

Defense​

Defensive line​

Derrick Brown, Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III, A’Shawn Robinson, Cam Jackson, Jaden Crumedy, Shy Tuttle

The biggest change here is that the 2024 draft pick Crumedy gets the nod over veteran Tuttle. That should please more than a few arm chair GMs. Tuttle has been whatever the opposite of a fan favorite is since he signed, Crumedy is a relatively new player who gets to play behind outrageously improved depth as compared to 2024.

Edge linebackers​

Patrick Jones, DJ Wonnum, Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen, Thomas Incoom, DJ Johnson

This is an incontrovertibly better group than last season’s, not to mention it is starting the season healthier. The only thing anybody could object over is the retention of 2023 3rd round pick DJ Johnson. He has yet to show much on the field, in spite of being a player that defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero apparently pounded the table for in a seemingly ill advised trade up during that draft. I really hope we’re all proven wrong about him in 2025.

Inside linebackers​

Christian Rozeboom, Trevin Wallace, Claudin Cherelus, Bam Martin-Scott, Krys Barnes, Jacoby Windmon

Swing and a miss on this projection on our part. Only keeping three linebackers at a position that often has two on the field at once implies that this might be somewhere you see the team target the waiver wire for reinforcements. Keep an eye out.

And congrats to Martin-Scott. With one of the most linebacker names ever, he clearly made an impact as an undrafted free agent this season. Here’s to hoping he survives the next couple of days on the roster.

Cornerbacks​

Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Corey Thornton, Akayleb Evans, Shemar Bartholomew

No change at the top here, but let’s take a moment to acknowledge Thornton’s rise from undrafted free agent to CB4. He’s going to see a lot of playing time this season and that is something the coaching staff is apparently more than comfortable with. Let’s go.

Safeties​

Tre’von Moehrig, Nick Scott, Demani Richardson, Lathan Ransom

After an entire offseason being connected to safeties from free agency to the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, the Panthers are set to role out four guys widely considered as strong safeties. One is a big name FA addition from this season, one is an undrafted free agent from last year, one is the Panthers second fourth round pick from this year, and the last is Nick Scott. We’ll see.

Specialists​

Kicker: Ryan Fitzgerald
Punter: Sam Martin
Long snapper: JJ Jansen

Another year, another kicker. Let’s see what you’ve got, Fitzgerald.

Injuries​

Active/Physically Unable to Perform​

Jonathan Brooks, running back

Reserve/Injured​

Popo Aumavae, defensive tackle
Ja’Tyre Carter, guard
LaBryan Ray, defensive end – Designated to Return

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...ting-the-panthers-initial-final-53-man-roster

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Brian Asks: We’ve completed the 53 man roster cuts, now what?

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Asks, part 1 of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! This edition was slightly delayed, I figured it didn’t make sense to post it the morning of the 53 man roster cutdown since there’s always a ton of turnover, where now we have a more complete idea of what this regular season roster will look like come week 1. We should also see Practice Squads finalized in the next couple of days as well.

You all know the drill, this is your place to ask all your burning Offseason questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off topic! I’ll gather all your questions and some of the best comments to highlight later on this week in part 2, Brian Answers. Sound off below with your questions, and see them answers at the end of the week.

Comment down below, and KEEP POUNDING!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...eve-completed-the-53-man-roster-cuts-now-what

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Updated: Potential Players the Panthers could Poach after roster cuts

The Carolina Panthers have a depth problem, so they will likely be watching the waiver wire and roster cutdowns very closely. While there are trade candidates as well, those possibilities are nigh on endless, so we won’t be looking at those. Here, we will focus on players who have already been cut/waived, of which there aren’t many household names. These are players who I think the Panthers should call up as soon as possible.

Lewis Cine​

The former first round pick of the Minnesota Vikings was playing with the Philadelphia Eagles this preseason. He was injured in the final game of the preseason for the Eagles, but if that injury is relatively minor I would not mind the Panthers taking a swing. Safety depth is severely lacking, and Cine was a first round pick for a reason. He was extremely productive at Georgia. I’d want see if he has anything that Ejiro Evero can work with.

Update: Waived by the Eagles to make room for their acquisition of quarterback Sam Howell. Waiver claims will begin processing at noon today.

Mike Hilton​

Another defensive back who could provide some depth is Mike Hilton, who was cut by the Miami Dolphins after signing a contract with the team in July. Hilton would not be expected to start in Carolina, but having another veteran in the room with such a young defensive backs group would not be a bad thing. He’d likely be the fifth corner on the depth chart, but he’d likely be okay if forced into action.

Update: Still a free agent, but drawing interest from the Bengals, Bills, Colts, and potentially more teams.

Tyler “Snoop” Huntley​

Jack Plummer ain’t it. I know he’s the emergency quarterback right now and a practice squad guy, but the Panthers need to upgrade that position. Snoop brings a ton of experience and some athleticism, which would help the scout team offense mimic some of the more elusive quarterbacks the Panthers will face. Bryce Perkins would be a good option if you’d prefer the lottery ticket route, but if Bryce Young fails this year then the Panthers will be spending a high draft pick on a quarterback anyway.

Update: Currently a free agent, not subject to waivers.

Jamin Davis​

Depth at off-ball linebacker is also an issue for the Panthers, and the New York Jets cut former first round pick Jamin Davis. He played fairly well in his first couple of seasons after being taken 19th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders. Since then, his fifth year option has been declined and he has moved to more of an edge player position. Still, he tallied over 100 tackles in his only year as a full time starter and has shown the ability to make game changing plays. I think he’d be worth a flyer, especially considering the current linebackers and edge players.

Update: Davis is still available, but so are a number of other options at inside linebacker after cuts. Names like Isaiah Simmons, Chad Muma, and Chris Paul Jr are all interesting options in their own right.

Morgan Fox​

Fox was with the Panthers in 2021 and has spent the last few seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. While he hasn’t been a consistent starter, he has managed to command about half the defensive snaps most years. That type of heavy rotational player is exactly what Evero wants as he loves to rotate his down lineman a ton. The main issue with bringing back Fox is having to let go of someone else on the defensive line. Still, I might prefer Fox over someone like Shy Tuttle or LaBryan Ray at the end of the depth chart.

Update: Neither Tuttle nor Ray are currently on the roster. It’s hard to see them adding at defensive end before inside linebacker.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...potential-players-the-panthers-possibly-poach

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2025 season opener countdown: 11 days to go

With 11 days left until the Carolina Panthers open their 2025 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s time to look at the number 11 jersey, outside linebacker Nic Scourton

Nictiedric Scourton​

Scourton was the Panthers second pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, taken 51st overall out of Texas A&M. Scourton and the Panthers third pick, outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen, are part of a significant investment the Panthers have made into reshaping their pass rush with an eye towards both the present and the future

Both Scourton and Umanmielen were one-time projected first round picks. In Scourton’s case, transferring from Purdue to Texas A&M led to poor match of scheme and coaching for his talents. Playing in a more natural position this off and preseason, Scourton has shown flashes of that previously projected first round talent.

Injuries, including a collapsed lung during the preseason, have kept Scourton from having a full offseason program but he is already back on the practice field and expected to be available Week 1.

What kind of impact are you expecting from the rookie this season? Jump down into the comments and give us your optimistic stat line prediction for Scourton.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...63/2025-season-opener-countdown-11-days-to-go

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Predicting the Panthers Post-53 Depth Chart

The Carolina Panthers have finalized the first iteration of their 53-man roster for the 2025 season. After trading wide receiver Adam Thielen and claiming wide receiver Dalevon Campbell and defensive back Damarri Mathis, the Panthers now look toward their Week 1 matchup against Jacksonville. Here is how I could see them lining up.

Offense​

Quaterback​

• Bryce Young
• Andy Dalton

No surprises here. This is likely Bryce’s last chance to silence the critics, and he’s been put in a good spot to succeed.

Runningback​

• Chuba Hubbard
• Rico Dowdle
• Trevor Etienne

Another straightforward position group with Hubbard and Dowdle as the main bell cows. Etienne is a nice change of pace guy but won’t get too many touches.

X Receiver​

• Tetairoa McMillan
• David Moore
• Dalevon Campbell

The X receiver is the number one guy who is often alone on one side of the field. While McMillan can (and likely will) move around, this is where I picture him most often. Campbell also has the prototypical X receiver frame.

Z Receiver​

• Xavier Legette
• Brycen Tremayne

With McMillan taking the X receiver reps, Legette can now become the de facto Z receiver out wide but not alone on that side of the field. This will allow him to use the other receiver(s) on that side to help get open against man and zone.

Y Receiver​

• Jalen Coker
• Jimmy Horn Jr

Jalen Coker should line up in the Adam Thielen role and perform quite well there. Bryce has good chemistry with the second year receiver who showed a ton of potential in the slot last season. Horn could also be a gimmick play slot guy.

Tight End​

• Ja’Tavion Sanders
• Tommy Tremble
• Mitchell Evans
• James Mitchell

My guess is they ease Tremble back into the fray since he’s recovering from back surgery. Once he’s ready to go full bore, James Mitchell may be cut. In the meantime, he does provide more of the power tight end style compared to Sanders and Evans who are more finesse tight ends.

Left Tackle​

• Ikem Ekwonu
• Brady Christensen*

Same as last year. Nothing else to say really. Christensen is likely the first guy off the bench for four or five of the offensive line spots should someone get hurt.

Left Guard​

• Damien Lewis
• Chandler Zavala*

If the Panthers want to keep Christensen at tackle, then Zavala will likely get the nod at either guard position.

Center​

• Austin Corbett
• Cade Mays

In a pinch, Mays could also be a backup at either guard spot.

Right Guard​

• Robert Hunt
• Chandler Zavala*

Again, Zavala could be the guard called on to plug into either side of the line when needed.

Right Tackle​

• Taylor Moton
• Brady Christensen*
• Yosh Nijman

I really hope Christensen would be the one to replace Moton if needed. Christensen is a better player overall, so unless he’s playing another spot on the line already, he should be the backup at right tackle as well. Nothing against Nijman, Christensen is just better.

Defense​

Down Lineman​

• Derrick Brown
• A’Shawn Robinson
• Tershawn Wharton
• Bobby Brown III
• Cam Jackson

Ejiro Evero likes to rotate his linemen, but I see the first four getting the majority of snaps unless injuries force Jackson into the lineup.

Edge Rusher​

• DJ Wonnum
• Pat Jones II
• Princely Umanmielen
• Nic Scourton
• Thomas Incoom
• DJ Johnson

I think the veterans will start most games, but that does not mean they’ll play the most snaps. As Umanmielen and Scourton get adjusted to the pro game, I think they’ll start to take a fair amount of pass rush snaps.

Off-Ball Linebacker​

• Christian Rozeboom
• Trevin Wallace
• Claudin Cherelus
• Bam Martin-Scott

Evero’s defense usually only uses two off-ball linebackers on the field at one time, but this is an extremely thin group. I could see the Panthers looking to add to this group at some point. The goal would be to not have Cherelus or Martin-Scott getting many defensive snaps.

Field Corner​

• Jaycee Horn
• Corey Thornton

Field corner is your rangiest corner with top notch coverage skills because he has to cover more ground to the field side. Horn is the undisputed best corner on the team, and Thornton showed out in camp and preseason. I think the Panthers would keep Mike Jack on the boundary side even if Horn gets banged up.

Boundary Corner​

• Mike Jackson
• Damarri Mathis*
• Akayleb Evans

The boundary corner is lined up on the short side of the field, so they can be a bit more aggressive in coverage. I like Mike Jack in that role where he can use his aggressiveness and press skills. Mathis was a starter for Evero a couple years ago, so I think he’ll be above Evans on the depth chart.

Slot Corner​

• Chau Smith-Wade
• Damarri Mathis*

Smith-Wade has looked a lot better in his second year, so I think he’ll be the main slot corner. I could also see Mathis playing in the slot in dime packages, especially since he’s a little shorter than what Evero prefers in his outside corners.

Strong Safety​

• Tre’von Moehrig
• Demani Richardson

Moehrig is the more box safety type, so he’ll likely be designated as the strong safety. Richardson has also shown some promise the last couple of preseasons, so I like having him as Moehrig’s backup.

Free Safety​

• Lathan Ransom
• Nick Scott

Yes, I think Ransom will end up being the starting free safety. The dude just has a knack for finding the football. Nick Scott is serviceable but is better served as a backup, veteran voice, and special teams ace.

Specialists​

Kicker​

• Ryan Fitzgerald

The Panthers cut Matthew Wright and didn’t claim any kickers off waivers, so it seems like it’s Fitzgerald’s job at least to start the season. One less heralded part of the kicking competition was Fitzgerald’s kickoff ability. He did a fantastic job of limiting the opposing returners by landing tough to catch kicks in the landing zone.

Punter​

• Sam Martin

Obviously

Long Snapper​

• JJ Jansen

At this point, Jansen might just play until he’s 80 before finally hanging them up. Safe to say he’s got this spot locked up until he decides he’s done.

Kick Returner​

• Trevor Etienne
• Jimmy Horn Jr

While the Panthers website has Dowdle and Moore listed first, I think the Panthers would prefer to get the ball in the hands of more dynamic playmakers on kickoffs. Etienne showed some promise as a returner, and Horn is a homerun waiting to happen.

Punt Returner​

• Trevor Etienne
• Jimmy Horn Jr

Basically copy and paste the explanation for kick returner. I do think David Moore might slide in here at some point if Canales wants a more sure-handed player back there, but Etienne looked incredibly good with the ball in his hands in the preseason.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...0/predicting-the-panthers-post-53-depth-chart

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Practice squad and waiver claims: Panthers roster tracker

With the first round of cuts and waiver claims out of the way, the Carolina Panthers have made a couple of changes to their roster after yesterday’s 53-man deadline and have started to fill out their practice squad. The biggest shocker was that Carolina claimed a wide receiver from the Los Angeles Chargers after trading away Adam Thielen this morning. The full list of transactions is below:

Waiver claims​

Dalevon Campbell, wide receiver
Damarri Mathis, defensive back

Campbell is another big bodied, fast (6’4”, 205 lbs, 4.42 40-yard dash) receiver who clearly fits Dave Canales’ ideal mold. The undrafted free agent rookie, most recently with the University of South Carolina, has his work cut out for him to see targets in an already crowded receiver room.

Mathis is a veteran defensive back whose most significant experience (11 starts) came as a rookie in Denver under then-Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero.

The Panthers waived defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy, a 2024 sixth round pick, to make room on the roster for both players. After trading wide receiver Adam Thielen this morning, they only needed to release one player to fit both waiver claims under the 53-man limit.

Practice squad signings​

Ainias Smith, wide receiver
Hendon Hooker, quarterback
DeeJay Dallas, running back
Shemar Bartholomew, cornerback
Kalen King, cornerback
Trevian Thomas, safety
Sam Roberts, defensive line
Krys Barnes, linebacker
Brandon Walton, offensive line
Boogie Basham, outside linebacker
Jared Harrison-Hunte, defensive end
Mike Tarquin, offensive line
Jarrett Kingston, offensive line
Maz Mwansa, linebacker
Bryce Pierre, tight end
Ja’seem Reed, wide receiver
Mike Reid, cornerback

This list is likely to fluctuate more than the 53-man roster over the coming days. Expect to see Crumedy land here if he clears waivers.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...uad-and-waiver-claims-panthers-roster-tracker

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2025 season opener countdown: 10 days to go

With 10 days left until the Carolina Panthers open their 2025 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s time to look at somebody who could wear the number 10 jersey this season, newly claimed wide receiver Dalevon Campbell.

The history of #10​

There are a lot of fun names that harken back to specific eras of Panthers football who wore the number 10 jersey. There were punters like Todd Sauerbrun and Johnny Hekker. There were wide receivers like Curtis Samuel and Corey “Hollywood” Brown. There was the tragically misunderstood project that was Armanti Edwards.

Sauerbrun and Samuel each wore the jersey for four seasons. Edwards switched to the number 14 jersey his second year. Nobody made a huge a mark with this number.

Dalevon Campbell​

Campbell wore the number 38 jersey with the Los Angeles Chargers during the preseason and numbers 5, 8, 15, and 19 at his various college stops at Nevada, Illinois, and the University of South Carolina.

As we noted yesterday, Campbell is the physical model of what Dave Canales looks for in a wide receiver. He is 6’4″, 220 lbs, and runs a 4.42 forty yard dash. He led the Chargers in the preseason with eight receptions for 147 yards.

Canales said yesterday that the Panthers see Campbell as primarily a gunner on special teams intended to improve their coverage units on punts and kickoffs. His high upside as a wide receiver is a secondary benefit.

His special teams utility also explains why he was claimed over re-signing Hunter Renfrow. The ability to do more than one thing on the field is apparently valued over whatever veteran leadership the team thought Renfrow could provide in Adam Thielen’s absence.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...97/2025-season-opener-countdown-10-days-to-go

 

[Carolina Panthers]

The Panthers have a decision to make at left tackle

After Jaycee Horn’s car accident requiring a number of stitches to his thumb and Nic Scourton’s collapsed lung suffered in a joint practice with the Houston Texans, the Carolina Panthers have yet another semi-bizarre medical situation this offseason as starting left tackle Ikem Ekwonu underwent an appendectomy on Sunday night. While there have been instances of players having this surgery and still playing just 8 days later, it would be wishful thinking to rely on Ekwonu to be ready to roll for the Week One matchup versus the Jacksonville Jaguars in just ten days.

With a couple of options sitting on it’s newly minted 53-man roster, the Panthers have a decision to make. Should they go with the homegrown Brady Christensen whose versatility along the offensive line has been praiseworthy, but not enough to earn him a starting job? Or is veteran swing tackle Yosh Nijman, brought over during the 2024 free agency window when the team overhauled the offensive line room, the short-term answer at the position?

---

Head coach Dave Canales stated that Nijman is the first consideration for the role, but didn’t give a final decision and quickly mentioned Christensen as a possible alternative. If we’ve learned anything during Canales’ tenure, it’s that if he does not say it with certainty, it means the role is up for grabs.

Yosh Nijman is first man up at left tackle. Brady Christensen also can play there. https://t.co/y2ombjnDFg

— Joe Person (@josephperson) August 27, 2025

Interestingly, Christensen led the team in snaps at left tackle over the preseason with 64 reps to Nijman’s 26 on the left. Meanwhile at right tackle the counts are mirrored almost perfectly, with Nijman leading the team with 64 snaps compared to Christensen’s 24 on the same side during the preseason. This distribution would usually lead one to believe that Christensen is the primary back-up at left tackle with Nijman in that role for the right side. Even last year when Ekwonu missed two games it was Christensen who filled in for both contests. When right tackle Taylor Moton was out, Nijman took over in his place

If Canales is to adhere to his own coaching philosophy, the position will not just be given to a player but will have to be won based on their performance so far during training camp, preseason and even during practice the week leading up to opening day.

According to PFF, Christensen graded out noticeably better as a tackle than Nijman during the preseason. Christensen finished with a 62.8 run blocking grade and 56.3 pass blocking grade compared to Nijman’s 61.2 and 38.4 grades in the same categories. Christensen gave up a sack compared to Nijman’s 0 allowed, but both players surrendered the exact same number of pressures (3 each) and penalties (1 each).

Whomever gets the start against the Jaguars, be it Ekwonu or one of the depth pieces, they’ll certainly have their hands full facing off with their formidable duo of Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...make-at-left-tackle-ekwonu-christensen-nijman

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Reacts Results: Fans optimistic entering Panthers 2025 season

Despite flagging hopes after the preseason, most fans of the Carolina Panthers are still confident in at least mild improvements from their favorite team in 2025. The Panthers have not won more than five games in a season with a full time head coach since 2018. Dave Canales matched that in 2024 in his first year as a head coach at any level of football. That “success” combined with quarterback Bryce Young’s improved play down the stretch generated a level of optimism that has carried through the offseason.

Fans were extremely high on the Panthers after the draft and free agency and are still mostly up on the team after a disappointing preseason. A majority of fans remain confident that the team is headed in the right direction. Keep in mind that, despite this being a question about overall confidence in a long term plan, this question has always been remarkably sensitive to recent wins and losses. The 30% of fans who appear to have lost faith after three exhibition games would likely come rushing back to confidence off of a Week 1 win. Conversely, anything less than a close loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on September 7th could easily see another 30% of fans ready to jump ship.

This is probably a better indicator of the full range of emotions across the fanbase. A majority expect the team to win at least one more game than they did last season. Three quarters of fans expect something between mild to incredible improvement, while only 26% are expecting the team to take a step back.

Panthers fans have been through a lot since 2018, so optimism like this is a bit of a new look for all of us. What actually happens next is anybody’s guess, but the good news is that we only have to wait one more week to find out how it’s all going to start.

Check out FanDuel, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ge...fans-optimistic-entering-panthers-2025-season

 

[Carolina Panthers]

CSR Weekend Warriors: 8/29-9/1

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/the-scratching-post/55538/csr-weekend-warriors-8-29-9-1

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Jalen Coker to IR, Hunter Renfrow returning in Saturday shake up

The Carolina Panthers have announced that wide receiver Jalen Coker has been placed on the reserve/injured list with a quad injury. The fan favorite will miss a minimum of four games with this designation and not be allowed to practice with the team until he returns to the active roster.

Dan Morgan has turned to another fan favorite, former Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, to fill Coker’s roster spot and, likely, his role in the slot. Renfrow was a successful receiver with the Las Vegas Raiders, totalling 269 receptions for 2884 yards and 17 touchdowns in five seasons.

Renfrow struggled in 2022, missed much of the 2023 season, and the the entire 2024 season with what was ultimately diagnosed as ulcerative colitis. His comeback with the Panthers this season has been an underdog story with more optimism than on field results. His return to the Panthers roster is hopefully a sign that both those results and his veteran leadership are expected to come as a stabilizing factor for a wide receiver room that has lost two of it’s top four receivers just this week.

Renfrow will have at least until the Panthers Week 4 road game against the New England Patriots to make his case for a season’s worth of work. The earliest Coker can return to the field is Carolina’s Week 5 home game against the Miami Dolphins.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...hunter-renfrow-returning-in-saturday-shake-up

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2025 Season Opener Countdown: 7 days to go

Hello CSR! We are officially ONE WEEK away from kickoff for the Carolina Panthers 2025 season opener. That means its time to celebrate number 7 on the roster: safety Tre’von Moehrig!

Moehrig entered the league out of TCU as the 43rd overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, selected by the Las Vegas Raiders. He had himself quite a career there, starting 64 games with 297 tackles, 29 pass deflections, 6 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, and 3 sacks as a safety for their unit. His steady production at safety, despite being played out of his preferred position at times, led him to free agency this off-season, where the Panthers scooped him up on a 3 year, $51 million contract with $34.5 million of it guaranteed!

Moehrig was brought in to be the DAWG of the secondary. He’s always been a tone setter of a tackler, and its shown in training camp. GM Dan Morgan and HC Dave Canales have praised him as a guy who is physical in everything he does, whether it be in run support, defending the pass, even special teams when needed. He can do basically everything you need from a safety, but he’s definitely best suited to play close to the line of scrimmage as his best seasons came as a strong safety in this league. Carolina’s secondary definitely needs the boost the Panthers paid him a boatload of money to be.

What are your thoughts on Moehrig, Panthers fans? Sound off below in the comments!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...548/2025-season-opener-countdown-7-days-to-go

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2025 Season Opener Countdown: 8 days to go

We’re down to single digits in our countdown towards the Carolina Panthers season opener. It’s just over a week away. With there being eight days left, our countdown piece is focused on number 8 himself: cornerback Jaycee Horn.

Horn, the eighth overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, has been the best defensive back on the Carolina Panthers since he was drafted. His reception amongst fans has been mixed, however, due to a combination of injuries spoiling his availability, need at other positions available at his draft position, and the low visibility of a good cornerback on network television broadcasts.

His reputation inside the building and around the league is nothing less than sterling. He is widely respected as one of the better young corners in the league and was paid like one by the Panthers at the start of free agency this year. Horn’s four-year, $100M extension briefly made him the highest paid defensive back in NFL history.

Horn’s injuries haven’t been the type to suggest lingering health concerns or an overall fragility, but he has certainly had bad luck. That has continued this offseason with a preseason car accident that resulted in him requiring stitches in his hand. The team is being quiet on his availability for Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, so we’ll be keeping a close eye on the first batch injury reports this week.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...541/2025-season-opener-countdown-8-days-to-go

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2025 Season Opener Countdown: 6 Days to Go

There are 6 days left until the start of the Carolina Panthers 2025 schedule, so today’s countdown piece is about number 6 in your program, punter Sam Martin.

Before the Panthers

The Panthers punter has some ties to the Carolinas as he played his college ball at Appalachian State from 2009-2012. While at App State he emerged as the nation’s best punter and was named First Team Associated Press All-American. Given his college exploits he was selected in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, a notable feat for a punter to be drafted that high.

Martin won the starting job his rookie year and was named to the 2013 FWA All-Rookie Team for his performance. He spent the first seven seasons of his NFL career with the Lions. In 2020 he departed for the Denver Broncos and spent two seasons there before joining the Buffalo Bills in 2022, spending the past three seasons winning games and freezing his butt of in Buffalo.

In 12 NFL seasons he has 755 career punts averaging 46.2 yards per punt. Over the course of his career he has been a consistently good punter, but has yet to make a Pro Bowl.

Martin’s role with the Panthers

The 35-year-old veteran signed a 1-year, $1.6 million contract with the Panthers this past offseason. He will be the team’s starting punter. He replaces Johnny Hekker who held that job for the past three years and is now with the Tennessee Titans. In three seasons with the Panthers Hekker averaged 47.0 yards per punt, so nearly a yard longer than Martin’s career average of 46.2.

Martin’s role with this iteration of the Carolina Panthers is an important one. While the Panthers offense has talent at wide receiver, that talent is young and largely unproven. Carolina hasn’t had a viable tight end receiving option since Greg Olsen in 2019. Quarterback Bryce Young has been up and down (and now back on the upswing!) in his first two NFL seasons.

If the Panthers passing game bogs down at times, Sam Martin is going to be called upon to flip field position more often than Carolina fans would like to admit.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...522/2025-season-opener-countdown-6-days-to-go

 

[Carolina Panthers]

The Optimist: Our superstitions will bring us home

After a quiet holiday weekend of trading away quarterback Bryce Young’s favorite target and then losing his arguably next favorite target, second-year wide receiver Jalen Coker, to a quad injury for 4-6 weeks, the Carolina Panthers are faced with the first week of the 2025 season. It has been a long offseason of hope, questions, and no football. That has been quickly followed by a short run of weird injuries raising new questions for the team’s season opener this Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

We’ve joked all offseason about the confluence of the 2024 Ohio State National Championship, Jennifer Lopez’s divorce, and opening the season against the Jags meaning that we’re going to the Super Bowl this year. This may look like superstitious, even spurious, reasoning, that is all in good fun, but it has had staying power across the internet for two good reasons: they connect our present as a fanbase to better times. It has been ten years since the 15-1 2015 Carolina Panthers were at the peak of football and every year since then has been a step or a head-over-heels tumble down that mountain. Fun has been hard to find in Panthers football and being a fan of a football team should, occasionally, be fun. Connecting to the better years both reinforces the positive feeling of community that has stagnated in recent years and feels fun.

Last season, by the numbers, was a standard, disappointingly noncompetitive year for the Carolina Panthers. Their 5-12 record was their fourth five-win season in just the past six years. We were able to end the season on a high note watching the best quarterback play the Panthers have seen since before Cam Newton’s shoulder injury. But that play did not result in a winning streak to end the season thanks to Carolina’s historically bad defense. Taking one step forward and one step back has left the Panthers in an unpredictable spot.

If the defense steps up and Young maintains or elevates his level of play from last season then they’re in business. If Young takes a step back then we’re probably in the market for a new head coach and quarterback by Week 10. If the defense is no better than last season then we might walk out of the 2025 season in the exact same position we entered it: knowing nothing for certain. If. If. If. Then what do we, as fans, do now?

That’s not a question that we should answer based on things that have actually happened recently.

Superstitions are important in a sport that is increasingly overtaken by analytics. Sure, analyzing data can reflect the history of the game in a way that provides actionable insights into its future, but that has a bigger place in the team’s meeting rooms than in fan forums. We’re not making decisions for the team right now. We’re standing on the eve of a season that looks blessed by history and cursed by the present. We’re trying to sort out how we’re supposed to feel about it all. I can make a solid argument for why Jaycee Horn’s single car accident induced thumb injury or Ikem Ekwonu’s appendectomy are going to have a bigger impact on the Panthers’ tone-setting season opener in just five days than J-Lo’s divorce that was finalized in January. But I don’t want to because that’s not fun.

Superstitions are a deeply human behavior that date back to a time when we had no better heuristics with which to interpret the world. I know today that there is no way that passing gas has any affect on the weather just like I know that Ohio State’s 2024 season has no direct bearing on the Panthers 2025 season. But you better believe that one unlucky caveman had some strange beliefs after a stormy night and some bad beans. Just like more than one person out there has built their hope on this season in no small part to the coincidences between this season and the Panthers’ few glory days.

Maybe we live in a world where coincidence is enough to build a joke and a joke is enough to inspire the actual confidence needed to affect reality. Maybe our unlucky caveman was scared every time he ate beans or maybe he walked with false confidence, believing himself unusually powerful.

The impossible question that Panthers fans are grappling with right now is what matters more: Young’s ability to elevate this team, if he indeed has that ability, or the Panthers piling up of small injuries and the lingering foul taste of their 2024 defense. We’ve been waiting to answer some form of that question since the 2024 season ended on January 5th and it has only gotten more complicated since. It’s a question that is impossible and looms larger everyday because we can’t even start to answer it until we see them play real football on Sunday. It’s almost here and now we also have to ask ourselves if we want to know the answer. What if, after all, the answer is just “another 5-12 team”?

For the next five days, and maybe for the rest of the season, I’d like to believe that my favorite team is unusually powerful and that, whatever their diet has been this offseason, they’ll hit the league like the storms we saw from them in 2003 and 2015. I know that isn’t likely. I know the answer to the big question of the offseason—who are the Carolina Panthers?—will be answered with more of a shrug than a statement. But that shrug is never fun. Taking the otherside of the superstitious coin and looking at Horn, Icky, and Coker’s last couple of weeks as harbingers of what’s to come is also no fun. Connecting with the great years of our fandom’s past is. So right now I’m going to believe in what I can’t see, because—for only five more days—there’s nothing real that I can see to contradict that belief.

Whether the Panthers are blessed, cursed. or live in a causal reality, it makes no difference in the end. Football is here. Super Bowl or bust.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/general/55566/the-optimist-our-superstitions-will-bring-us-home

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers Choose Main Captains, Will Have Others Rotate Weekly

According to the team website and multiple other sources, the Carolina Panthers will have three players serve as the main captains for the team this season. The three players chosen were Bryce Young, Derrick Brown, and JJ Jansen. A fourth captain will be chosen each week and rotate among other players on the roster. These selections come as no surprise.

The quarterback is almost always chosen as a captain due to the leadership naturally required at the position, so Bryce Young will wear the “C” on his chest for the third time in his three seasons. The defensive captain was going to come down to one of two players with Derrick Brown being the more obvious of the two (Jaycee Horn being the other). Brown is a huge part of the defense and the locker room culture, and he just signed a deal to be the face of the defense a couple years ago. The entire team has been excited about Brown returning from injury, which solidified his standing as the anchor on that side of the ball. Jansen has been with the Panthers since 1842 and is a no-brainer for captain representing special teams. The Cart Talk host is a fan and player favorite and has seen just about everything the NFL can throw at you.

Candidates for the rotating captains could depend on many factors, and we haven’t gotten an explanation of what the criteria will be. Still, we can take a guess as to some of the more likely candidates. The aforementioned Jaycee Horn will almost assuredly be a captain at some point this season. Tre’Von Moehrig would be another fairly obvious choice after receiving a hefty contract this past offseason. We could also see players like Tershawn Wharton, A’Shawn Robinson, or Christian Rozeboom get the honor for a week. On offense, someone like Taylor Moton likely gets the nod at some point, as will Chuba Hubbard in all likelihood. Robert Hunt, Austin Corbett, and Damien Lewis could also put on the “C” for a game. The youth movement through the rest of the offense makes those the most likely candidates.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...-main-captains-will-have-others-rotate-weekly