Sunday was the deadline for NFL teams to cut their rosters down from the preseason 90 to the regular season 53. Reports on the Carolina Panthers’ cuts were kind of hard to come by at times, but we eventually got a full 53 man roster, and there were a handful of surprises. On Saturday, we predicted what the final 53 would look like. Let’s see how it stacks up.
Offense
Quarterback
Projected (3): Bryce Young. Kenny Pickett, Haynes King
Actual (3): Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett, Haynes King
No surprises here. The only question
was whether or not the Panthers were going to use King’s hamstring injury as a way to sneak him onto the roster via injured reserve, but they opted not to do that. He’ll be on the active roster come week one, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him check in for some short yardage situations at some point.
Running back
Projected: Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks, Trevor Etienne/AJ Dillon
Actual: Chuba Hubbard, Jonathon Brooks, AJ Dillon
The slash between Etienne and Dillon was dependent upon the severity of the ankle injury Etienne suffered in the preseason finale. It turns out he’ll be heading to IR with a return designation. In the meantime, Dillon will handle third running back and special teams duties. Again, no surprises here.
Wide receiver
Projected (7): Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, Brycen Tremayne, Jimmy Horn Jr., John Metchie III, Ja’seem Reed
Actual (6): Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette, Brycen Tremayne, Jimmy Horn Jr., John Metchie III
Again, not many surprises here. Veteran David Moore ends up not making the cut after a couple seasons doing a little bit of everything, but he could be a practice squad candidate. Training camp favorite Ja’Seem Reed apparently didn’t do quite enough to make the final roster, but I imagine he’s going straight to the practice squad if he clears waivers (he probably will).
Tight end
Projected (3): Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Ja’Tavion Sanders
Actual (5): Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Feleipe Franks, Darren Waller
Five tight ends is a lot of tight ends. I don’t think this group is going to look like this by the time the regular season starts. The Panthers have reportedly been shopping Ja’Tavion Sanders, and I kind of expect them to take the best offer available sometime this week. He and Waller are redundant, and the Panthers clearly have plans for Waller at some point given that he made the roster. Since he’s a veteran, he wouldn’t have to go through waivers before signing to the practice squad. Also Feleipe Franks gets on for his special teams proficiency.
Also, Darren Waller is number 35. That’s weird.
Offensive line
Projected (9): Rasheed Walker, Damien Lewis, Luke Fortner, Robert Hunt, Monroe Freeling, Brady Christensen, Sam Hecht, Chandler Zavala, Stone Forsythe
Actual (10): Rasheed Walker, Damien Lewis, Luke Fortner, Robert Hunt, Monroe Freeling, Stone Forsythe, Chandler Zavala, Sam Hecht, Brady Christensen, Albert Reese IV
All nine of the offensive linemen we expected to make the roster did in fact make the roster. The only change was an additional lineman, Albert Reese IV, made the squad as well. The undrafted rookie out of Mississippi State will backup at tackle but also has experience on the interior.
Defense
Defensive line
Projected (5): Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown III, Cam Jackson, Lee Hunter, Jared Harrison-Hunte
Actual (6): Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown III, Cam Jackson, Lee Hunter, Aaron Hall, TeRah Edwards
The last defensive line spot seemed to come down to a battle between Harrison-Hunte and Hall, and Hall ended up claiming the spot. The Panthers also traded a 2028 sixth round pick for TeRah Edwards. Edwards was an undrafted free agent last year and has never appeared in a regular season game. Clearly someone really likes what they’ve seen on tape from him in the preseason. We’ll see what he brings to the table once the season starts.
Edge
Projected (5): Jaelan Phillips, Patrick Jones II, Princely Umanmielen, Trevis Gipson, Thomas Incoom
Actual (5): Jaelan Phillips, Patrick Jones II, Princely Umanmielen, Thomas Incoom, Trevis Gipson
It’s the five we expected, though the team swapped Incoom and Gipson in the pseudo-depth chart order they posted. This group looks like it should have more juice than it has in recent years. Still a shame to not see what it would look like with Nic Scourton.
Linebacker
Projected (5): Devin Lloyd, Trevin Wallace, Claudin Cherelus, Bam Martin-Scott, Jackson Kuwatch
Actual (3): Devin Lloyd, Claudin Cherelus, Jackson Kuwatch
Here’s a surprising one. Trevin Wallace not only loses his starting spot, he gets released from the roster entirely. The Panthers are reportedly signing Bobby Okereke, though the move isn’t official yet. If I had to guess, the Panthers are going to trade Ja’Tavion Sanders or release one of the linemen and then use the opening to sign Okereke to start alongside Devin Lloyd. Bam Martin-Scott lands on IR with a return designation, so he’s still in the picture as well.
Cornerback
Projected (5): Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Will Lee III, Akayleb Evans
Actual (5): Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Will Lee III, Akayleb Evans
The five expected corners are the five actual corners. The top three are a formidable group, Lee is a promising rookie behind them, and Evans is a very good gunner that can fill in at corner in a pinch.
Safety
Projected (5): Tre’von Moehrig, Nick Scott, Lathan Ransom, Zakee Wheatley, Isaiah Simmons
Actual (4): Tre’von Moehrig, Nick Scott, Lathan Ransom, Zakee Wheatley
I thought Simmons would make the team since the decision makers have spoken so highly of his special teams ability, but he’s not on the final 53. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him land on the practice squad for his versatility. Otherwise, we see the expected veterans getting the start with some interesting rookies filling in behind them.
Specialists
Kicker: Ryan Fitzgerald
Punter: Sam Martin
Long snapper: JJ Jansen
These three were the only players on the roster at their positions so of course they’re on the 53 man roster.
