Panthers waive DE Efe Obada, fifth-round pick Kenny Robinson to make room on roster
The Carolina Panthers waived defensive end Efe Obada and fifth-round pick safety Kenny Robinson as part of roster moves Sunday.
The team also released offensive lineman Matt Kaskey. The Panthers released all three to make room on the roster for three players they claimed on waivers earlier Sunday: cornerback Rasul Douglas, defensive end Shareef Miller and offensive tackle Trent Scott. There are still three spots open on the team’s practice squad — 13 of 16 practice squad players were announced Sunday.
The Panthers reduced the roster to the 53-player NFL maximum Saturday before Sunday’s additional roster moves. The team will open the season by hosting the Las Vegas Raiders next Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.
Obada practiced with the second- and third-teams throughout training camp and was part of the defensive line rotation. He would have been a backup and contributed to the team’s rotation.
The defensive end has had quite the career with the Panthers and became one of the team’s more beloved players. Obada, 28, came to the league as a member of the NFL’s International Pathways program, which gives athletes from other countries the opportunity to spend time and earn a spot on an NFL roster. In 2018, he became the first in the program to be active for an NFL game.
Last year, in his second full season in the NFL, he played in all 16 games for the first time, finishing with 24 tackles, including two for loss and one pass defended.
Obada signed a one-year contract extension in January, the first player the Panthers re-signed in 2020. His path to the NFL has been well documented. Born in Nigeria, he became a victim of human trafficking as a child. He was trafficked to the Netherlands at age 10 and wound up homeless in south London with his sister, living in and out of foster homes.
He eventually discovered football at 21 years old with the London Warriors football team. The Cowboys gave him a tryout based on a recommendation and, after brief stints with the Falcons and Chiefs, he found his way to Carolina.
This offseason, Obada has been away from his family in England for most of the last six months due to COVID-19. His wife has Lupus, a systemic autoimmune disorder, which leaves her more vulnerable to the virus.
Robinson, 21, is the first player selected by the Panthers in this year’s draft that the team has waived. The former XFL and West Virginia player did not have many splash plays in camp. Other players, like undrafted defensive back Myles Hartsfield and linebacker Sam Franklin, who often plays at safety, have been more consistent and made more notable plays. Hartsfield has also practiced as a running back.
The fifth-round pick was expelled from West Virginia after two seasons for allowing someone else to do an assignment for him. He then went on to become an impressive player in the condensed XFL season this year for the St. Louis Battlehawks. Many teams had interest in him during the pre-draft process.
Practice squad
Carolina also announced the first 13 players on the team’s practice squad. This year all teams are allowed to put up to 16 players on the practice squad. Six of the spots can be awarded to veteran players, also a change to the rules.
The current Panthers on the practice squad include RB Reggie Bonnafon, P/K Kaare Vedvik, OL Mike Horton, OL Sam Tecklenburg, WR Ishmael Hyman, WR Marken Michel, DT Bruce Hector, DT Myles Adams, DT Woodrow Hamilton, DE Austin Larkin, LB Chris Orr, TE Giovanni Ricci and S Natrell Jamerson.
This story was originally published September 6, 2020 at 3:35 PM.
