Carolina Panthers waive plug-and-play cornerback ahead of 53-man roster cut deadline
Another player from the Matt Rhule era is hitting the waiver wire.
The Carolina Panthers are releasing cornerback Keith Taylor, the Panthers’ fifth-round pick of the 2021 NFL draft. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported the news first.
Taylor played in every game of his two seasons in the NFL, both of which were with the Panthers. In 2022, specifically, he started two games and notched 29 tackles and three pass deflections.
At the time of the news (around 10:40 a.m. ET), the Panthers had reduced their roster to 56 players, meaning that three more cuts needed to be made before the 4 p.m. ET deadline.
Taylor finished the 2023 preseason with important production on the practice field and in the team’s three preseason games. In those preseason contests, Taylor recorded 10 solo tackles and one pass deflection.
Two plays defined his final preseason contest against the Lions on Friday: one was a great angle of pursuit to prevent a touchdown on a Panthers kickoff return; the other was being one of the main cornerbacks in coverage on a Detroit 70-yard score.
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound corner provided depth to a defensive backfield that has sorely needed it the past few years. DB standouts Jaycee Horn and Donte Jackson both have missed regular-season games due to injury the past two years — and that thrusted CJ Henderson, who will be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2023 season, and Taylor into impactful positions.
Head coach Frank Reich weighed in on Taylor and defensive backfield depth after an early-August training camp session in Spartanburg. (It was the day Taylor picked off Bryce Young — the fourth interception Young had thrown in four days.)
“Feel great about the cornerback depth,” Reich told reporters Aug. 1. He then spoke on Taylor specifically: “Great play by Keith. He’s strung a couple good days together now, as you guys have seen and I think you’ve noted. That’s what we’re looking for. I mean, the play he made today in red zone was really nice. Made a couple of nice plays the other day in the stadium here.
“We need that competition. We need that depth — unfortunately, in this league, at every position, we’ve gotta have that. And this is a time of year that we can develop that to the fullest.”
Fellow cornerback Stantley Thomas-Oliver, a 2020 seventh-round pick, was also waived, according to The Athletic’s Joe Person.
Take a look at The Observer’s cuts deadline tracker to stay up-to-date on all Panthers roster news Tuesday.
This story was originally published August 29, 2023 at 10:35 AM.
