Panthers elevate Charlotte native from practice squad for start at Dolphins, TE put on IR
The Panthers won’t have either of their starting safeties Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Both Vonn Bell (quad) and Xavier Woods (hamstring) were ruled out Friday prior to the Week 6 clash in South Florida.
But with a “next man up” mentality, the Panthers are digging deep for their backup plan at the position.
Veteran safety Matthias Farley was elevated from the practice squad Saturday in order to start against the Dolphins. According to head coach Frank Reich, Farley, a Charlotte native, will start opposite Sam Franklin, who has filled in for Woods over the past two weeks.
Farley, listed as 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, made his Panthers debut last week against the Detroit Lions as a standard elevation from the practice squad. The Charlotte Christian alum has played in 101 career games (18 starts) for the Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans during his career. He also overlapped with Reich in Indianapolis in 2018.
“Very smart, very competitive, very instinctive,” Reich said about Farley. “He’s a guy who you could call him up off the street, and give him the playbook, and in 24 hours, he’s going to have it mastered. And so, he’s played a lot of football, been in a lot of different systems, so he’s adapted well, and learned our system very quickly.”
Farley, who signed with the practice squad last month, played 15 snaps on special teams against the Lions in Week 5. The 31-year-old safety has made an eight-year career out of standing out on special teams, but he still has plenty of experience on defense.
Farley, who played college football at Notre Dame, has three interceptions, three forced fumbles and 14 pass breakups on his NFL resume.
Despite being on the practice squad, Farley and Franklin will lead the banged-up secondary, while rookie Jammie Robinson will provide support behind them at safety.
“We tell our guys at the beginning of the year, when you make your roster after training camp, and then there’s the 16 practice squad guys, you always have this speech, ‘There is no distinction — in one respect there is no distinction — between the practice squad and the roster, because everybody’s going to play,’” Reich said. “And this is just case and point. This happens with regularity, no just on our team but other teams, so it’s just the mentality you don’t flinch. You’ve got confidence in your guys and you’re ready to play.”
Along with Farley, the Panthers also elevated center/guard Justin McCray from the practice squad. McCray will be on the game-day roster for the second time this season. He is likely to back up the interior offensive line and play special teams.
Panthers swap tight ends on IR
Along with the practice-squad elevations, the Panthers swapped out injured reserve designations for a pair of tight ends.
The team announced Saturday it placed tight end Ian Thomas (calf) on injured reserve and activated tight end Stephen Sullivan (hip) from the same list.
Thomas suffered his injury during the week of practice. He will miss at least four games — including the matchup against Miami — on injured reserve. Thomas caught two passes for 36 yards during the first five games of the season.
Sullivan missed the first five games of the season on injured reserve with a hip injury. The fourth-year tight end floated in and out of the lineup during his first two seasons in Carolina. He has just two catches for 46 yards his 18 career games, but he has played well on special teams when given the chance.
With fellow tight end Giovanni Ricci ruled out for the game with a shoulder injury, Sullivan should take his spot in the offense and on special teams. Thomas’s absence could also open the door for significant playing time for Sullivan behind Hayden Hurst and Tommy Tremble.
Notable names to miss matchup vs. Miami
Woods, Bell and Ricci were ruled out against the Dolphins this week, along with running back Miles Sanders (shoulder) and left guard Chandler Zavala (neck). Pass rusher Brian Burns (ankle) and defensive tackle Derrick Brown (knee/ankle) were listed as “questionable” Friday.
Chuba Hubbard is expected to replace Sanders as the starting running back in Week 6. Reich declined to state the plan for replacing Zavala, but second-year lineman Cade Mays was his immediate replacement against Detroit. The Panthers also have McCray and Nash Jensen at the position if needed.
Austin Corbett (knee) remains on the physically unable to perform list, despite practicing throughout this week.
Replacing Burns and Brown would be quite difficult if either were to miss the matchup. If Burns were inactive, the Panthers would likely turn to Yetur Gross-Matos or Amare Barno opposite veteran Justin Houston. If Brown were inactive, the Panthers’ plan would likely involve a rotation of LaBryan Ray, DeShawn Williams and Gross-Matos upfront.
Neither of those backup plans is optimal against Miami’s elite offense, especially with the Panthers’ defense already struggling mightily against the run.
This story was originally published October 14, 2023 at 2:28 PM.
