Carolina Panthers sign an OL they know well, and make space for roster possibilities
Help for the Carolina Panthers’ ailing offensive line is on the way — and there’s reason to think some reinforcements at other positions are coming, too.
The Panthers announced on Tuesday that they’ve signed Cade Mays off the New York Giants’ practice squad. The versatile guard/center, who played a bit of everything when he played in Carolina for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and even started seven contests, was released from the team when it made the initial 53-man roster after training camp. But his return is invaluable with the sudden attrition that has come to the position.
On Monday, the Panthers announced that two of the team’s starting offensive linemen would miss at least Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons at home this weekend.
One is starting center Austin Corbett, the veteran center who sustained a biceps tear and was announced as out for the season. The other is Taylor Moton, the iron-man right tackle who will see his streak of 100-plus games as a starter come to an end this week because of a triceps injury.
Brady Christensen is expected to be the starting center on Sunday. Yosh Nijman, among the highest paid backup offensive linemen in the league, is expected to start in Moton’s stead. But Mays’ presence will be welcomed for a unit that has thinned out considerably in the past two days and has consistently been the offense’s most reliable group.
Now, what about those other roster possibilities?
The Panthers made a flurry of other moves Tuesday in addition to the signing of Mays. Those moves:
▪ The team promoted outside linebacker Thomas Incoom to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. Incoom was elevated last week against the Chicago Bears to help out the linebacker group, which has also suffered their own bit of attrition with veteran Shaq Thompson out for the year and Josey Jewell coming off a leg injury.
▪ Carolina also waived defensive tackle Jayden Peevy — the team’s sacks leader through five games with 1.5 — and defensive back Russ Yeast.
▪ The Panthers also released running back Mike Boone and safety Alex Cook from the practice squad.
This left the Panthers with two slots open on the 53-man roster.
Then, on Tuesday evening, the Panthers announced they added defensive end Deshawn Williams to the active roster from the practice squad in search of a better pass rush. They also announced they added outside linebacker Shaq Lawson to the team’s practice squad.
So what will the Panthers do with that last roster spot?
Last week, the Panthers opened up the 21-day return windows for cornerback Dane Jackson and tight end Ian Thomas, who started the year on the injured reserve list. That means these two players — who the Panthers counted on before the season as key contributors — started practice last week and will be activated to the 53-man roster at some point in the next two weeks. They were ruled “out” the day before the Bears game.
That said, head coach Dave Canales considers these two guys as “really close,” he told reporters Monday.
“We’re really close there,” Canales said. “Dane and Ian both had solid weeks. This week is really crucial for those two guys to get out there, to show good movement skills and confidence, just playing football. Football movements, leaning on people, making plays, all that stuff. As you can imagine, the return to play aspect involves everything but the full-speed covering, the full-speed blocking and setting edges. And so this is a huge week to evaluate those guys.”
Canales also provided an update on two other players Monday. Those two guys are pass rusher DJ Wonnum, who the Panthers went and got in free agency to play on the other side of Jadeveon Clowney, and running back Jonathon Brooks, who the Panthers selected in the second round of the 2024 draft. Wonnum started the season and is still on IR; Brooks started the season and is still on the non-football injury list.
He was equally optimistic.
“I would say DJ (Wonnum) and Jonathon (Brooks) are really close,” Canales said. “Obviously, we get excited about guys who can come back and help us. But at the same time, we gotta do what’s right for the player, first and foremost, and then for the team after that. And so it’s getting really close.”
This story was originally published October 8, 2024 at 4:59 PM.
