Panthers notebook: Carolina makes a flurry of roster moves, Hubbard sidelined
The Carolina Panthers shook up their depth chart ahead of practice on Wednesday.
The team announced wide receiver David Moore (elbow) and guard Chandler Zavala (knee) were placed on injured reserve. Those designations gave the team four open roster spots — following the departures of outside linebacker DJ Johnson and wide receiver Dalevon Campbell on Tuesday — heading into Week 5.
In turn, the team promoted running back DeeJay Dallas and defensive back Trevian Thomas from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. Carolina also signed lineman Jake Curhan off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad to join the 53-man roster.
With Dallas and Thomas joining the main roster, the team filled their spots with offensive linemen Saahdiq Charles and Aiden Williams. They also added running back Anthony Tyus III to the practice squad following the departure of lineman Jarrett Kingston, who signed with the Houston Texans’ 53-man roster on Tuesday.
Along with all of the activity on the 53-man roster and practice squad, the team also activated defensive end LaBryan Ray’s 21-day practice window on injured reserve.
Ray had been sidelined since training camp with an ankle injury, and he became eligible to return to the roster on Monday. The team will now be able evaluate him in practice for the next three weeks before promoting him to the main roster.
Panthers injury report: Hubbard, Wharton miss workout
Despite placing two players on injured reserve on Wednesday, the Panthers still had a rather crowded injury report to begin the week.
Running back Chuba Hubbard (calf) and defensive lineman Tershawn “Turk” Wharton (toe) were among the players missing from practice.
“The calf needs more treatment,” head coach Dave Canales said, referring to Hubbard’s injury. “The calf needs more time — and so we’re just taking it day to day with Chuba right now. And, you know, we needed to get him a rest day today, not put him out there and try to get him on the other side it.”
Qutside linebacker Patrick Jones (hamstring) and wide receiver Xavier Legette (hamstring) returned in full effort to begin the week. Following practice, Canales said he expected to have Legette back on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. Legette echoed that sentiment as well in the locker room.
Right tackle Taylor Moton (rest), tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders (knee), cornerback Chau Smith-Wade (chest) were all off to the side during the media-attended portion of practice.
Here is the entire practice report on Wednesday:
Did not participate: OT Taylor Moton (rest), RB Chuba Hubbard (calf), DE Turk Wharton (toe), TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (knee)
Limited participation: OLB D.J. Wonnum (hip)
Full participation: WR Xavier Legette (hamstring), OLB Patrick Jones (hamstring), DT Cam Jackson (knee), C Cade Mays (knee), WR Tetairoa McMillan (calf), DE LaBryan Ray (ankle)
Moore, Zavala to IR: What it means for the Panthers’ offense
Moore and Zavala were both injured in the first half of the 42-13 blowout loss to New England. Both players started the game, with Moore filling in for an injured Legette and Zavala filling in for an injured Robert Hunt (injured reserve — biceps) at right guard.
According to Canales, Moore suffered a “significant elbow dislocation” against the Patriots. Zavala injured the same knee that hindered him during training camp.
Moore was replaced by Campbell at the Z wide receiver position. Campbell later sustained a hamstring injury against New England and was waived with an injury designation on Tuesday, freeing up a roster spot.
Canales not-so-subtly alluded to a promotion for sixth-round pick Jimmy Horn Jr on Monday. Horn has been a healthy scratch for the first four games of the season. Horn is known for his speed, which should add another element to the offense moving forward.
“This is an offensive emphasis for Jimmy,” Canales said about Horn’s role. “This is the reason he’s here — this developmental part of knowing that these opportunities come up. And this isn’t the way that we would have all loved to see this happen, with (Moore) getting injured, but opportunities come in a bunch of different ways and here we are. I’m excited for Jimmy to get out there. I’m excited for what he can bring to us.”
With Zavala headed to the injury list, the Panthers will need to find their third starting right guard in five weeks. While Brandon Walton was the initial fill-in for Zavala during the second quarter of Sunday’s loss, veteran Brady Christensen quickly replaced him in the second half.
Christensen, who has mostly lined up at center and tackle in practice, is expected to be the first man up at the right guard spot in Week 5.
“I’ve played a lot of guard in my career, and so it takes a little mental shift to get back into the flow of things at guard — the angles and everything,” Christensen said Wednesday. “But I’ve got a full week to get that going. Other than that, we’re always working on our footwork and our hand placement, and that goes across the board. It’s similar techniques across the board. So, you can carry that from position to position.”
Getting to know the new guys
After the Panthers struggled mightily on special teams against New England, the front office added a pair of players who have shined in that area in the past.
Dallas has a long history on special teams, both in coverage and as a returner. Dallas had a 96-yard touchdown return on a kickoff for the Cardinals last year. He has also played in a similar style offense throughout his career, as he was in Seattle for several years with Canales and offensive coordinator Brad Idzik.
Canales said Wednesday that the move was injury related, namely because of Hubbard.
“He’s a guy that I really trust as well,” Canales said about Dallas. “This was an opportunity for me to reward a guy that’s been working his butt off in practice.”
Thomas’s promotion is two-fold. The rookie, who played college ball at Arkansas State, had a strong camp as a secondary defender — both at safety and nickel corner — and he was standout on special teams in the preseason. He will now provide depth behind the top trio of Tre’von Moehrig, Nick Scott and fellow rookie Lathan Ransom. Second-year defensive back Demani Richardson also factors into the roster math.
“Trevian Thomas is another guy that’s done a lot of good things for us, just throughout this season, really on practice squad,” Canales said. “Showing that he can be available for special teams as well. And also, just seeing if we can get an opportunity to see him (on) defense at some point.”
Curhan joins an offensive line in a constant state of flux. Injuries and uneven play have diminished the returns for the offensive line, especially within the interior group.
Curhan, listed as 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, has been in the league since 2021. The former undrafted free agent out of California started his career with the Seahawks, like Dallas, when Canales was in Seattle. He has played 40 career games, including an outing with the Cardinals earlier this season. Curhan has played left guard, right guard and right tackle during his career.
With Christensen likely to move up the ranks, Curhan, offensive tackle Yosh Nijman and center Nick Samac — added in Week 3 — will need to pick up the slack as backups.
Charles and Williams, who are now on the practice squad, will also help with offensive line insurance.
Charles, a 2020 fourth-round pick, has played in 35 career games, all with the Washington Commanders. He hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2023. Williams is a rookie guard who spent the summer with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tyus, a running back, played his college ball at Northwestern and Ohio. The undrafted rookie split the summer with stints with the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks.
Quick hits
- According to Next Gen Stats, defensive back Tre’von Moehrig has the seventh-best tackling efficiency (90.6%) among safeties with at least 25 opportunities through four games.
- Tight end Tommy Tremble caught the 10th touchdown pass of his career against New England on Sunday. He has moved to third all-time among tight ends on the Panthers’ touchdown list. He moved past Jeff King (9) and Kris Mangum (9) with his latest score. He is still trailing Wesley Walls (44) and Greg Olsen (39) by a significant margin.
- The Panthers have 22 penalties through four games. That number is tied for the fourth-lowest sum — with the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens — in the NFL so far this season. The Pittsburgh Steelers are the least penalized team in the league with 19 infractions.
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 11:22 AM.
