Panthers roster closer to set after Carolina cuts to reach 53 players by NFL deadline
Every NFL team had to have 53 players on their final roster by 4 p.m. Tuesday. The Carolina Panthers started the work of getting there with a flurry of moves Tuesday morning that continued into the late afternoon.
Among the notable cuts were guard Deonte Brown, safety Juston Burris, receivers Brandon Zylstra, C.J. Saunders and Derek Wright, and defensive end Darryl Johnson.
Carolina either cut or waived 27 players to reach the NFL’s 53-man roster limit. The Panthers placed kicker Zane Gonzalez on injured reserve, ending his season. Gonzalez hurt his groin while warming up early in the third quarter during the team’s final preseason game Friday.
The Panthers have worked out several kickers and will likely sign one on Wednesday.
Veteran linebacker Julian Stanford was also placed on IR, leaving Carolina with five linebackers.
There were a few surprise cuts on defense. Kalon Barnes, the team’s seventh-round pick this year, was cut. He is expected back on the practice squad if he clears waivers, per a league source. Veteran safeties Kenny Robinson and Juston Burris were also cut.
Robinson was the team’s fifth-round pick in 2020. He was ejected from back-to-back joint practices for fighting earlier this month in New England. The Panthers kept four safeties and six cornerbacks on the roster.
On Monday, the team acquired former Jaguars receiver Laviska Shenault via trade. That deal likely cost Zylstra —who has been with the Panthers since 2019 — a roster spot. Fellow receivers Saunders, Wright and Ra’Shaun Henry were also cut, but all three could return via the practice squad.
Receiver Andre Roberts made the team as Carolina’s seventh receiver. He’ll likely work exclusively as a returner.
Up front, Carolina kept 10 defensive linemen and nine offensive linemen. Hours after trading for Shenault, general manager Scott Fitterer sent a 2024 seventh-round pick and third-team offensive tackle Dennis Daley to the Titans for a 2024 fifth-round selection. The trade solidified the team’s nine offensive linemen, with Daley likely the odd man out.
The Panthers will spend the next few days fine-tuning their 53-man roster. For example, quarterback Sam Darnold made the initial roster but will likely be moved to IR on Wednesday and open a spot.
The team holds the sixth pick on the league’s waiver claim order. Teams have until 4 p.m. Wednesday to put a claim on a player who was released by another team.
Carolina will also finalize a 16-man practice squad by Wednesday. Many of the players cut will likely land there if they clear waivers.
The Panthers open the 2022 season at 1 p.m. Sept. 11 at home against the Cleveland Browns.
Panthers players cut/waived Tuesday
▪ C Sam Tecklenburg
▪ C Sam Tecklenburg
▪ G Deonte Brown
▪ G Mike Horton
▪ RB John Lovett
▪ RB Spencer Brown
▪ TE Colin Thompson
▪ TE Josh Babicz
▪ WR Derek Wright
▪ WR Keith Kirkwood
▪ WR Ra’Shaun Henry
▪ WR Charleston Rambo
▪ WR Brandon Zylstra
▪ WR C.J. Saunders
▪ DT Frank Herron
▪ LB Josh Watson
▪ LB Arron Mosby
▪ LB Isaiah Graham-Mobley (waived)
▪ DE Darryl Johnson
▪ DE Austin Larkin
▪ DE Drew Jordan
▪ DB Madre Harper
▪ DB Tae Hayes
▪ CB Tae Hayes
▪ CB Kalon Barnes
▪ CB Kalon Barnes
▪ S Kenny Robinson
▪ S Juston Burris
Injured reserve
▪ K Zane Gonzalez
▪ LB Julian Stanford
This story was originally published August 30, 2022 at 11:29 AM with the headline "Panthers roster closer to set after Carolina cuts to reach 53 players by NFL deadline."
