The Carolina Panthers wrapped up their preseason slate Thursday with a 19-10 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Bank of America Stadium.
Now, after a highly competitive summer, it’s time for GM Dan Morgan to get back to work. The deadline to cut the roster down to 53 players is 4 p.m. Tuesday.
The Observer, though, doesn’t want to wait until the deadline. And that’s why we’ve compiled our first and final 53-man projection before the roster moves fly throughout the weekend and into the week.
Quarterback
Who’s in (2): Bryce Young, Andy Dalton
Who’s out: Jack Plummer, Bryce Perkins
The Panthers will keep two QBs on their main roster as they have the past couple of years. Young is coming off a mostly inspiring summer, while Dalton has been big for the development of wide receivers and tight ends behind the scenes.
Plummer struggled down the stretch of the preseason. Perhaps he’s back on the practice squad, but the Panthers should keep their options open for the third quarterback spot. Maybe Perkins impressed enough this week to take that gig.
Running back
Who’s in (3): Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, Trevor Etienne
Who’s out: Raheem Blackshear, Emani Bailey, Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams
PUP: Jonathon Brooks (out for the season)
Hubbard will be the workhorse in the backfield again this season. He has become one of the true leaders of the offense and the team, and he will get the bulk of touches, barring injury, in a run-dependent offense.
Dowdle is no slouch, either. He’s coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Dallas Cowboys, and he should provide an excellent complement to Hubbard as a change-of-pace back.
Etienne, a fourth-round pick, should also see work on third down and in the red zone. He could also factor into the kickoff team for Carolina.
Blackshear has been the primary kickoff returner the past three seasons, but he has yet to find his offensive footing under Dave Canales. Blackshear should get looks on the waiver wire, while Bailey and/or Lynch-Adams could return on the practice squad.
Wide receiver
Who’s in (7): Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Adam Thielen, Jalen Coker, Hunter Renfrow, Jimmy Horn Jr., Brycen Tremayne
Who’s out: David Moore, TJ Luther, Jacolby George, Kobe Hudson, Ja’seem Reed
The debate over keeping seven receivers has been raging on pretty much all offseason. In this projection, the Panthers ultimately keep the seventh man, as Tremayne can play a big role on special teams.
That said, expect Moore to be back on the practice squad or 53-man roster by the end of next week. Carolina can afford to be creative with Moore because he’s not subject to waivers as a vested veteran. With practice squad rules allowing for Moore to be stashed, the Panthers can continue to adjust their roster throughout the week after cuts to make sure they have the best mix possible. Renfrow, who is making the veteran minimum, is a smarter keep for Week 1 because of his Pro Bowl pedigree.
Luther and George feel like prime practice-squad candidates if they can get through waivers. Hudson could also factor into the practice roster.
Look for the Panthers to get special teams contributions out of Coker and Renfrow. If Horn doesn’t return kicks, he might need to wait for his chance to get game reps. Horn didn’t receive playing time until the second half against Pittsburgh, which is curious, but he is still worth keeping around from an upside standpoint.
It’ll be interesting to see if the Panthers can unload one of their seven roster-worthy wideouts — obviously not McMillan — for trade compensation to open up playing time for the depth group.
Tight end
Who’s in (3): Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans
Who’s out: James Mitchell, Dominique Dafney, Bryce Pierre
With Sanders having such a strong summer, the Panthers didn’t need to rush Tremble back onto the field. However, the veteran has looked good running throughout the summer, and he was activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list Thursday.
If Tremble had remained on the PUP list, he would have missed the first four games of the season. Now, though, he will factor into the 53-man count.
Evans has had a slow acceleration in his first NFL training camp, but he could be used in two tight end sets early on. He also has some special teams upside to explore.
Mitchell might be a keeper on the practice squad if he can get through waivers. He’s had a strong summer and is ideal insurance for Tremble as he pushes to get back into football shape.
Pierre and/or Dafney could end up on the practice roster.
Offensive line
Who’s in (10): Ikem Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Austin Corbett, Robert Hunt, Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Cade Mays, Yosh Nijman, Jarrett Kingston, Chandler Zavala
Who’s out: Ja’Tyre Carter, Brandon Walton, Luke Kandra, Michael Tarquin, Steven Losoya
With Zavala (knee) and Lewis (shoulder) both dealing with training camp injuries, the expectation here is that the Panthers will hang on to 10 linemen. For now, Kingston is the 10th man after showing versatility during the final two weeks of the preseason.
With the aid of the practice squad, look for the Panthers to stash three or four linemen within that 17-man grouping. Losoya, Carter and Walton are names to watch there.
Like wide receiver, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Panthers unload one of their depth linemen in a player-for-player trade.
Defensive line
Who’s in (5): Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown, A’Shawn Robinson, Tershawn Wharton, Cam Jackson
Who’s out: Jared Harrison-Hunte, Shy Tuttle, Jaden Crumedy, Sam Roberts
IR - DTR: LaBryan Ray (ankle)
The Panthers feel good about their four-man rotation of Brown, Brown, Wharton and Robinson. Behind those guys, they need a fifth member of the rotation. Jackson feels like a long-term developmental asset.
Ray has been sidelined with an ankle injury, so it’ll be interesting to see how the Panthers handle his roster status. If they decide to waive him with an injury designation, he might end up on season-ending IR. If they use one of their two injured reserve return designations on Ray before the deadline, they’ll be limited with other injuries. Ultimately, though, he’s played a lot over the past two years and knows the defense, so he’s probably worth keeping for the future.
Releasing Tuttle would save the Panthers roughly $2.4 million on the salary cap. Perhaps he could return after Week 1 on a discounted rate.
Harrison-Hunte was the hardest cut on defense for this beat writer, mainly because his upside is really appealing and it’s a not a lock that the Panthers can get him through waivers unclaimed.
Inside linebacker
Who’s in (6): Trevin Wallace, Christian Rozeboom, Krys Barnes, Claudin Cherelus, Jon Rhattigan, Bam Martin-Scott
Who’s out: Jacoby Windmon
The Panthers are in a weird spot at inside linebacker. While Wallace has had a strong summer, Rozeboom has been more up and down than expected.
Barnes is really the only other guy on the depth chart with significant defensive experience, plus he’s a quality special teams asset. Cherelus is a front-office favorite, and he also provides special teams value.
Rhattigan is a core special teams player, too. And Martin-Scott, like Cam Jackson, feels like a long-term play.
Windmon is one of the harder cuts on the team, as he had a nice preseason, especially on special teams. He should be back on the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Look for the Panthers to scan the waiver wire at this position.
Outside linebacker
Who’s in (5): Patrick Jones, D.J. Wonnum, Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen, Thomas Incoom
Who’s out: Boogie Basham, J.J. Weaver, Mapalo Mwansa
IR - DTR: DJ Johnson (hip)
The Panthers will be careful with Scourton, the team’s second-round pick, after he was diagnosed with a collapsed lung following the joint practice with the Houston Texans last week. While that strategy might not lead to a four-week stint on IR, the Panthers can be patient with the rookie because Wonnum and Jones are expected to lead the charge for the room.
Umanmielen, the third-round pick, should receive a decent share of the rotational snaps within the first month of the season. When Scourton eventually returns to the lineup, he’ll also be featured prominently. Both rookies have flashed major ability and upside this summer.
Incoom has been a special teams dynamo this preseason, and he’s outplayed Johnson, a 2023 third-round pick, on defense all summer. Johnson seemingly needs a change of scenery to salvage his career, but his summer hip injury might keep him on injured reserve in Carolina.
Cornerback
Who’s in (5): Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Chau Smith-Wade, Corey Thornton, Shemar Bartholomew
Who’s out: JaTravis Broughton, Mike Reid, Tre Swelling, Akayleb Evans, Mello Dotson
Panthers fans should feel a bit better about the cornerback depth chart after a relatively strong summer from Smith-Wade, Thornton and Bartholomew.
While that trio lacks experience, they all stood out through training camp, and Thornton, an undrafted rookie, has been the surprise of the entire process.
Evans, Dotson, Reid and Broughton all feel like candidates for the practice squad. This is another spot for the Panthers to explore on the waiver wire and beyond.
Safety
Who’s in (4): Tre’von Moehrig, Lathan Ransom, Demani Richardson, Nick Scott
Who’s out: Trevian Thomas, Jack Henderson
The main safety quartet has been seemingly locked in all summer. Barring a big move with a potential trade, the group will probably stay intact until Week 1, though the designated starter opposite Moehrig remains in question.
Still, a waiver wire claim feels inevitable at the position. Henderson and Thomas have flashed enough to stay on the practice roster, and they could be counted on later in the season if injuries pile up.
Special teams
Who’s in (3): JJ Jansen (LS), Sam Martin (P), Ryan Fitzgerald (K)
Who’s out: Matthew Wright (K)
Jansen and Martin have been locked in since they put pen to paper this offseason. The same can’t be said for the kicker position.
Fitzgerald got the first shot at the kicker spot against the Steelers and made both of his attempts, including a 43-yard field goal. While his kickoffs were absolute darts, it’ll be interesting to see how the Panthers value his summer, which was somewhat inconsistent. Wright put up a great fight, but he needed to run away with the job to hold off Fitzgerald, and it didn’t feel like he did that during the final two weeks of the preseason.