Minor NFL Transactions: 5/7/26

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Waived: OL Sal Wormley

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: DL Josh Fuga, CB Jordan Oladokun

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

  • Waived: C Gus Hartwig (failed physical)
  • Waived/injured: S Chris Smith

The Bears surprised many today when they moved on from 2025 fifth-round pick Zah Frazier. The six-foot-three cornerback sat out his entire rookie campaign for what the team described as a “personal reason,” leading to his placement on the non-football injury list. As Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times notes, GM Ryan Poles recently acknowledged that the player had a “mountain to climb” if he hoped to contribute in 2026, with the executive adding that Frazier “needed to play” last year. Now, the defensive back will have to make his NFL debut elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals received a roster exemption today for international player Valentin Senn. The former Austrian prospect will be auditioning for a spot on Arizona’s offensive line. The Jets also got a roster exemption for Paschal Ekeji. The former rugby player will be competing for a spot on the Jets defensive line.

Panthers Sign 10 UDFAs

In addition to signing the majority of their draft picks today, the Panthers also added a handful of undrafted players to their rookie class. The team announced the signing of 10 UDFAs:

The team also noted that Coastal Carolina wide receiver Malick Meiga is expected to sign a contract and join the Panthers next week. The signing of Haynes King was reported shortly after the draft concluded.

Aaron Hall got a chunk of money to catch on with the franchise. Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston reports that the Duke defensive lineman got a $25K signing bonus plus $247.5K of his base salary guaranteed. Hall transformed into one of Duke’s most dependable defenders over the past three years. Between 2023 and 2025, the defensive tackle tallied 7.5 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, and 111 tackles.

Besides Tetairoa McMillan, the Panthers still lack convincing depth at wide receiver, making Kobe Prentice an intriguing addition by the Panthers. The Baylor wideout never truly broke out during his time at Alabama, leading to him transferring to Baylor for the 2025 campaign. His performance with his new squad also left some to be desired, as he finished the year with only 26 catches for 380 yards. Notably, he did haul in six touchdowns.

Panthers Sign First-Round OT Monroe Freeling

With the Panthers set to begin rookie minicamp tomorrow, the team has signed a handful of their draft picks. The team announced the signing of six rookies today, including first-round offensive tackle Monroe Freeling.

The Panthers reportedly entered the first round with a “tackle or bust” mentality, and they landed one of the draft’s top positional prospects in Freeling. The Georgia product exclusively played left tackle during his collegiate career, including a 2025 campaign where he earned second-team All-SEC honors. Freeling possesses the length and athleticism that teams seek from their LTs, although scouts did note that he needs to add some weight to compete in the NFL.

The Freeling selection could also lead to some interesting roster decisions for the franchise. The team is returning longtime RT Taylor Moton and is still rostering LT Ikem Ekwonu on a fifth-year option. Ekwonu is set to miss the beginning of the 2026 season, but the team seemingly filled that temporary hole by signing Rasheed Walker to a one-year deal worth just $4MM. Depth is never a bad thing, but it will be interesting to see how the OL ultimately shakes out, and the team’s surplus of OTs could potentially lead to some moves.

The team’s other signings today included:

This leaves the Panthers with only one unsigned draft pick: second-round DT Lee Hunter. While it’s notable that the Texas Tech product wasn’t included among the team’s other signings, there’s a chance he quickly inks his deal to be in attendance for tomorrow’s minicamp.

Panthers Were Focused On Tackle Help In Round 1

Sometimes draft boards falling in certain ways lead teams to make best-player-available picks, thus leaving some need areas after taking a player at a fairly well-stocked position. Although the Panthers were regularly mocked tight end Kenyon Sadiq at No. 19, the team was focused on filling a position that appeared fortified.

The Panthers ended up with Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling at No. 19, after the Jets chose Sadiq 16th overall. Carolina does not appear to have pivoted after New York’s Sadiq pick, with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tabbing the NFC South team as having a “tackle or bust” first-round mindset.

The team was interested in Kadyn Proctor and Caleb Lomu as well, Fowler adds, but it clearly valued Freeling higher than the latter. Lomu went off the board to the Patriots at No. 28, being the last of nine first-round O-linemen chosen in this draft. We had heard a run on O-linemen was likely around the middle of the first round, though the Panthers’ participation proved interesting.

Our Adam La Rose covered this issue in his most recent PFR mailbag, but the Panthers now have a crowded tackle group. The team returns longtime RT Taylor Moton and has LT Ikem Ekwonu on a fifth-year option. Although Ekwonu is not expected to be available to start the season, the team signed Rasheed Walker to a one-year deal worth just $4MM. Jauan Jennings‘ situation notwithstanding, Walker’s market underwhelmed to the greatest degree during this year’s free agency period.

Walker had worked as a three-year Packers starter at left tackle, rising from a seventh-round pedigree. High on most free agent rankings lists (including ours), the David Bakhtiari replacement started 48 games from 2023-25 and loomed as the Panthers’ clear-cut Ekwonu stopgap piece. The 25-year-old blocker, however, was arrested on a gun-related charge in January. A potential suspension certainly could have impacted his market, and he may need to try again in 2027. The Freeling pick certainly points to Walker, as Adam noted, being a one-year Panther.

The Freeling selection could make Walker a trade chip as well. All of Freeling’s Bulldogs starts came at left tackle, separating him from most of the top tackles in this year’s class (as Spencer Fano, Francis Mauigoa and Blake Miller primarily played RT in college). Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board ranked Freeling 22nd in this class, slotting Proctor 24th and Lomu 30th. Miami chose Proctor at No. 12, narrowing Carolina’s focus at the position.

Carolina’s Freeling pick also signals Ekwonu may be on the move as a 2027 free agent. Stopping the Panthers’ yearslong carousel at left tackle as the No. 6 overall pick in 2022, Ekwonu expressed interest in an extension last year. In December, a report indicated a 2026 extension for the NC State product would be a Panther priority. Unfortunately for the previously durable blocker, a patellar tendon tear sustained in the wild-card round represents bad timing. Ekwonu, 25, will likely need to display good form coming off the major knee injury. And the Panthers will be developing a cheaper option while he does so.

It could be possible for the Panthers to retain both Ekwonu and Freeling beyond 2026. Moton is entering an age-32 season, and no guaranteed money remains on the 10th-year RT’s deal beyond this year. Freeling being a long-term RT option, with Ekwonu eventually returning to the blind side, may be a path the team considers. For now, though, the Panthers have an interesting setup at tackle. While Walker and Moton figure to start the season at those spots, Carolina’s 2027 configuration figures to look different.

Dan Morgan: Panthers Discussing Bryce Young Extension Internally

The Panthers made the expected move of picking up Bryce Young‘s fifth-year option earlier this week. Attention will now turn to the matter of an extension for the former No. 1 pick.

Young is on track to collect $25.9MM in guaranteed salary for 2027 as a result of Carolina’s decision. The team could elect to wait before making a long-term commitment given the former Heisman winner’s incremental progress at the NFL level. Young himself would welcome an extension, however, and a report from last month indicated the Panthers could oblige.

GM Dan Morgan addressed the Young situation during an interview with Sirius XM’s Adam Schein (audio link). He said a multiyear deal is “something that we’re talking about here internally,” adding “we’ll do it at the right time.” It will thus be interesting to see if negotiations with Young’s camp take place during the coming weeks.

“Obviously he came into a really rough situation in terms of coaching staff, maybe you could say the talent around him wasn’t great as well,” Morgan said of Young. “I think you see him just getting better and better every single year. Understanding the offense, he’s such a good processor, and a guy that’s just a pleasure to have around the building every day. As you see him mature, you see him become a better leader every single year. And the operation’s getting faster every year. So we really feel like the arrow is up with Bryce.”

Young set a new career high in several categories during the 2025 season, although his 188 passing yards per game average and 87.8 passer rating left plenty to be desired. The 24-year-old totaled 23 touchdown passes while helping Carolina win the NFC South, but he added 11 interceptions along the way. Another step forward will be required for Young to be considered among the game’s top quarterbacks and thus justify an extension near the top of the market. 10 passers currently collect between $51MM and $60MM per year on average.

Young could look to join that group when his next deal is signed, especially with the NFL’s salary cap continuing to rise. How his asking price compares to the Panthers’ valuation will be worth monitoring closely, though. Carolina has the ability to wait out the 2026 season before engaging in serious extension talks. Whether or not Morgan and Co. choose to do so will no doubt depend in large part on how internal discussions fare over the near future.

2027 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker

May 1 marked the deadline for teams to decide on fifth-year options on 2023 first-rounders. The 2020 CBA revamped the option structure and made them fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only. Meanwhile, fifth-year option salaries are now determined by a blend of performance- and usage-based benchmarks:

  • Two-time Pro Bowlers (excluding alternates) will earn the same as their position’s franchise tag
  • One-time Pro Bowlers will earn the equivalent of the transition tag
  • Players who achieve any of the following will receive the average of the third-20th top salaries at their position:
    • At least a 75% snap rate in two of their first three seasons
    • A 75% snap average across all three seasons
    • At least 50% in each of first three seasons
  • Players who do not hit any of those benchmarks will receive the average of the third-25th top salaries at their position

PFR’s Offseason Outlook series examined each of these decisions in-depth. Twenty-two options were exercised this year. Here is how each team with an option decision proceeded with 2023 first-round contracts:

  1. QB Bryce Young, Panthers ($25.9MM): Exercised
  2. QB C.J. Stroud, Texans ($25.9MM): Exercised
  3. DE Will Anderson Jr., Texans ($21.51MM): Exercised
  4. QB Anthony Richardson, Colts ($22.48MM): Declined
  5. CB Devon Witherspoon, Seahawks ($21.16MM): Exercised
  6. LT Paris Johnson Jr., Cardinals ($19.07MM): Exercised
  7. DE Tyree Wilson, Saints ($14.48MM): Declined
  8. RB Bijan Robinson, Falcons ($11.32MM): Exercised
  9. DT Jalen Carter, Eagles ($27.13MM): Exercised
  10. RT Darnell Wright, Bears ($19.07MM): Exercised
  11. G Peter Skoronski, Titans ($19.07MM): Exercised
  12. RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions ($14.29MM): Exercised
  13. LB Lukas Van Ness, Packers ($13.75MM): Exercised
  14. LT Broderick Jones, Steelers ($19.07MM): Declined
  15. DE Will McDonald, Jets ($13.75MM): Exercised
  16. CB Emmanuel Forbes, Rams ($12.63MM): Declined
  17. CB Christian Gonzalez, Patriots ($18.12MM): Exercised
  18. LB Jack Campbell, Lions ($21.93MM): Declined
  19. DL Calijah Kancey, Buccaneers ($14.48MM): Exercised
  20. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks ($23.85MM): Exercised
  21. WR Quentin Johnston, Chargers ($18MM): Exercised
  22. WR Zay Flowers, Ravens ($27.3MM): Exercised
  23. WR Jordan Addison, Vikings ($18MM): Exercised
  24. CB Deonte Banks, Giants ($12.63MM): Declined
  25. TE Dalton Kincaid, Bills ($8.16MM): Exercised
  26. DT Mazi Smith, Jets ($13.93MM): Declined
  27. RT Anton Harrison, Jaguars ($19.07MM): Exercised
  28. DE Myles Murphy, Bengals ($14.48MM): Declined
  29. DT Bryan Bresee, Saints ($13.93MM): Exercised
  30. LB Nolan Smith, Eagles ($13.75MM): Exercised
  31. DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Chiefs ($14.48MM): Declined

Panthers RT Taylor Moton Not Weighing Retirement

Last summer, Taylor Moton agreed to a two-year Panthers extension. The team’s right tackle stalwart is under contract through 2027 as a result, and no thought is currently being given to hanging up his cleats.

“Retirement’s not on my mind right now,” Moton said (via Joe Person of The Athletic). “I feel great running around with all the young guys. I’m feeling young. I feel like I’m moving well and I’m feeling like, shoot, I’m still in my prime, right? I don’t feel like I’m slowing down.”

Moton was a backup during his rookie season, but he took on starting right tackle duties in 2018. Since then, he has been a mainstay up front, racking up 128 starts and missing just four games along the way. Moton’s future has been a talking point while he has played through knee issues, and his only absences have come in the past two seasons. That, coupled with the Panthers’ current offensive tackle setup, could result in further speculation regarding his outlook beyond 2026.

Carolina added Rasheed Walker in free agency on a one-year deal. The team then spent its first-round pick in the draft on Monroe Freeling. The Georgia product could operate as the Panthers’ swing tackle as a rookie before becoming a starter somewhere on the offensive line. Ikem Ekwonu is also in the fold, but he is recovering from a torn patellar tendon which threatens to see him miss considerable time this season.

2026 marks Ekwonu’s fifth-year option campaign, so the Panthers will need to decide on a long-term commitment in his case relatively soon. The former No. 6 pick has been a full-time starter when healthy, and he hopes to remain in Carolina beyond the current campaign. A new deal for Ekwonu would of course increase the chances of Walker departing after one season, but Moton’s status will also be key in determining when (and where) Freeling will find himself playing once he takes on first-team duties.

Moton, 32 in August, is due roughly $14.2MM in 2026 and $21.5MM the following year. With none of his base salary for 2027 guaranteed at this point, though, the possibility of his Panthers tenure ending will no doubt be raised next offseason. If that were to take place, Moton may look to continue his career elsewhere based on his current stance regarding retirement.

Panthers RB Jonathon Brooks Cleared For Offseason Program

The Panthers spent a 2024 second-round pick on running back Jonathon Brooks, but multiple knee injuries have prevented him from contributing in the NFL. There is optimism that will change in Year 3 for Brooks, who has been cleared for the Panthers’ offseason program, Joe Person of The Athletic relays.

Despite suffering a torn right ACL in November 2023, Brooks became the first running back off the board in his draft class. The Panthers took the former Texas Longhorn 46th overall, but the recovery process dragged well into his rookie year. The team finally activated Brooks from the NFI list in November, though he totaled just nine carries over three games before tearing his right ACL again. Now almost 17 months removed from the injury, Brooks says he is “close to 100 percent.”

With Brooks unavailable for the bulk of his first season, Chuba Hubbard easily led Panthers running backs in carries (250), yards (1,195) and touchdowns (10) during a career year. The Panthers gave Hubbard a four-year, $33.2MM extension on Nov. 7, 2004, the day after they activated Brooks.

Hubbard remained atop the depth chart entering last season, but it ended up a disappointing campaign for the 26-year-old. Over 15 games, he accrued just 511 yards and a touchdown on 143 carries (3.8 per attempt, down from 4.8 the previous season). Free agent pickup Rico Dowdle took the starting job from Hubbard and amassed 1,076 yards, but he is no longer on the roster. Dowdle hit the open market again this spring and parlayed his Carolina production into a two-year, $12.25MM pact with the Steelers.

Dowdle’s exit should create an opportunity for a healthy Brooks, especially considering the Panthers did not draft a running back this year. Brooks’ primary competition for the No. 2 RB position could be 2025 fourth-rounder Trevor Etienne and AJ Dillon, who will turn 28 on Saturday. Etienne posted just 20 carries over a 17-game rookie season, while Dillon’s impact has fallen off since his 2021-23 heyday with Green Bay. After averaging 183 carries and 729 yards per year over that three-season span, Dillon missed all of 2024 with a neck injury and returned to tally just 12 rushes in seven games with the Eagles in 2025. The Panthers brought in Dillon on a cheap free agent deal, which suggests he is not a lock to make their roster.

Panthers Pick Up Bryce Young’s Fifth-Year Option

The Panthers officially picked up quarterback Bryce Young‘s fifth year option, per a team announcement, locking the 2023 No. 1 overall pick into a fully guaranteed $25.9MM salary for the 2027 season.

Carolina was expected to make this move after Young demonstrated clear signs of development in 2025 and put up career-bests in nearly every statistical category. The 24-year-old benefitted from a stronger supporting cast, including first-round receiver Tetairoa McMillan and breakout running back Rico Dowdle, but he undoubtedly showed a much better command of head coach Dave Canales‘ offense, too.

[RELATED: 2027 NFL Fifth-Year Option Tracker]

Still, Young has a ways to go before fully living up to his draft slot by establishing himself as one of the league’s top quarterbacks. $25.9MM will be a fine price for a starting quarterback in 2027, but the two sides could get to work on an extension right away.

If the Panthers are already confident in Young’s ability to be their long-term starter, a multiyear deal now could look like a steal in a few seasons. That still carries significant risk, as the former Alabama star barely cracked 3,000 passing yards last season with 23 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and an 87.8 passer rating.

That is hardly the output of a high-end starting quarterback, so Carolina may want to wait another year before agreeing to a long-term contract with Young. He could absolutely play himself into a better deal, but even in that case, the Panthers will know they have their franchise QB. In other words, the risk of having to pay Young more next offseason might be preferable to the risk of ponying up significant guarantees right now without knowing if he is truly the future of their team.

The timing of a potential Young extension has been a talking point this spring. It was reported in February the Panthers were in position to wait until the 2026 season played out to make a big-money commitment. More recently, though, it has seemed as if Carolina would be willing to engage in contract talks now. Young’s approach on this front will be worth watching closely as the summer unfolds.

The Panthers eyed a change in the QB depth chart with Andy Dalton‘s tenure coming to an end. Dalton was traded to the Eagles shortly after Kenny Pickett was added in free agency. The latter will give Carolina a much younger backup signal-caller, while the team accomplished its goal of adding another quarterback shortly after the draft ended. Haynes King was signed as a UDFA on Saturday. Young has not always been the Panthers’ undisputed starter, but he will be expected to log QB1 duties once more in 2026.

How that setup plays out will be key in determining Carolina’s ability to reach the playoffs once again next year. It will also, of course, determine the value of a new Young contract in the event one is not finalized over the near future.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post. 

2026 NFL Draft Results: Team By Team

Here is every team’s haul from the 2026 NFL Draft:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

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