Panthers Work Out Five Kickers
Zane Gonzalez was injured on the sideline during Friday’s preseason contest, and the Panthers are now eyeing some reinforcement at kicker. According to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter), the Panthers worked out kickers Taylor Bertolet, Brian Johnson, Chase McLaughlin, Eddy Pineiro, and Matthew Wright.
After seeing time in 15 games across two seasons with five different teams, McLaughlin got a chance to be the Browns’ full-time kicker in 2021. He converted 15 of his 21 field goal attempts and 36 of his 37 extra point attempts. With Cleveland selecting Cade York in the fourth round of the draft, McLaughlin was ultimately cut back in May.
Wright got into 14 games for the Jaguars last year, connecting on 21 of his 24 field goal attempts and 13 of his 15 XP tries. After converting 82.1 percent of his FG attempts in 16 games with the Bears in 2021, Pineiro saw time in five games with the Jets last year. He made all eight of his field goal attempts and nine of his 10 extra point attempts.
Johnson appeared in seven games between New Orleans and Washington last year, connecting on all 10 of his field goal attempts (but only nine of his 13 extra point tries). Bertolet, an undrafted free agent back in 2016, has spent time with five NFL teams but hasn’t seen time in a regular season game.
Gonzalez injury himself on Friday night while warming up on the sideline. It was later revealed that he suffered a significant groin injury, with Ellis Williams of the Charlotte Observer writing that it could be a season-ending injury.
Jaguars To Trade WR Laviska Shenault To Panthers
The Panthers are adding a former second-round pick to their receiver stable. The Jaguars are sending Laviska Shenault to the NFC South squad, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Jaguars will receive a 2023 seventh-round pick and a 2024 sixth-round pick, per Joe Person of The Athletic (on Twitter).
Shenault, whom the Jags took in the 2020 second round, has shown flashes in Jacksonville, doing so as the team keeps changing its offense. He will have another chance to make an impression in Carolina. The Panthers have been looking for more receiving help, despite rostering D.J. Moore, Robbie Anderson and 2021 second-round pick Terrace Marshall. Two seasons remain on Shenault’s rookie deal.
Carolina had been connected to disgruntled Jets wideout Denzel Mims, who was also a 2020 second-round pick. Mims’ Matt Rhule past seemingly made him a logical Panthers fit, but Carolina is pivoting in a different direction.
Once viewed as a possible first-rounder, Shenault — chosen 42nd overall two years ago — battled injuries at Colorado but still attracted the Jags’ attention during their final Dave Caldwell–Doug Marrone draft. The team has since changed offensive schemes twice since that draft, adding to the degree of difficulty for the young wideout. Add a fourth scheme in three years for Shenault, who will transition to Ben McAdoo‘s offense. This Panthers offense should not be entirely unfamiliar for Shenault; McAdoo was Jacksonville’s quarterbacks coach in 2020.
Still, Shenault has topped 600 receiving yards in each of his two Jags seasons and has been used sparingly in the backfield. The 227-pound receiver’s top two yardage outputs have come against the Bengals — in 2020 and ’21, the latter a 99-yard night in a narrow loss that became more relevant because of Urban Meyer‘s postgame decisions — but he operated as an auxiliary option for Gardner Minshew and Trevor Lawrence. The Jags, however, added multiple receivers this offseason. They gave Christian Kirk an $18MM-per-year deal and added Zay Jones for $8MM per soon after. The team still rosters veteran Marvin Jones as well.
Marshall has missed time due to a training camp injury, though he did play in Carolina’s preseason finale. The Panthers have moved on from OC Joe Brady, who coached Marshall at LSU, and the ex-Justin Jefferson/Ja’Marr Chase supporting caster struggled as a rookie. Carolina also has ex-Baker Mayfield Cleveland target Rashard Higgins and Shi Smith at receiver. Shenault’s arrival further complicates matters for Marshall, but it will give Mayfield another intriguing option.
Panthers K Zane Gonzalez To Miss Extended Stretch
2:15pm: The Panthers’ search will start with Brian Johnson, a Virginia Tech product who kicked in seven games with Washington and New Orleans last season, Person tweets. Johnson was 10-for-10 on field goal attempts but missed four extra points as a rookie.
1:21pm: After the news of Sam Darnold‘s injury, the Panthers have another veteran set to miss what looks like an extended time period. Zane Gonzalez suffered what Matt Rhule called a significant, long-term injury, David Newton of ESPN.com tweets. He suffered the setback during warmups.
Gonzalez, whom the Panthers re-signed this offseason, sustained a groin injury. As a result, the Panthers are looking for a replacement kicker. Gonzalez, 27, is the only one on Carolina’s roster. The Panthers can stash him on IR after roster cutdown day.
[RELATED: Darnold Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks]
The former Browns and Cardinals specialist missed the final four games of last season due to a quadriceps injury. He re-signed with the Panthers on a two-year, $4.5MM deal in March. Gonzalez has not kicked in a full season since 2019, when he was with the Cardinals. He connected on a career-high 90.9% of his field goal tries in 2021 and was 22-for-23 on PATs with the Panthers last season.
Carolina has gone through some kicker turnover in recent years. The team moved on from Joey Slye after two seasons and ditched Slye’s replacement — 2021 trade acquisition Ryan Santoso — after one game. Lirim Hajrullahu also worked as the team’s primary Gonzalez replacement. Hajrullahu is available, after the Cowboys waived him last week.
Rhule said the team will look at free agent fill-in options while examining teams with two-kicker rosters presently. Kickers will be available on the waiver wire Tuesday, when rosters must be slashed from 80 to 53 players. New special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will help with the search, per The Athletic’s Joe Person, who notes recently cut Jets kicker Eddy Pineiro will be a name to monitor (Twitter link). Tabor coached Pineiro with the Bears.
Panthers QB Sam Darnold Expected To Miss Four To Six Weeks
Sam Darnold will miss at least a handful of regular season games, if not the first month of the season. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the Panthers backup quarterback is expected to be sidelined for four to six weeks with a high-ankle sprain.
[RELATED: Panthers QB Sam Darnold Carted Off Field]
Darnold exited last night’s game after Bills defensive tackle C.J. Brewer rolled over the QB’s ankle. The injury looked severe, with ESPN’s David Newton tweeting that Darnold’s lucky his ankle isn’t broken. Instead, Darnold is dealing with a high-ankle sprain that will sideline him for at least a month, and the injury could ultimately necessitate a trip to injured reserve.
While recently-named starting QB Baker Mayfield appears to be healthy heading into the regular season, the rest of the Panthers QB room is banged up. Darnold joins rookie Matt Corral, who is out for the season after suffering a Lisfranc injury, on the shelf. This means P.J. Walker, who was once believed to be on the roster bubble, is the team’s temporary backup quarterback. The Panthers entered the preseason believing they’d be rostering three QBs (Mayfield, Darnold, Corral), and with the team down to only two healthy arms, it remains to be seen how the depth chart will look come Week 1. A lot of it depends on the health of Darnold, according to head coach Matt Rhule.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” Rhule said about making any additions (via Newton). “Sam’s a tough kid. He usually comes back really quickly. I’d say nothing’s off the table.”
Speaking of the team’s now-depleted depth at quarterback, Rhule was also asked about the possibility of adding former MVP Cam Newton back to the group.
“You guys know my feelings on Cam, but probably too early to say anything about that,” Rhule said (via Joseph Person of The Athletic on Twitter).
After spending the 2020 season in New England, Newton returned to Carolina last season and started five games.
Panthers QB Sam Darnold Carted Off Field
The Panthers may have more QB troubles coming their way. Backup Sam Darnold has been carted off the field during the team’s preseason finale against the Bills, reports ESPN’s David Newton (Twitter link). NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that he is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain, and that he will have an MRI tomorrow. 
The 25-year-old had his left ankle twisted while taking a hit (video link via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post). The play has resulted in the second piece of bad news for him this week; head coach Matt Rhule recently named Baker Mayfield the team’s starting quarterback. The position is facing serious question marks now, however.
Third-round rookie Matt Corral is likely out for the season after he suffered a Lisfranc injury. He was not in the running for the starting role, but had a comfortable grip on the No. 3 spot as a developmental reserve. If Darnold were to miss any significant time, Mayfield would of course remain a first-teamer, but the team would be dangerously thin behind him.
The team has announced, to no surprise, that Darnold will not return. The Panthers also have two other notable players who have gotten banged up during tonight’s game. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown left the contest with an oblique injury, Newton tweets. Any absence from the 2020 first-rounder would be a major blow to the team’s defensive interior.
In addition, kicker Zane Gonzalez required a cart to leave the field, as noted (on Twitter) by The Athletic’s Joseph Person. He suffered a groin injury and, like Darnold and Brown, will not return. The 27-year-old was injured last season during warmups before a game against the Bills.
In Darnold’s absence, P.J. Walker has taken over at QB. The multi-year backup won each of the starts he has made during spot-duty with the team, but was thought to be on the roster bubble even after Corral’s injury. A significant absence from Darnold, in conjunction with Corral being sidelined indefinitely, could leave Walker with a clear path to a roster spot. With more than $21MM in cap space, the Panthers could also have the flexibility to add a more experienced insurance policy.
Panthers Call Jets On WR Denzel Mims
As the acquisitions of Haason Reddick, Robbie Anderson, Matt Ioannidis and others have shown, Matt Rhule has been quite eager to bring in his former college players. The former Temple and Baylor head coach appears to have one of his Waco charges on the radar now.
The Panthers have contacted the Jets on disgruntled wide receiver Denzel Mims, Joe Person of The Athletic tweets. Rhule has eyed Mims since last season, according to ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter).
This would seemingly be a nice landing spot for Mims, who at least knows Carolina’s third-year HC well. Rhule was at Baylor during Mims’ final three seasons at the Big 12 program; the 6-foot-3 target eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards during the 2017 and ’19 seasons with the Bears. His NFL stay has not produced anything close to this production.
Mims has just 31 catches for 490 yards in two seasons; he has yet to score an NFL touchdown. Long a release candidate, Mims is now on a team that used a top-10 pick on a wideout (Garrett Wilson) and re-signed Braxton Berrios this offseason. Corey Davis and Elijah Moore‘s statuses do not appear to leave Mims much room for work. Then again, the Jets — perhaps as a trade-value booster — view Mims as a player they would like to have on their 53-man roster. Robert Saleh said as much Friday, via SNY’s Connor Hughes (on Twitter). They are open to moving him as well. Mims is also not giving the Jets enough on special teams, though Saleh said (via Hughes) the Baylor product has improved.
Carolina extended D.J. Moore this offseason and has Temple alum Anderson alongside him. Rhule signed Anderson after his four-year Jets tenure elapsed in 2020. The team also drafted Terrace Marshall in last year’s second round. Marshall has missed time due to a hamstring injury in camp, however. This came after a low-key rookie season, one in which Marshall caught just 17 passes for 138 yards. Shi Smith, chosen four rounds after Marshall last year, has played well during camp, per Person.
Joe Douglas and Scott Fitterer obviously have a recent history on the trade front, having negotiated a Sam Darnold swap that saw three picks — in multiple drafts — going from Carolina to New York. Two years remain on Mims’ second-round contract.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/25/22
Today’s minor moves around the NFL:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DL Trent Harris
Buffalo Bills
- Waived/failed physical: WR Bailey Gaither
Carolina Panthers
- Released from IR via injury settlement: CB Duke Dawson
Chicago Bears
- Released from IR via injury settlement: CB Jayson Stanley
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Jeremiah Gemmel
- Waived (injured): LB Barrington Wade
Houston Texans
- Signed: K Matt Ammendola
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: K Jake Verity
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released from IR via injury settlement: RB Derrick Gore
New York Giants
- Waived: C Chris Owens
- Released from IR via injury settlement: WR Robert Foster
Philadelphia Eagles
- Re-Signed: CB Josh Blackwell
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived (injured): WR Cyril Grayson
- Released from IR via injury settlement: T Jonathan Hubbard
Washington Commanders
- Released from IR via injury settlement: S Nathan Gerry
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/24/22
Today’s minor moves around the league:
Arizona Cardinals
- Reverted to IR (from waivers): CB Darrell Baker
Atlanta Falcons
- Reverted to IR (from waivers): DT Jalen Dalton
- Released via injury settlement: CB Cornell Armstrong
Baltimore Ravens
- Reverted to IR (from waivers): WR Slade Bolden
Carolina Panthers
- Released via injury settlement: LB Khalan Tolson
Dallas Cowboys
- Reverted to IR (from waivers): LB Christian Sam
Denver Broncos
- Reverted to IR (from waivers): T Casey Tucker
- Released via injury settlement: DE Marquiss Spencer
Detroit Lions
- Released via injury settlement: S Brady Breeze
Green Bay Packers
- Reverted to IR (from waivers): WR Danny Davis, S Vernon Scott
- Released via injury settlement: OL Cole Schneider, CB Donte Vaughn
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released via injury settlement: WR Gary Jennings Jr.
Los Angeles Chargers
- Reverted to IR (from waivers): CB Tevaughn Campbell, LB Damon Lloyd, DE Ty Shelby
Miami Dolphins
- Released via injury settlement: CB Tino Ellis
New Orleans Saints
- Released: T Jerald Hawkins
New York Giants
- Signed: TE Tanner Hudson
- Claimed off waivers (from Vikings): CB Harrison Hand
- Claimed off waivers (from Ravens): WRs Bailey Gaither and Jaylon Moore
- Released: TE Jordan Akins
- Placed on IR: WRs Collin Johnson, Marcus Kemp (story)
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released via injury settlement: CB Jimmy Moreland
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed off waivers (from Jets): S Elijah Riley
- Released via injury settlement: LB Tuzar Skipper, RB Master Teague
- Released: S Donovan Stiner
San Francisco 49ers
- Reverted to IR (from waivers): OL Sam Schlueter
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Ronnie Rivers
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: LB Jon Rhattigan
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Reverted to IR (from waivers): WR Bug Howard
Tennessee Titans
- Released via injury settlement: CB Shakur Brown
Washington Commanders
- Claimed off waivers (from Jaguars): OL Wes Martin
- Released: CB Channing Stribling
The biggest storyline of the day for the Giants was the injury to Johnson, but they have been busy at other positions as well. Hand was a fifth-round pick of the Vikings in 2020, making 23 appearances during his time there. He primarily played on special teams, but registered an interception and three pass breakups as a rookie. Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News tweets that Minnesota was interested in re-signing him had he cleared waivers.
The release of Akins is somewhat surprising, given the Giants’ question marks at the tight end position. The former Texans third-rounder signed just before the draft, where New York added Daniel Bellinger in the fourth round. The latter had a brief stint on the PUP list at the start of training camp, but, if healthy, could be the favorite to take on Evan Engram‘s vacated starting spot.
Panthers Unlikely To Carry 3 QBs?
Matt Corral landed on the Panthers’ IR Tuesday, ending his rookie season before it started. The Lisfranc injury the third-round pick suffered will require surgery, Matt Rhule said. The Panthers had planned to carry Corral as their third-string quarterback during what was to be a developmental year, with the team wanting him to add muscle to his 205-pound frame and obviously learn a pro-style offense, per Joe Person of The Athletic. Because of Corral’s injury, the Panthers’ roster math may change. The team may no longer be preparing to carry three quarterbacks, Person notes (subscription required). This news would pertain to P.J. Walker, the former XFL 2.0 standout who has been Carolina’s backup the past two seasons. Walker, who has won both his regular-season starts but holds a career 51.6 passer rating, struggled in the Panthers’ second preseason game. The 27-year-old passer could be stashed on the practice squad — behind starter Baker Mayfield and backup Sam Darnold — if he clears waivers in the event of a cut before next week’s deadline.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/22
Tuesday marked the day teams were forced to cut down from 85 to 80 players. Here are the moves teams made made to reach the new maximum. Players who land on the reserve/PUP or reserve/NFI list must miss at least the first four regular-season games.
Arizona Cardinals
- Waived: P Nolan Cooney, CB Cortez Davis, TE Josh Hokit, RB T.J. Pledger
- Waived/injured: CB Darrell Baker Jr.
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: WR Geronimo Allison, CB Lafayette Pitts, WR Auden Tate
- Waived: OLB Kuony Deng
- Waived/injured: DL Jalen Dalton
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: ILB Diego Fagot, WR Bailey Gaither, T Jaryd Jones-Smith
- Waived/injured: WR Slade Bolden
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: QB Matt Corral (story), CB Duke Dawson
- Waived: TE Jared Scott
Chicago Bears
- Released: T Julie’n Davenport
- Waived: FB Jake Bargas, CB BoPete Keyes, DT LaCale London, WR Dazz Newsome
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: S Brandon Wilson
- Waived: QB Drew Plitt
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: TE Jeremy Sprinkle
- Waived/injured: LB Christian Sam
- Waived: K Lirim Hajrullahu, CB Quandre Mosely, WR Jaquarii Roberson
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DB Kyron Brown, WR Ty Fryfogle, RB Ryan Nall
Detroit Lions
- Waived: LB Shaun Dion Hamilton
Green Bay Packers
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: RB Kylin Hill
- Waived: WR Danny Davis
- Waived/injured: S Vernon Scott
Houston Texans
- Placed on reserve/non-football illness list: WR John Metchie (story)
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived: C Alex Mollette, RB C.J. Verdell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: T Lucas Niang
- Placed on IR: RB Derrick Gore
Las Vegas Raiders
- Released: CB Chris Jones
- Waived: WR Chris Lacy
- Waived/injured: CB Cre’von LeBlanc
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: CB Michael Jacquet
- Waived/injured: CB Tevaughn Campbell, LB Damon Lloyd, OLB Ty Shelby
- Placed on reserve/NFI list: TE Stone Smartt
Minnesota Vikings
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: LB Ryan Connelly, WR Blake Proehl
- Waived: TE Shaun Beyer, CB Harrison Hand
New England Patriots
- Placed on IR: LB Ronnie Perkins
- Placed on reserve/NFI list: OL Andrew Stueber
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR via injury settlement: T Sage Doxtater, DT Jaleel Johnson
New York Giants
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: OL Nick Gates, T Matt Peart
- Placed on IR: ILB Darrian Beavers (story), TE Andre Miller, TE Ricky Seals-Jones
New York Jets
- Released: OL Caleb Benenoch, LB Kai Nacua
- Waived: S Elijah Riley, OL Isaiah Williams
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: TE Tyree Jackson, OL Brett Toth
- Waived: CB Josh Blackwell, RB DeAndre Torrey, T Jarrid Williams
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Released: OLB Genard Avery
- Waived: WR Christian Blake, RB Mataeo Durant, QB Chris Oladokun, K Nick Sciba
San Francisco 49ers
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: DT Kalia Davis, CB Jason Verrett (story)
- Released: TE Tanner Hudson
- Waived: LB Jeremiah Gemmel
- Waived/injured: OL Sam Schlueter
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Cade Brewer
- Waived: G Shamarious Gilmore
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Waived/injured: TE Bug Howard
Tennessee Titans
- Placed on reserve/PUP list: K Caleb Shudak
Washington Commanders
- Released: T Rashod Hill
- Placed on IR: LB Nathan Gerry
- Waived: WR Kelvin Harmon
- Released from IR via injury settlement: TE Sammis Reyes