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Carolina Panthers News & Rumors

Panthers Activate Jalen Coker, Austin Corbett From IR

October 18th, 2025 at 2:44pm CST by Connor Byrne

The Panthers have activated wide receiver Jalen Coker and offensive lineman Austin Corbett from injured reserve, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. In other moves, the team placed outside linebacker Patrick Jones on IR and elevated OLB Boogie Basham from its practice squad in advance of Sunday’s game against the Jets.

Coker performed well as an undrafted rookie from Holy Cross last year, catching 32 passes for 478 yards (14.9 YPC) and two touchdowns in 11 games. A quad injury held him out of action for the Panthers’ first six games this season.

Had it not been for his injury, Coker would have started 2025 as the Panthers’ top slot option. The Panthers re-signed Hunter Renfrow to help cover for Coker’s loss. Renfrow has a modest 15 catches in six games, and while he has scored twice, the 29-year-old has averaged a meager 5.9 yards per catch. If Coker carries over last season’s performance, he should give quarterback Bryce Young a more explosive complement to No. 1 receiver and rookie standout Tetairoa McMillan.

Corbett, a fourth-year Panther, will return after suffering a left MCL sprain in a Week 2 loss to the Cardinals. Injuries have limited Corbett to 11 of a possible 40 regular-season games since 2023. While Corbett entered the season as Carolina’s starting center, Cade Mays filled in with aplomb during his absence. Mays, Pro Football Focus’ eighth-ranked center, is in the middle of a line that has helped clear the way for back-to-back 200-yard rushing performances.

The Panthers, who have won three of four to climb to .500, may elect to keep Mays as their starting center. Corbett, also an experienced guard, could start in place of LG Damien Lewis if a shoulder injury prevents him from playing Sunday, per Darin Gantt of the team’s website.

With Jones requiring season-ending back surgery, Basham will receive his second standard elevation of the season. A former Bill and Giant, Basham made his Panthers debut in a Week 4 loss to the Patriots, played 17 snaps (10 on defense, seven on special teams), and picked up two tackles.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/16/25

October 16th, 2025 at 6:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

Panthers OLB Patrick Jones Out For Season

October 15th, 2025 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

One key piece to the Panthers’ reshaped outside linebacker puzzle will not factor into their rest-of-season equation. The back injury Patrick Jones is battling will put him on the shelf the rest of the way.

Dave Canales confirmed Wednesday (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport) Jones will need season-ending surgery to address the issue. Signed to a two-year deal this offseason, Jones has started in all four games he has played as a Panther.

After making a modest effort to fill the void the Brian Burns trade created, the Panthers signed Jones and used Day 2 picks on Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen. The team then cut Jadeveon Clowney, clearing the road for Jones and the rookies. Jones has one sack and two QB hits through four games, missing two already. These will be his year-end totals.

Carolina gave Jones a two-year, $14MM deal on Day 1 of the legal tampering period. The ex-Vikings pass rusher generated some late free agency buzz and drew a nice market as a younger option. Jones posted seven sacks as a backup to Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel last season, and the Panthers asked him to start while developing Scourton and Umanmielen. Jones joined D-linemen Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown as notable front-seven additions in free agency.

While the pack of offseason adds has helped Ejiro Evero‘s defense on the whole, the Panthers have just five sacks in six games. Scourton and holdover edge rusher D.J. Wonnum do not yet have sacks, though Evero’s defense has climbed from 32nd in points and yardage allowed last season to 21st and 10th in those categories, respectively. Derrick Brown‘s return has provided the biggest spark here, but the well-paid D-lineman will need more help now that Jones is out.

Scourton has logged a 59% snap share, starting two games, while Umanmielen is at 28% strictly as a backup. The Panthers made the Clowney decision to help clear the runway for the rookies, and the Jones setback will widen it. Jones secured a partial guarantee on his 2026 salary; $1.75MM of the $6.4MM number is locked in. That will make his recovery worth monitoring over the next several months.

Panthers Designate Austin Corbett For Return

October 15th, 2025 at 9:30am CST by Connor Byrne

OCTOBER 15: As planned, the Panthers have designated Corbett for return and opened his practice window, per Joe Person of The Athletic. He will have three weeks to practice with the team before he must be moved to the active roster or revert to season-ending IR.

OCTOBER 14: Carolina has gone most of the season without starting center Austin Corbett, but he’s progressing toward a return. The Panthers are planning to open Corbett’s practice window on Wednesday, according to Darin Gantt of the team’s website. Once that happens, the Panthers will have 21 days to activate Corbett from injured reserve.

The Panthers’ offensive line took multiple hits in a Week 2 defeat to Arizona, losing Corbett and right guard Robert Hunt to significant injuries. Corbett went down with a Grade C MCL injury, while Hunt tore his left biceps. It’s uncertain if Hunt will return this year, but the team is about to set the wheels in motion on a Corbett comeback.

Despite their O-line injuries, the Panthers have won three of four since an 0-2 start. Running back Rico Dowdle has unexpectedly amassed a jaw-dropping 389 yards on the ground during a two-game winning streak. Fourth-year man Cade Mays has been filling in for Corbett in the middle of the line, while Brady Christensen is starting in Hunt’s place.

Now in his fourth season in Carolina, injuries have been a frequent occurrence during Corbett’s tenure with the team. After a 17-game 2022, he missed 13 contests in 2023 and sat out another 12 last season. Despite that, Corbett beat out Mays for the starting center job during the summer.

If Corbett comes off IR in the next few weeks, the Panthers will have to decide whether to plug him back in over Mays. Notably, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranks Mays’ early season performance eighth among 35 centers.

It seems likely that Carolina will announce a move with Corbett on Wednesday. In the meantime, the team made a couple of minor transactions on Tuesday. The Panthers waived defensive back Trevian Thomas and released offensive lineman Darrian Dalcourt from their practice squad.

Thomas, an undrafted rookie from Arkansa State, earned a call-up from the practice squad for Week 5. He played 12 special teams snaps in a win over the Dolphins. Dalcourt signed with the Panthers’ practice squad last week after a stint with the Commanders.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/25

October 11th, 2025 at 8:31pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the minor moves and standard gameday practice squad elevations heading into the sixth Sunday of the NFL season:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Manu was ruled out for this week with a knee injury after making the first start of his career with Detroit. Unfortunately, he’ll miss the team’s next three games, as well, after being placed on injured reserve.

Wright will fill in as placekicker for the Titans in Week 6. Regular kicker Joey Slye has been ruled out with a calf injury after missing practice all week.

Avery in Cleveland and Walton in Carolina are both being called up as standard gameday practice squad elevations for the third time this year. If either of their respective teams want them to be active for another game, they will need to sign them to the 53-man roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/10/25

October 10th, 2025 at 6:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves as we head into the sixth weekend of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans

Cardinals punter Blake Gillikin appeared on the injury report with a back injury in Week 2 but has been otherwise healthy without missing any game time throughout the season so far. Gillikin showed back up on Arizona’s injury report yesterday with his back ailing him once again. He didn’t participate in practice at all today, and it doesn’t look good for his chances on Sunday that the team signed O’Donnell.

Following the Colts’ signing of Michael Badgley on Tuesday, O’Donnell becomes the second veteran specialist out of Miami (FL) to get signed out of free agency this week. O’Donnell punted for the Bears for eight years after Chicago drafted him in the sixth-round in 2014. He spent one year after Chicago with the Packers but remained a free agent throughout the 2023 season. Last year, he got a similar call from the 49ers, who held on to him for eight games after Mitch Wishnowsky was sidelined for the second half of the season with a back injury.

O’Donnell won out in a punting competition with fellow free agents Jack Browning and Matt Haack.

Panthers Designate Jalen Coker For Return

October 8th, 2025 at 1:25pm CST by Connor Byrne

A quad strain has prevented Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker from taking the field in his second NFL season. It appears Coker’s 2025 debut is nearing, though, as the Panthers opened his practice window on Wednesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports. He’ll likely work with the scout team in his first practice, according to Person. The Panthers will have 21 days to activate Coker from injured reserve.

As an undrafted rookie from Holy Cross, Coker was more productive than expected last year. The 6-foot-3, 213-pounder started in four of 11 games and hauled in 32 of 46 targets for 478 yards (14.9 YPC) and a pair of touchdowns. Coker impressed the Panthers so much that it helped lead them to trade slot receiver Adam Thielen to the Vikings in late August.

A day after the Panthers dealt Thielen, Coker suffered his injury. Had Coker stayed healthy, general manager Dan Morgan said he would have taken Thielen’s place as Carolina’s top choice in the slot. Once those plans were dashed, the team re-signed veteran Hunter Renfrow after releasing him during final roster cuts.

Renfrow caught just one pass for 7 yards as the Panthers beat the Dolphins to improve to 2-3 last week. While he does have two TDs this season, Renfrow has averaged a meager 5.9 yards on 14 receptions. Rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan, a first-round pick last spring, served as quarterback Bryce Young‘s No. 1 target during a six-catch, 73-yard afternoon against the Dolphins. McMillan has turned heads during his first NFL action, but the Panthers are otherwise lacking weapons in the passing game. Xavier Legette, who was a rookie alongside Coker in 2024, has only pulled in six of 18 targets for 39 yards in three games.

When Coker returns, it will likely impact the playing time of Renfrow, Jimmy Horn, and Brycen Tremayne, Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer writes. Horn, a sixth-round rookie from Colorado, made his debut last week and caught two of three targets for 21 yards. Tremayne, a second-year man who’s in his first season with the Panthers, has picked up nine receptions for 108 yards in five games.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/7/25

October 7th, 2025 at 7:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad moves in the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Panthers Activate DT LaBryan Ray From IR

October 4th, 2025 at 5:11pm CST by Ely Allen

OCTOBER 4: The Panthers have officially made the move to activate Ray from IR. With defensive end Tershawn Wharton ruled out this week with a toe injury, Ray’s added depth is well-timed. Additionally, linebacker Krys Barnes has been called up as a standard gameday practice squad elevation.

OCTOBER 1: A slew of transactions came out of Carolina today, including the opening of defensive tackle LaBryan Ray‘s 21-day practice window to return from injured reserve. The team announced Ray’s return to practice today among several other roster announcements.

Once a five-star recruit who came out of Alabama undrafted, Ray will look to join an improved defensive line rotation for the Panthers. Ray earned nine starts last year filling in for an injured Derrick Brown. He’ll now have 21 days to return from an injury of his own before being reverted to season-ending IR if he can’t be activated.

Carolina had three open spots on their active roster after some injured reserve placements, and taking those spots on the 53-man roster will be practice squad running back DeeJay Dallas and practice squad safety Trevian Thomas. Dallas signed to Carolina’s taxi squad after being cut by the Cardinals one year into a three-year deal. While he adds depth the running backs room as Chuba Hubbard continues to be limited at practice with calf issue, his real value in the NFL has come a return man, where he can add depth after the loss of David Moore.

To fill the open slots on the practice squad, the Panthers signed offensive lineman Saahdiq Charles, running Anthony Tyus III, and offensive lineman Aiden Williams.

Panthers Place G Chandler Zavala, WR David Moore On IR

October 1st, 2025 at 4:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Panthers’ offensive line is already shorthanded with Robert Hunt and Austin Corbett set for lengthy absences. The unit will be missing another notable contributor for the time being.

Guard Chandler Zavala was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, per a team announcement. The 2023 fourth-rounder took over from Hunt in Week 2 after he went down. For each of the past two games, Zavala handled starting duties at the right guard spot. With Hunt likely to miss most of the season’s remainder, that setup was set to continue for the foreseeable future.

Instead, Carolina’s offensive line plans will need to change once more. Zavala – who is dealing with a knee injury – is now set to miss at least the next four weeks. The 26-year-old’s absence will deal another blow to a Carolina offense which has battled inconsistency in 2025. It will also mark the second of Zavala’s three NFL seasons in which he has missed time.

The Panthers have also placed depth receiver David Moore on IR. The veteran has what head coach Dave Canales termed a “significant” elbow dislocation (h/t Joe Person of The Athletic). A lengthy recovery timeline is expected in this case, and Moore is set to be sidelined longer than Zavala. Carolina’s receiving corps will move forward without a regular presence (albeit one with only one reception to date) in the fold for a notable stretch.

In need of healthy O-line options, Carolina also announced today that Jake Curhan has been signed off the Cardinals’ practice squad. The former UDFA has made 40 appearances and 11 starts in his career, but he has yet to see any playing time on offense so far with Arizona. That could soon change given this change of scenery.

The 1-3 Panthers will host a Dolphins team sporting the same record in Week 5. Carolina’s efforts to rebound from a poor start to the season will include an offense featuring even fewer available contributors, though.

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