Delaire Could Come Off IR
- Panthers defensive end Ryan Delaire returned to practice today. He’s eligible to come off IR this week if the Panthers choose to do so, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer notes (on Twitter). Carolina’s IR is not populated with key personnel, as Roster Resource shows, so that’s one less road block in this scenario.
Luke Kuechly In Concussion Protocol
Last night, Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly gave fans reason for concern after taking a big hit in the fourth quarter of last night’s game against the Saints. The Carolina star suffered an apparent concussion and bawled as he was carted off of the field. Today, coach Ron Rivera confirmed to reporters that Kuechly did indeed suffer a concussion and is now in the league’s required protocol program. 
This marks the linebacker’s second concussion in two years. Concussions come in varying degrees and aren’t always detected or reported, so it’s possible that he has had even more. When Kuechly suffered his concussion in last year’s season opener, he wound up missing three games. If this one is as severe as it looked, he could be out for a longer stretch. Rivera declined to comment on the Pro Bowlers’ status but we should know more about his condition by early next week.
Kuechly, 25, has established himself as one of the game’s best defenders and as the heart of the Panthers’ D. In each of the last three seasons, he has earned both First-Team All-Pro selections and Pro Bowl nods. Before the 2015 season, the Panthers rewarded Kuechly with a five-year, $62MM deal. He rewarded them with stellar play as they captured the NFC Championship.
Panthers Work Out Dee Milliner, Earl Wolff
With their secondary in need of a boost, the Panthers worked out cornerback Dee Milliner and safety Earl Wolff on Wednesday, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). There’s no word on whether the team is interested in signing either.
Milliner is the more notable of the two, having gone ninth overall to the Jets in the 2013 draft. The former Alabama star battled injuries and performance issues in New York, though, and tallied just 21 appearances and 14 starts in three years before the club released him from IR on Sept. 28. Between then and his tryout with the Panthers, Milliner hadn’t logged any reported auditions with other teams.
Wolff, a North Carolina native and former NC State standout, hasn’t seen action since 2014 as a member of the Eagles. He spent the offseason with the Jaguars, who removed him from IR with an injury settlement Sept. 7, and worked out for the Chiefs last week. The 26-year-old has 18 starts and seven appearances, all with the Eagles from 2013-14, on his resume.
While it might not come in the form of either Milliner or Wolff, the disappointing Panthers could clearly use defensive backfield upgrades. The team ranks just 19th in DVOA against the pass, 21st in quarterback rating against (94.8) and 25th in yards per attempt allowed (7.8). Things could get worse, too, as 3-6 Carolina will face a slew of talented quarterbacks to conclude the season. Matchups against Drew Brees (Saints), Derek Carr (Raiders), Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Kirk Cousins (Redskins), Matt Ryan (Falcons) and Jameis Winston (Buccaneers) loom for the defending NFC champions, whose playoff hopes are slipping away.
Panthers Place Andy Lee On IR, Sign Michael Palardy
The Panthers have placed punter Andy Lee on the injured reserve, reports Jourdan Rodrigue of The Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). The team has signed punter Michael Palardy to replace the Pro Bowler.
Lee injured his hamstring during Sunday’s loss to the Chiefs, and the veteran punter was unable to take the field during the second half. The 34-year-old has continued his reign as one of the league’s top punters in 2016. He’s averaged 49.1 yards per punt this season, good for fourth in the NFL. The 13-year veteran has also placed 18 punts inside the 20-yard line.
A sixth-round pick back in 2004, Lee was traded from the Browns to the Panthers this past offseason. Prior to his one season in Cleveland, Lee played 11 seasons with the 49ers, where he was a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro. Lee currently ranks ninth all-time in punting yards and 19th in punts. The punter is signed through the 2018 season.
Palardy, a 2014 undrafted free agent out of Tennessee, was in contention for the Panthers’ punting gig before the team traded for Lee. The 24-year-old has also spent time with the Browns and Falcons.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/9/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: TE Scott Simonson, OT Pearce Slater
- Cut: TE Beau Sandland
- Placed On IR: DT Eric Crume
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Cornelius Edison
- Cut: OL Colin Kelly
Denver Broncos
- Signed: S Ryan Murphy
Houston Texans
- Signed: OL Jeff Adams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Tevaun Smith
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Earl Okine, CB Terrance Mitchell
- Cut: CB Tyler Patmon
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE MyCole Pruitt
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: CB Brian Dixon
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR George Farmer
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/8/16
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Blake Muir
- Cut: LB Davis Tull
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: G Jarell Broxton, DB Robertson Daniel
- Cut: QB David Fales
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DT Bruce Gaston
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: G Kadeem Edwards
- Cut: G Clay DeBord
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Wendall Williams
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: S Jimmy Hall, CB Tylor Patmon, QB Joel Stave
- Cut: RB Zac Brooks, OL Jarrod Pughsley, OT Zach Sterup
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Kevin Norwood
New York Jets
- Signed: OL Jarrod Pughsley
- Cut: WR Myles White
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: OT Tyreek Burwell
Seattle Seahawks
- Cut: WR Kenny Lawler
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB Cody Riggs
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DB Lee Hightower
Panthers Promote Larsen, Cut Simonson
- The Panthers have promoted guard Tyler Larsen from their practice squad and cut tight end Scott Simonson, per a team announcement. Larsen, a third-year man who was previously with the Dolphins and Redskins, logged his first career NFL appearance in the Panthers’ Week 4 loss to the Falcons. As for Simonson, this is the second time the Panthers have cut him this year. They previously parted with the 24-year-old Oct. 15 and then re-signed him three days later.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/3/16
Thursday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Lou Young
- Cut: LB Brian Blechen
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Troymaine Pope (link via Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle)
Poll: Who Will Win The NFC South?
At the outset of the season, the NFC South wasn’t supposed to look as wide open as it currently does. Back then, the Panthers were the clear-cut favorites after going 15-1 last year and rolling through the NFC playoffs en route to a Super Bowl berth. The 2016 Panthers are a far cry from the 2015 version, though, as reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton and the rest of the team have fallen to earth amid a 2-5 start. Carolina is in last place in the division, trailing two 3-4 rivals (the Buccaneers and Saints) and the 5-3 Falcons. More alarming, perhaps, is that the Panthers have already lost to all three of those clubs this year, giving them that much more ground to make up in the race.
The Falcons, led by MVP candidate Matt Ryan, superstar wide receiver Julio Jones and running back Devonta Freeman, are 2-1 in the division and boast its only positive point differential (plus-31). They’re also facing the Buccaneers, who are 2-0 in the NFC South, on Thursday in a crucial divisional battle. A win would make the Falcons all the more difficult to catch, while a victory for the Bucs would vault Jameis Winston & Co. to .500 and keep them perfect against their closest rivals. A Falcons defeat would also cause flashbacks to last season, when the club collapsed after a 6-1 start to finish 8-8. This year’s Falcons began 4-1 and are now in danger of dropping three of four, though their fifth overall ranking in Football Outsiders’ DVOA seemingly indicates they’re for real. Nobody else in the division is even in the top 20 in that metric.
The Saints are at No. 23, but they’ve come around in the standings after an 0-3 start and will reach the .500 mark for the first time this season if they beat the lowly 49ers on Sunday. In their signature victory of the year, the Saints upset the Seahawks, 25-20, last Sunday. That was already the sixth one-score game of 2016 for the Saints, who have gone 3-3 in those contests. That’s also true of the Falcons, while the Bucs have recorded a 2-1 mark in one-score affairs and the Panthers have logged an 0-3 record.
While Atlanta and New Orleans are defensively challenged, both have tremendous offenses and top-tier quarterbacks in Ryan and Drew Brees. Conversely, Tampa Bay and Carolina haven’t done anything at an elite level this year. Barring offensive or defensive turnarounds, that would seem to put each behind the 8-ball, though Newton showed in 2015 that he’s capable of performing like an unstoppable force. Given their general decline this year, the Panthers will need Newton to resemble his 2015 self over the season’s final nine games if they’re going to win the division for the fourth straight year. If not, one of the other clubs should finally dethrone Carolina atop the NFC South.
Who will win the NFC South?
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Falcons 78% (1,116)
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Saints 10% (139)
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Panthers 8% (111)
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Buccaneers 5% (69)
Total votes: 1,435
Panthers Unlikely To Make Trade Next Week
The Panthers don’t seem likely to make a deal before Tuesday’s trade deadline, according to Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review. Carolina head coach Ron Rivera spoke with reporters — including Voth — this week, and spoke to the odds of general manager Dave Gettleman swinging a trade in the coming days.
[RELATED: Carolina Panthers Depth Chart]
“I think it’s one of those things where there’s a number of names are out there,” Rivers said yesterday. “And I know Dave and his guys have been looking at those guys. But whether we’re going to be an active participant or not, I’m not sure if that’s been decided.”
Though the Panthers have areas of their roster that could use upgrades, the club’s surprising 1-5 start means sacrificing draft compensation for an immediate talent infusion might not be the correct course of action. Both Football Outsiders and FiveThirtyEight give Carolina less than a 10% chance of earning a postseason berth, and even the most significant addition wouldn’t do much to affect those odds.
So while a unit such as the defensive backfield (which ranks 27th in defensive passing DVOA, and recently saw its 17th and 18th transactions in activating Leonard Johnson and placing Teddy Williams on IR, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer) could use help, a deal doesn’t appear likely to come to fruition. However, while the Panthers might not be buyers next week, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be sellers.
“I don’t think there’s anybody we’re looking to sell. I think for us, everything is going forward,” Rivera said. “We’re in an interesting position in terms of our core guys. There’s eight, nine, ten of them that we feel really good about going forward.”
“I think we’ve got a good, solid group,” Rivera continued. “If anything, who knows, maybe there is something that we’re looking at.”Maybe this is the type of game that could dictate whether or not we’re buyers. But that’s pure speculation.”