Panthers Audition Dezmen Southward
- The Panthers auditioned former Falcons third-round pick Dezmen Southward, tweets Caplan. After signing fellow safety Michael Griffin, however, Carolina will presumably pass on Southward.
Panthers Cut Marcus Ball
- The Panthers cut safety Marcus Ball, per Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Defensive end Ryan Delaire has been placed on IR with a knee injury. Carolina needed two roster spots for the newly-signed Michael Griffin and Kyle Love.
Panthers Sign S Michael Griffin, DL Kyle Love
The Panthers announced that they will sign safety Michael Griffin and re-sign veteran defensive tackle Kyle Love. 
At the age of 31, Griffin is not the player he once was. But, he still managed to start 14 games for Tennessee last season, accruing 65 tackles, one interception, and one sack. He was not expected to be a focal point of Minnesota’s secondary and before the season opener, the Vikings decided that he didn’t have a place on the roster either. Griffin is no longer a top safety, but he can certainly provide help at the position for Carolina. Last season, he logged 100 or more tackles for the sixth time in seven years.
Love, 29, will give the Panthers additional defensive line help while Vernon Butler deals with a high ankle sprain. Love spent the offseason with the Panthers but missed the 53-man cut in early September.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Waiver Priority Now Based On 2016 Record
We’re coming up on Week 4 of the NFL season and that means that waiver claim priority will be based on the current league standings instead of last year’s. Of course, waiver priority is based on the inverted NFL standings, which have built in tiebreakers to sort out the many logjams that naturally occur.
Throughout the offseason and the first three weeks of the regular season, the Titans enjoyed top priority thanks to their 3-13 finish last year. Now, we have a brand new pecking order. Here is a full rundown of the current waiver claim priority, which will change from week to week:
1. Jaguars
2. Saints
3. Bears
4. Browns
5. Chargers
6. Lions
7. Jets
8. Cardinals
9. Bills
10. Colts
11. Dolphins
12. 49ers
13. Buccaneers
14. Bengals
15. Titans
16. Redskins
17. Panthers
18. Falcons
19. Cowboys
20. Giants
21. Raiders
22. Packers
23. Chiefs
24. Rams
25. Seahawks
26. Texans
27. Steelers
28. Ravens
29. Eagles
30. Broncos
31. Vikings
32. Patriots
Panthers Promote Safety Marcus Ball
The Panthers announced that they’ve signed safety Marcus Ball from their practice squad, adding him to their 53-man roster in advance of Week 3. Ball will fill the roster spot vacated by fellow defensive back Dean Marlowe, who was placed on injured reserve earlier this week.
[RELATED: Carolina Panthers Depth Chart]
Ball, 29, has spent his entire career in the NFC South since migrating from the CFL to the NFL in 2014. He appeared in 12 games (two starts) with the Saints that year, posting 12 tackles and a fumble recovery, but hasn’t seen game action since. Ball spent the duration of the 2015 campaign on Carolina’s practice squad, and re-signed on a futures deal in January.
During that 2014 season, Ball played on nearly half of the Saints’ special teams snaps (fourth-most on the team), and that’s likely the role he’ll play on Sunday against the Vikings, backing up starters Kurt Coleman and Tre Boston along with fellow reserve Colin Jones.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Panthers Lose S Dean Marlowe For Season
Two days after aggravating his hamstring, Panthers backup safety Dean Marlowe has landed on IR, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets. 
Marlowe, a product of James Madison, went undrafted in April but hooked on with the Panthers in May. Despite facing long odds at the beginning, Marlowe outworked the rest of his competition and found his way on to the 53-man roster. Marlowe was slated to provide support for Kurt Coleman and Tre Boston, but the Panthers will now have to find another safety to join Colin Jones in reserve.
In theory, the Panthers could turn to safety Travell Dixon or defensive back Marcus Ball on the taxi squad rather than signing someone on the open market.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Panthers Considered Blaine Gabbert In 2011
- The Panthers considered quarterback Blaine Gabbert with the first-overall pick in the 2011 draft, coach Ron Rivera told Joseph Person of The Charlotte Observer. The team ultimately preferred Cam Newton, who impressed the organization during his pre-draft visit. “As you go through it, you look for certain things, certain characteristics. And probably the biggest difference was the situation Cam had been in, going through the adversity and then coming out on top,” Rivera said. “Cam was tremendously impressive, and Blaine did a nice job for us.”
[SOURCE LINK]
PFR’s Impact Rookies Series
All summer long, longtime scouting consultant Dave-Te Thomas of The NFL Draft Report has been breaking down the draft class of every team in the league and identifying the players that can immediately make a difference. The Impact Rookies series, which wrapped up today with a look at the Seahawks, provides unique insight to this year’s NFL freshman class from a veteran guru who worked closely with several teams around the league leading up to the draft.
Here is the full rundown of the Impact Rookies series:
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
NFC East
NFC North
NFC South
NFC West
NFL, NFLPA To Investigate Hit On Cam Newton
- The NFLPA has asked for a formal investigation into the handling of the helmet-to-helmet hit that Panthers QB Cam Newton took on Thursday night’s season opener. The investigation will be conducted jointly by the NFL and NFLPA, and if the Association’s findings conflict with the league’s findings, the Association can appeal to a neutral arbitrator, who has the authority to discipline the Panthers and others who were responsible for Newton’s well-being (potential consequences include fines and loss of draft picks). The fact that an investigation has been initiated does not mean that that the league’s concussion protocol was applied improperly, it simply reflects an obligation to ensure the health and safety of the league’s players. This marks the first time the enforcement element of the protocol has been exercised (all links go to Twitter).
Latest On Cam Newton
Quarterback Cam Newton took at least four helmet-to-helmet hits in the Panthers’ season-opening loss to Denver on Thursday, but officials only flagged the Broncos once. That led Panthers head coach Ron Rivera to opine Friday that refs discriminate against the 6-foot-5, 245-pound Newton because of his size (via David Newton of ESPN).