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WR Hunter Renfrow Addresses Decision To Re-Sign With Panthers

September 1st, 2025 at 2:23pm CST by Adam La Rose

Hunter Renfrow was one of the Panthers’ roster cuts last week, but it soon became clear a Carolina reunion could be worked out. That proved to be the case on Saturday when the veteran wideout was re-signed.

Renfrow’s bid to return to the NFL saw him join the Panthers this spring. The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina native was out of the league in 2024 due to ulcerative colitis, but he did enough during training camp to warrant attention around the NFL. Panthers head coach Dave Canales noted continued work on his conditioning was a key factor in any future reunion, one which came about following the Adam Thielen trade and Jalen Coker‘s move to injured reserve.

A slot role is in place for Renfrow, who exceled in that capacity during part of his Raiders tenure. The 29-year-old topped 1,000 yards and scored nine touchdowns in 2021, earning a Pro Bowl nod. He was unable to duplicate that production afterwards, resulting in his Vegas release. Renfrow is now in position to resume his career with his hometown team, the only one he considered playing for in recent days.

“I kind of told [my agent] I was going to be here or nowhere,” the Clemson product said about remaining in Carolina (via the team’s website). “I know he told me a few teams, but I think he was getting calls throughout the weekend. But I just told him this is where I wanted to be. Just because this is home for me, this is what I wanted to do.”

The Panthers added a first-round receiver in the form of Xavier Legette last spring. The team went the same route in April, meaning Tetairoa McMillan is positioned to pair with Legette as a starter on the perimeter. Coker will be tasked with handling first-team duties upon return, but in the meantime Renfrow will be able to contribute in the passing game. His new Panthers pact is reportedly worth more than the veteran minimum contract he originally signed, a reflection of the market which existed in this case and Carolina’s immediate need at the receiver spot.

A healthy and productive campaign from Renfrow would provide a boost to the Panthers’ passing game. It would also strengthen his chances of continuing to play beyond 2025, something which was in question until his Carolina return was worked out.

Panthers To Re-Sign Hunter Renfrow, Place Jalen Coker On IR

August 30th, 2025 at 11:11am CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Panthers are swapping out receivers on their 53-man roster on Saturday by re-signing veteran Hunter Renfrow and placing Jalen Coker on injured reserve, per FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz and Joe Person of The Athletic.

Renfrow, 29, sat out the 2024 season as he dealt with a case of ulcerative colitis. He signed with the Panthers in April and spent training camp with the team before being released during final roster cuts. They wanted to keep him in the building, but as a vested veteran, Renfrow was free to sign with any team. Multiple were interested, per Schultz, but Coker’s IR placement allowed the Panthers to give the veteran wideout a spot on the active roster.

Coker pulled his quad chasing a deep ball during a 1-on-1 drill in a fully-padded practice on Thursday and is expected to miss four-to-six weeks, according to Person. The injury happened one day after the Panthers traded Adam Thielen, their primary slot receiver for the last two years, to the Vikings.

Panthers general manager Dan Morgan said on Thursday (via Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer) that Coker would “step into the slot” after Thielen’s departure. Morgan also said that he had enough confidence in the team’s trio of young receivers – Coker, Xavier Legette, and Tetairoa McMillan – to trade Thielen.

We have guys that we’re really excited about,” explained Morgan, “and that definitely made me feel more comfortable pulling the trigger and trading [Thielen].”

Renfrow’s “peaks and dips” in the preseason were the reason the Panthers cut him this week, according to head coach Dave Canales (via Person). However, his experience in the slot – where he’s played 72.8% of his career snaps, per PFF (subscription required) could give him a role right away.

The 2019 fifth-round pick leveraged interest from other teams and the Panthers’ need at the psoition into a stronger deal than the $1.3MM deal he signed in April. Renfrow’s new contract is worth $2.25MM ($2MM guaranteed), according to Person. It includes a signing bonus as well as incentives that can bring his compensation to $3MM, per Kaye.

The Panthers may also give sixth-round rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. after he led the team in slot snaps during the preseason (via PFF) and made the 53-man roster. Coker, meanwhile, will spend at least four weeks on the IR as he rehabs his quad and looks to regain his role in the slot upon his return.

Ikem Ekwonu Underwent Appendectomy, Considered ‘Day To Day’

August 30th, 2025 at 10:39am CST by Nikhil Mehta

Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu had an emergency appendectomy last Sunday, according to an announcement by head coach Dave Canales (via team writer Darin Gantt).

Ekwonu was experiencing stomach pain and a consultation with team doctors led to surgery. Any procedure this close to the season will naturally put a player’s Week 1 status under question.

Canales said that Ekwonu would be “day-to-day, all the way up until the game,” a September 7 visit to Jacksonville.

Recovery from an appendectomy can vary, per Gantt: “Then-Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick was back on the field eight days after a procedure in 2022, while Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari missed three games after his during that same season.”

Ekwonu, 24, is entering his fourth NFl season after the Panthers made him the No. 6 overall pick in 2022. He immediately took over as Carolina’s left tackle and started 46 games in a row to open his NFL career. He then missed two games with an ankle issue in 2024, but recovered to finish the season. The North Carolina State product has grown in each year and the Panthers picked up his fifth-year option in April. Like many members of his draft class, Ekwonu is angling for a long-term extension from his team.

If Ekwonu misses time in the regular season, the Panthers have two primary candidates to replace him on the blind side. Brady Christensen, a 2021 third-round pick, is listed as the backup left tackle on the team’s depth chart. He replaced Ekwonu during his brief absence last year. Veteran Yosh Nijman is another option. He started three games at right tackle in Carolina last year and 22 at left tackle in his previous three seasons in Green Bay.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 8/28/25

August 28th, 2025 at 9:12pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Teams around the NFL continued to adjust their practice squads as new players came free from Wednesday’s transactions. Here are all the latest updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona Falcons

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: CB Jalen Kimber, DE Andre Jones Jr.
  • Released: CB Daequan Hardy

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos:

  • Signed: TE Patrick Murtaugh (international exemptin)

Detroit Lions: 

Green Bay Packers:

Houston Texans: 

  • Signed: OT Reid Holskey, WR Josh Kelly

Indianapolis Colts: 

Jacksonville Jaguars: 

Kansas City Chiefs:

Los Angeles Chargers:

Miami Dolphins:

  • Signed: RB JaMycal Hasty

Minnesota Vikings:

New England Patriots: 

New York Giants: 

  • Signed: TE Qadir Ismail

New York Jets: 

  • Signed: OL Marquis Hayes, DB Korie Black

Philadelphia Eagles:

  • Signed: WR Britain Covey, OT Luke Felix Fualalo (international exemption)

San Francisco 49ers: 

Seattle Seahawks: 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 

Tennessee Titans: 

Washington Commanders: 

Signed: RB Donovan Edwards, CB Darius Rush

Ismail was one of 17 players to work out for the Giants on Thursday, per The Athletic’s Dan Duggan. He won the practice squad spot over more notable players like former Broncos safety Caden Sterns and former Browns quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgersma also attended the workout, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, suggesting that the Giants might be looking for extra depth at the position.

Wallace worked out for the Vikings on Thursday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. It must have gone well, as he was signed to the practice squad hours later as extra depth both in the secondary and on special teams.

Griffin returned to the Seahawks this offseason, eight years after they made him a third-round pick in the 2017 draft. He did not make Seattle’s 53-man roster, but as a vested veteran, he was able to re-sign to the practice squad without going through waivers.

Panthers Hope To Re-Sign Hunter Renfrow; WR Drawing Interest

August 28th, 2025 at 1:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

Hunter Renfrow was among the Panthers’ roster cuts on Tuesday. The veteran wideout is thus a free agent, and it remains to be seen where he will land in the coming days.

Renfrow spent the 2025 offseason attempting an NFL comeback. A case of ulcerative colitis kept him out of the NFL last season, but the South Carolina product landed an opportunity with the Panthers this spring. The team is open to a reunion via the practice squad, but it is unclear if Renfrow will be amenable to it.

“We’ve been in constant communication with Hunter,” head coach Dave Canales said (via ESPN’s David Newton). “We have a couple of things on the table for him, and we’re just going to keep talking. I just want to be able to count on Hunter the whole time. I saw some peaks, and I also saw some dips with his performance.”

Indeed, Renfrow’s showings in training camp and the preseason were insufficient to land him on Carolina’s 53-man roster. Several younger wideouts – a group headlined by 2024 and ’25 first-round picks Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan – are now in position to handle the bulk of work in the passing game. That is especially true since Adam Thielen was traded to the Vikings yesterday.

Renfrow could absorb some of Thielen’s vacated targets from the slot, but the door is also open to a fresh start elsewhere. The Clemson product is drawing interest from other teams, Newton reports. Renfrow is currently weighing a number of options, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network adds. An agreement of some kind will presumably be in place before Week 1.

Renfrow earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021, but after that his Raiders tenure fell well short of expectations. The 29-year-old will not be seen as a full-time starting option for Carolina or any other suitor, but he could offer veteran depth to a receiving corps. His free agency will be worth watching closely as roster moves and practice squad deals continue in the build-up to the start of the campaign.

Panthers Add Hendon Hooker To P-Squad

August 28th, 2025 at 8:43am CST by Sam Robinson

Hendon Hooker‘s second chance will come with Carolina. The Panthers are bringing in the recently cut Lions quarterback, adding him to their practice squad.

The team announced the move, which will stash Hooker behind Bryce Young and Andy Dalton — the only two QBs on Carolina’s 53-man roster. The Lions waived Hooker on Tuesday, doing so after Dan Campbell indicated a fresh start was probably necessary after the former third-round pick could not beat out Kyle Allen for the Detroit QB2 job.

Given Hooker’s draft pedigree — as the No. 68 overall pick in 2023 — he stood to earn another opportunity; the Panthers will provide it after waiving two QBs (Jack Plummer, Bryce Perkins) prior to cutdown day. Plummer had spent last season on the Panthers’ P-squad. Plummer finished the season on Carolina’s 53-man roster. As of now, the former UDFA is not with a team.

“Hendon Hooker is a guy that I loved in the process coming out of Tennessee; I had some great meetings with him,” Dave Canales said, via Panthers.com’s Darin Gantt. “He really impressed me as a man, and a really high character guy with a lot of talent. A beautiful motion, big strapping guy who can run.”

Hooker’s pre-draft tour in 2023 included a visit with the Buccaneers during Canales’ one-year stop as Tampa Bay’s OC. The Tennessee-developed prospect, however, was unable to impress despite an extended opportunity with the Lions. Detroit stashed Hooker on its reserve/NFI list in 2023, activating him near the end of that season. After Hooker’s ACL rehab effort, he earned the Lions’ backup job. Near the end of last season, however, the Lions re-signed Teddy Bridgewater — their 2023 backup — and the veteran made a cameo in the No. 1-seeded squad’s divisional-round game. Despite a downgrade to Allen this offseason, the Lions saw Hooker lose a competition to be their backup.

Going unclaimed Wednesday separates Hooker from his third-round contract; he will now be on a practice squad salary. The Panthers will begin to evaluate the 27-year-old passer, who has appeared in three games and attempted nine regular-season passes. During the preseason, however, Hooker committed five turnovers. He was 22 of 40 for 187 yards with no TD passes and three INTs. Hooker, however, shined at Tennessee and crafted a Heisman campaign before suffering the ACL tear in November 2022.

The Lions do not currently have a quarterback on their practice squad, carrying only Allen and Jared Goff at the position.

Panthers Trade WR Adam Thielen Back To Vikings

August 27th, 2025 at 11:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adam Thielen is returning home. The Panthers have agreed on terms to send the Minnesota native back to the Vikings, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting the deal is done.

Carolina will receive a 2026 fifth-round pick and a 2027 fourth-rounder. Minnesota adds Thielen, a conditional 2026 seventh-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, according to Schefter, who adds talks between the NFC teams have been serious for a few days. The conditional seventh-rounder the Vikings received becomes a sixth if Thielen is not active for 10 games or not on the 53-man roster for 14, The Athletic’s Joe Person tweets.

The teams had been haggling over trade value this week, and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler adds the Panthers initially asked for a lot in return for the established possession receiver. With terms agreed to, the Vikings are finalizing a revised contract, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero adds.

Thielen rejoins a Vikings team hurting at wide receiver to open the season — to the point the team eyed trade help. Jordan Addison incurred a three-game suspension for a 2024 DUI arrest, while Rondale Moore suffered a season-ending knee injury for a second straight year. Jalen Nailor is also recovering from a hand injury, and Justin Jefferson missed a few weeks because of a hamstring injury sustained early in training camp.

Despite the Vikings cutting Thielen in 2023, veteran reporter Jordan Schultz indicates Kevin O’Connell advocated “strongly” to add a veteran to help. Thielen, 35, fits the bill and has scheme familiarity from his 2022 season in O’Connell’s offense. Prior to that, Thielen played nine seasons in Minnesota. The former rookie-camp tryout body is set to play a 13th NFL season, and he will be asked to help J.J. McCarthy transition to the pros. When addressing the trade, Panthers head coach Dave Canales noted (via ESPN’s David Newton) Thielen never specifically asked to be dealt back to Minnesota.

Nonetheless, Thielen becomes the third receiver the Panthers have traded since October. They dealt Jonathan Mingo to the Cowboys and ended the failed Diontae Johnson experiment before the 2024 deadline. Thielen, who accepted a revised contract this offseason, will be dealt from an offense that added another first-round wideout — Tetairoa McMillan — this year. McMillan leads the way for the Panthers at receiver now, headlining a group featuring Xavier Legette and UDFA talent Jalen Coker. This does strip a proven pass catcher from Bryce Young, but the Panthers have young talent to garner key reps this season.

After two productive seasons in Carolina, Thielen accepted a reworked contract this offseason. The Panthers had him on a one-year, $8.75MM deal ($1.5MM guaranteed). While the rework gave Thielen some guaranteed money for 2025 — the final year of his contract — it also left the door open for a trade. The Panthers will take on $5MM in dead money from moving Thielen, with the figure being split between the 2025 and ’26 seasons.

Thielen tacked on a third 1,000-yard season to his resume in Carolina, being a woeful offense’s top option in 2023. He added a 615-yard year in 2024, doing so despite missing seven games with a hamstring injury. The former Jefferson and Stefon Diggs sidekick ranks third in career Vikings receptions and receiving TDs, sitting fifth in career Minnesota yardage.

Thielen had pointed to 2025 potentially being his NFL finale, and it will now come in his home state. Thielen combined for 24 TD receptions in Jefferson’s first two years. After working with Kirk Cousins for five seasons, Thielen garnered experience with a younger QB in Young; that should help him ahead of McCarthy’s debut campaign.

Minnesota initially had Diggs complementing Thielen, who eclipsed 1,200 yards in 2017 and ’18. Thielen agreed to two Vikings extensions, the second of which a four-year, $64.8MM accord. The Vikes revised that deal in 2022 but cut the accomplished receiver in March 2023, after the sides could not agree on another adjustment.

Thielen then collected a three-year, $25MM deal from the Panthers. While Carolina missed on some 2023 additions, Thielen provided value. After trade rumors emerged at the 2024 deadline, the Panthers circled back to a deal now. The Vikings had added Addison in Round 1 weeks after cutting Thielen. It will be interesting to see that duo work together, with Nailor (414 yards last season) and third-round rookie Tai Felton rounding out what will be one of the NFL’s deepest WR groups once Addison is activated in Week 4.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC South

August 27th, 2025 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints moves are noted below.

Atlanta Falcons

Signed to practice squad:

Carolina Panthers

Claimed:

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

New Orleans Saints

Claimed:

  • WR Trey Palmer (from Buccaneers), G Xavier Truss (from Broncos)

Signed to practice squad:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed to practice squad:

2025 NFL Waiver Order

August 27th, 2025 at 9:57am CST by Nikhil Mehta

Many of the players cut Tuesday were subject to waivers, giving teams a chance to pick them up (along with the rest of their contract). Teams can claim as many players as they want before the next team gets their remaining targets.

It’s also worth noting that relatively few players are claimed off waivers during final roster cuts each year. Waiver claims will be processed at 11am CT in the following order (via NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo). In reverse order of the 2024 NFL standings, here is how the waiver priority sits:

  1. Titans
  2. Browns
  3. Giants
  4. Patriots
  5. Jaguars
  6. Raiders
  7. Jets
  8. Panthers
  9. Saints
  10. Bears
  11. 49ers
  12. Cowboys
  13. Dolphins
  14. Colts
  15. Falcons
  16. Cardinals
  17. Bengals
  18. Seahawks
  19. Buccaneers
  20. Broncos
  21. Steelers
  22. Chargers
  23. Packers
  24. Vikings
  25. Texans
  26. Rams
  27. Ravens
  28. Lions
  29. Commanders
  30. Bills
  31. Chiefs
  32. Eagles

Panthers Release WR Hunter Renfrow, Finalize Roster Cuts

August 26th, 2025 at 3:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

With time to spare in advance of today’s deadline, the Panthers have finalized their roster moves to get to 53. Here are Carolina’s Tuesday transactions:

Released:

Waived:

Waived-injured:

Waived via injury settlement:

Placed on IR-designated for return:

Renfrow’s efforts to return to the NFL have been dealt a blow with today’s move. The Clemson product and South Carolina native took a one-year pact in his bid to continue his career after missing all of last season. Renfrow’s pact contained $50K guaranteed, however, and with the Panthers’ other wideouts impressing in camp this release loomed as a possibility. A practice squad deal could be in store in the coming days in this case, but absent an agreement on that front the 29-year-old will seek out a new opportunity.

Carolina was among the teams which announced a list of cuts yesterday in advance of today’s deadline. Among the players waived was quarterback Bryce Perkins. He will be a candidate to sign on the practice squad starting tomorrow (provided no waiver claims are made), but The Athletic’s Joe Person reports Perkins is not in the team’s plans at this point. Roberts, on the other hand, is seen as a taxi squad candidate in the event he clears (h/t Aaron Wilson of KPRC2).

Ray’s IR handling means he will miss at least the first four games of the season. Whereas players moved to IR before today are out for the season, though, Ray is among those eligible to return later in the year. Activating him will count toward Carolina’s allocation of eight for the season whenever he is back in the fold.

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