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Carolina Panthers News & Rumors

Saints Lose OL Will Clapp For Season

August 12th, 2025 at 7:33pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Saints have lost another piece of interior offensive line depth with center Will Clapp joining guard Nick Saldiveri on season-ending injured reserve, per Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football.

Clapp, 29, is dealing with a Lisfranc injury, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. He was listed as the Saints’ second-team center on their unofficial depth chart; now, New Orleans will have to find a new backup to Erik McCoy.

The job will likely fall to veteran Shane Lemieux, who recently re-signed with the Saints after Saldiveri’s knee injury. Lemieux, currently listed as the backup right guard, started four games as the team’s center in 2024. A majority of his experience prior to arriving in New Orleans last year came as a left guard for the Giants, making the 28-year-old a valuable multi-positional backup for the 2025 season.

Clapp’s injury could also help second-year UDFA and third-team center Kyle Hergel make the 53-man roster. Even if Lemieux holds down the backup center role, his potential to be needed at guard may keep Hergel around as an emergency center.

The Saints also worked out a number of veteran offensive linemen, according to Underhill. including Cody Whitehair, Scott Quessenberry, and Nick Harris. However, New Orleans decided to sign a less experienced option in Mike Panasiuk, who also tried out on Tuesday. Panasiuk, 27, spent time with the Raiders, Panthers, and Colts as a defensive tackle before converting to center last year, but has yet to appear in an NFL game.

Clapp, meanwhile, will spend the season rehabbing his foot. Lisfranc injuries are notoriously tricky to recover from, so shutting him down this early in the year should give him a chance at getting back on the field in time for the 2026 season.

The seven-year veteran is in his second stint with the Saints after starting his NFL career in New Orleans as a seventh-round pick in 2018. He started seven games across his first four years with the Saints before signing with the Chargers in 2022 to back up center Corey Linsley. Clapp took over the starting job when Linsley stepped away from the field due to a health issue, but ended the season on the IR with a knee injury. The Chargers went in a different direction when replacing Linsley in the offseason, and Clapp signed with the Bills ahead of the 2024 season. He didn’t appear in a game until Week 18, when he started at right guard and played every snap.

In addition to placing Clapp on the IR, the Saints also waived tight end Mason Pline with an injury designation, according to ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. With a third spot opened by waiving injured wide receiver Chris Tyree, New Orleans signed tight end Seth Green, defensive tackle Jayden Peevy, and wide receiver Roderick Daniels, per Terrell.

Austin Corbett Wins Panthers’ C Competition

August 11th, 2025 at 1:31pm CST by Adam La Rose

Austin Corbett will remain a starter during his fourth Panthers season. Head coach Dave Canales announced on Monday Corbett has won the team’s center competition.

Corbett joined Carolina on a three-year, $26.25MM deal in 2022. He managed to remain healthy during his debut Panthers season, but injuries limited the 29-year-old to a total of only nine contests across the past two seasons. A one-year deal was worked out to allow for Corbett to remain in place this campaign.

The Panthers also retained Cade Mays this offseason, though, setting up a training camp competition between he and Corbett. The two alternated time with the first-team offense during camp practices. Canales aimed to have a decision in place before Carolina’s upcoming joint practices with Houston, though (h/t Joe Person of The Athletic). That has proven to be the case with today’s call being made.

“I thought Cade did a fantastic job orchestrating the group when he was out there, getting his snaps off on time, moving people in the run game, anchoring the pass,” Canales said when speaking to the media (via Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper). “It was a really close competition and I think Corbett just kinda brings a level of leadership that just kind of edged him out.”

A healthy season from Corbett would be key for his market value next spring. It would also allow for continuity up front in Carolina, of course. The team’s 2024 offensive line setup with left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, left guard Damien Lewis, Corbett at center, right guard Robert Hunt and right tackle Taylor Moton will remain intact this fall. Improved play from quarterback Bryce Young is a central target for the Panthers in 2025, and better pass protection will be key in his development.

Mays filled in for Corbett last season after the latter went down. A sixth-round pick in 2022, Mays has 38 appearances and 15 starts to his name. Given today’s decision, he will now prepare for a backup gig at center as well as guard with the potential to see playing time in the event of injuries along the interior.

NFC South Notes: Bridgewater, Bucs, Pitts, Falcons, Panthers, C, Saints

August 8th, 2025 at 11:40am CST by Sam Robinson

The 2020 free agent class featured a few viable starting quarterbacks, helping the Buccaneers transition from the erratic Jameis Winston. Tampa Bay was closely connected to two of the available options — Tom Brady and Teddy Bridgewater. Reporting at the time made it fairly clear Bridgewater — who had spent the previous two seasons as Drew Brees‘ Saints backup — was the Bucs’ second choice behind Brady. Upon circling back to the veteran QB this week, Jason Licht confirmed (via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine) that was the case.

Licht said he mentioned this to Bridgewater upon the unretired passer joining to the Bucs — his eighth NFL team — this week. The Bucs landed Brady, beating out the Chargers, who were losing Philip Rivers to the Colts. Bridgewater ended up doing nearly as well as Brady on the contract front, scoring a three-year, $63MM Panthers deal. Though, as Carolina cycled through passers during the Matt Rhule years, Bridgewater wound up in Denver — on a sizable pay cut — in 2021 via trade. He joins Kyle Trask as a Baker Mayfield backup option.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

  • Although the Falcons completed a notable extension this week — with right tackle Kaleb McGary, a recent report indicated they did not have anything brewing with Kyle Pitts. When asked about the possibility of an extension, GM Terry Fontenot (via The Athletic’s Josh Kendall) did not discuss the matter. While Fontenot said the Falcons “love” where Pitts is ahead of his fifth season, they might need to see more from a player who has underwhelmed from the No. 4 overall draft slot. It would stand to reason Fontenot would be interested in a Pitts payday, seeing as he made the tight end his first draft pick as GM, but the inconsistent pass catcher has battled injuries — including an offseason foot issue he looks to have recovered from — and has not come close to matching his 1,000-yard rookie season. That said, Pitts (25) could position himself as a top-tier 2026 free agent with a solid contract year.
  • Staying with the Falcons, they are pitting Jordan Fuller against third-round rookie Xavier Watts in a competition to replace Justin Simmons. Fuller and Watts have alternated with Atlanta’s starters, per ESPN.com’s Marc Raimondi, alongside Jessie Bates at safety. Even if Watts cannot beat out Fuller — a former Raheem Morris Rams charge — for the job, the Falcons are expecting him to log extensive rookie-year playing time. The team traded up five spots for Watts, a two-time All-American at Notre Dame.
  • Jamal Agnew did not see any game action last season, having spent 2024 recovering from a broken leg sustained in Week 17 of the 2023 season. Agnew wound up on the Steelers’ practice squad but did not suit up with the team. The Falcons signed him to a one-year, $2.5MM deal in March, only guaranteeing $400K. Still, the veteran receiver/return man is expected to make the Falcons’ 53-man roster, Kendall notes. While Drake London, Darnell Mooney, Ray-Ray McCloud and KhaDarel Hodge are locks, Kendall pegs Agnew as a “strong bet” for the fifth spot. Adept at both kick and punt returns, Agnew — a 2022 Pro Bowler in Jacksonville — figures to be used in this capacity.
  • The Panthers re-signed Austin Corbett in March but also retained Cade Mays via RFA tender. At $3.26MM, the original-round tender brought tougher decisions this year; months later, Mays is in a competition with Corbett to start at center, ESPN.com’s David Newton notes. Corbett and Mays have alternated days with the Panthers’ first team. With Corbett missing 25 games between the 2023 and ’24 seasons, he is having to fend off Mays for the job. The Panthers slid Corbett from guard to center in 2024, having signed Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, and used him as a starter in each game he played. But the ex-Rams Super Bowl starter suffered a biceps tear in October, shutting him down. Mays has made 13 starts since 2023, logging all 495 of his 2024 snaps at center.
  • Julian Blackmon‘s one-year Saints contract is worth slightly less than initially reported. Rather than a $4MM deal, ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell notes the veteran safety signed for $3.17MM. That amount is fully guaranteed.

DB Rumors: Savage, Jaguars, Horn, Steelers, Sutton, Lions, Texans, Patriots

August 6th, 2025 at 1:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars‘ Jourdan Lewis signing covers their slot cornerback position, moving Darnell Savage into a pure safety role. Savage had split time between the slot and traditional safety responsibilities last season, but Lewis’ arrival narrows the former first-rounder’s path to playing time. Savage is not a lock to start alongside FA pickup Eric Murray, however, with ESPN.com’s Michael DiRocco indicating veterans Andrew Wingard and Antonio Johnson are competing for the other Jags safety spot. Wingard appears a slight favorite entering the preseason slate, per DiRocco.

Moving to a backup role would be a blow for Savage, who is tied to a three-year, $21.75MM deal. While the Trent Baalke-Doug Pederson regime authorized that contract, it would cost the Jags more than $10MM to cut Savage and more than $8MM to trade him. Both scenarios defray money to 2026, as we are well past June 1, so the 2025 cap hit would be manageable in each case. But this will be a position battle to watch. Wingard’s six Jags seasons make him the team’s second-longest-tenured player, behind only punter Logan Cooke, but while he has been a part-timer (28 starts), Savage has logged 82 starts between his time in Green Bay and Jacksonville. That said, DiRocco adds Wingard had beaten out Johnson — a 2023 fifth-rounder who has now made 11 career starts — for a gig alongside the since-departed Andre Cisco last year. A preseason knee injury scuttled that plan.

Here is the latest from NFL secondaries:

  • The Panthers saw a car accident alter their quarterback plan last year. The minor injuries Andy Dalton sustained in a wreck near the stadium moved Bryce Young back into the starting lineup. Carolina looks to have dodged a bullet in another car-accident storyline, as Jaycee Horn is believed (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter) to have sustained minor maladies in a crash Wednesday morning. Horn confirmed as much (on Twitter). Injuries have hounded Horn throughout his career, but the Panthers gave the 2024 Pro Bowler a $25MM-per-year extension.
  • Rock Ya-Sin‘s veteran-minimum Lions contract (one year, $1.17MM) now includes a position switch. The defending NFC North champs are trying the journeyman cornerback at safety, Lions.com’s Tim Twentyman notes. New safeties coach Jim O’Neil had told Ya-Sin to prepare for some safety work in camp; Ya-Sin had not played safety since high school. The Lions are deep at corner, housing Avonte Maddox and Ennis Rakestraw as backups behind a Terrion Arnold–D.J. Reed–Amik Robertson top three. Ya-Sin may now be vying for a spot behind standout safeties Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch.
  • Former Lions CB starter Cameron Sutton received his walking papers after a spring 2024 arrest produced a domestic battery by strangulation charge. His case has since been dismissed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. The Lions cut bait on a three-year, $33MM deal, leading Sutton to the Steelers. The NFL handed him an eight-game suspension last season. Sutton, 30, is a free agent after starting two Steelers games last season.
  • The Steelers checked in on C.J. Henderson via a Tuesday workout (per Wilson). A former top-10 Jaguars pick, Henderson auditioned for the Falcons last week. The Steelers, who rostered Henderson for part of last season, signed another CB from that workout (Daryl Porter Jr.). After 22 Panthers starts from 2021-23, Henderson landed on the Steelers’ IR in November, not playing a 2024 snap.
  • Jalen Mills joins Sutton and Henderson in being unsigned; the Eagles, Patriots and Jets regular completed a Texans workout Tuesday, Wilson adds. Mills, 31, made eight starts with the Jets last season, running his career total — split between safety and corner — to 91.
  • A sixth-round Seahawks pick in 2024, DJ James spent most of last season on the Patriots‘ practice squad. While James has yet to play a regular-season snap, the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed expects him to make the Pats’ 53-man roster. With Carlton Davis and Christian Gonzalez being held out of team drills, James has worked alongside Alex Austin as first-teamers filling in. James failed to make Seattle’s 53-man roster last August.

Jaguars OL Dennis Daley Retires

August 3rd, 2025 at 8:57pm CST by Ely Allen

Early this morning, the Jaguars announced that they have placed offensive lineman Dennis Daley on the reserve/retired list. Not much information has followed the announcement, but it appears Daley is hanging up his cleats at only 28 years old.

Daley came into the league as a sixth-round pick out of South Carolina in 2019. After injuries to the interior offensive line forced the team to move starting left tackle Daryl Williams inside to cover and Greg Little, the rookie second-round tackle called in to replace him, went down, as well, Daley stepped into the starting left tackle role for nine games of his rookie year.

After starting Year 2 injured, Daley made three starts (two at right guard, one at left tackle) in five game appearances before getting placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the year. His third year in Carolina saw him continue to shuffle around, starting nine of 15 game appearances at right guard, left guard, and left tackle.

In 2022, the Panthers traded Daley and a seventh-round pick in 2024 to Tennessee in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round selection. When Titans left tackle Taylor Lewan went down on the first play of the team’s Week 2 matchup with a season-ending knee injury, Daley was inserted and started the remainder of the season as the Titans’ blindside blocker. Though the line helped running back Derrick Henry to finish second in rushing yards that year, Daley tied for the most sacks allowed in the NFL that season, and the line as a whole was considered one of the league’s worst.

In free agency, Daley signed a two-year, $3.2MM contract in Arizona. He ended up on IR just before the start of the regular season and only ended up playing in four contests with one start. The Cardinals released him in training camp last year, and he landed on the Jaguars’ practice squad. Ending the season with no game appearances, Daley signed a reserve/futures deal to spend the offseason with Jacksonville. In the end, he’ll never appear in a game with the Jaguars, now that he’s calling it a career.

In his short time with the NFL, Daley did more than a lot of sixth-round picks get to do. Starting 37 games in 54 appearances at multiple positions across the line, Daley made himself a reliable backup option despite a few major injuries of his own.

Panthers Sign LB Krys Barnes

August 3rd, 2025 at 2:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

Krys Barnes has found his latest NFL opportunity. The veteran linebacker signed with the Panthers on Sunday, per a team announcement.

Barnes operated as a starter during his first two seasons with the Packers, reaching 80 tackles on both occasions. His was limited to only six games and a reduced role in 2022, however, and the former undrafted free agent moved on after the campaign. Barnes had been with the Cardinals for the past two years.

In Arizona, the 27-year-old saw time on defense but his largest workload came about through special teams. Barnes totaled 513 third phase snaps, and it would come as no surprise if he were to find himself in a similar situation in Carolina. The UCLA product will spend the remainder of training camp, along with the preseason, attempting to carve out a roster spot for himself.

The Panthers elected not to retain Shaq Thompson this offseason, ending his 10-year run with the organization. More recently, Carolina released fellow linebacker Josey Jewell as he continues to recover from a concussion. The loss of those two will leave the Panthers short on experience, although free agent addition Christian Rozeboom is in line to take on a starting role. Barnes will likely be counted on as a core special teamer, but with 30 starts to his name he could step into a defensive role if needed.

In a corresponding move, the Panthers waived linebacker Tuasivi Nomura. The Fresno State product was among the team’s UDFA class, but he is now set to depart after spending the spring and part of training camp in Carolina. Presuming no team puts in a claim, Nomura will become a free agent.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/25

July 29th, 2025 at 8:43pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

  • Signed: WR Ja’seem Reed
  • Released from active/PUP (injury settlement): WR Dan Chisena

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: C Bucky Williams
  • Waived: C Brady Latham

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: RB Jacob Saylors
  • Waived/injured: TE Luke Deal

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

There was a scary moment at 49ers practice earlier this week, as 49ers defensive lineman Tarron Jackson was carted off the field on a stretcher after suffering a neck injury. Fortunately, the player has since been released from the hospital (per Vic Tafur of The Athletic), but his placement on IR means he won’t suit up during the upcoming campaign. A former Eagles draft pick, Jackson got into three games with the Panthers in 2024 before joining the 49ers practice squad late in the season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/25

July 28th, 2025 at 10:35pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: CB Keni-H Lovely

Baltimore Ravens

  • Activated from non-football injury list: LB Jake Hummel

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Activated from active/NFI list: S Josh Minkins

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Jenkins, who switched to center this offseason, was dealing with a back injury in training camp and participated in a limited capacity on Monday, per USA Today’s Ryan Wood.

Evans, a sixth-round pick by the Rams in 2023, played in 10 games as a rookie but didn’t make the 53-man roster in 2024. He joined the Jets’ practice squad in December and signed a reserve/futures contract in January, but opted to retire instead.

NFC Staff Updates: Eagles, Packers, Panthers

July 27th, 2025 at 10:20pm CST by Ely Allen

The Eagles recently announced a number of title changes and new hires in their personnel and operations departments, per Mike Garafalo of NFL Network.

In his 15th season in the NFL, and his ninth in Philadelphia, Matt Holland was elevated to assistant director of college scouting. After holding personnel positions in Washington and Cleveland, Holland joined the Eagles in 2017 as a pro scout, elevating to senior pro scout, northeast area scout, senior college/pro scout, and most recently, midwest area scout. His promotion goes hand-in-hand with that of Jarrod Kilburn, who’s been named assistant director of pro scouting. Kilburn worked pro scouting internships for the team back in 2012 and 2014 but didn’t join the team in an official capacity until 2022, when he was hired as a college/pro scout after a 2021 internship.

Others receiving new titles in the scouting department are new pro scout Terrence Braxton, new west coast area scout Rod Streater, and midlands area scout Duke Tobin Jr. Braxton is entering his third year with the team and earns the promotion after switching from operations to scouting last year. Streater joined the team in 2022 as a northeast area scout and has been serving as the team’s NFS scout in the two years since. Preston Tiffany has been hired to fill Streater’s vacant NFS scouting role after a lone year as the director of player personnel at LSU. Tobin, the son of the Bengals’ director of player personnel, is in his third year with the Eagles, following roles as a player personnel associate and a scouting assistant.

We also now finally have a job title for Joe Douglas, who was announced as a new hire back in May. Per Garafolo, Douglas, the former Jets general manager, will be joining Matt Russell, the former Broncos vice president of player personnel, and Dave Caldwell, the former Jaguars general manager, in the shared titles of senior personnel directors/advisors to the general manager. Howie Roseman now has two former GMs and a VP of player personnel advising him.

In operations and analytics, James Gilman has been promoted to senior director of football research and strategy, Jon Liu has been elevated to director of football analytics, and Zachary Steever has been named assistant director of football research and strategy. Gilman is in his eighth year with the team, having started as a quantitative analyst and elevating to senior quantitative analyst, assistant director of football analytics, and director of football analytics. Liu fills Gilman’s old role in his eighth year with the team. He started as a football analytics intern before elevating to football operations analyst, football analytics coordinator, and assistant director of football analytics. Steever steps into the new role after serving as a senior quantitative analyst last year.

Additionally, Grant Reiter was named football transactions coordinator after serving as football transactions intern in 2022 and football transactions associate in 2024. His 2023 season was spent with the Browns as a football administration & research/strategy assistant. New hires in the group are football operations coordinator Molly Rottinghaus and software developer Leif Thorson.

Here are a couple of other staff updates from around the NFC:

  • Back in May, it was announced that Packers president and chief executive officer Mark Murphy would be passing on his titles to Ed Policy at the team’s annual shareholders meeting, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. That meeting occurred on Friday inside Lambeau Field. At the meeting, the team also went over the annual financial report, released the Wednesday before, per team editor Mike Spofford. Green Bay reported $83.7MM in operating profit in FY2025, a $23.6MM increase from last year. The anomalous increase was the result of an extra home game, courtesy of the 17-game schedule, showing just how impactful those extra home games are for the teams that get them.
  • Lastly, the Panthers hired Benjamin Brown to serve as director of data science, according to ESPN’s analyst expert Seth Walder. Brown previously served as the NFL data science manager for PENN Entertainment and has held roles with SumerSports and Pro Football Focus, as well.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/25

July 26th, 2025 at 7:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves around the league:

Buffalo Bills

  • Signed: WR Kelly Akharaiyi
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: WR David White

Carolina Panthers

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: CB Garnett Hollis Jr.

Houston Texans

 

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