Rashaan Melvin

Panthers CB Rashaan Melvin Retires

Rashaan Melvin re-signed with the Panthers in March, but the veteran cornerback will not go through with a second season in Carolina. Instead, Melvin intends to retire.

The Panthers announced Melvin is walking away Wednesday. Although Melvin signed a one-year, $1.1MM deal to stay with Carolina, he did not report for the start of the team’s training camp Tuesday. While Melvin drifted on and off the full-time starter radar, he finished his career as a nine-year vet and played first-string roles for a few teams.

Emerging for the Panthers last year, after opting out of the 2020 season, Melvin played in 10 games with the team. The 32-year-old cover man made two Panthers starts, moving his career total to 42. Not bad for a UDFA who bounced on and off active rosters and practice squads for years before stabilizing his career with the Colts.

A Buccaneers UDFA out of Northern Illinois in 2013, Melvin moved from Tampa to Baltimore to Miami to New England before his September 2016 Indianapolis arrival preceded a multiyear stay. The Colts used Melvin as a 19-game starter from 2016-17; that stay attracted interest on the 2018 free agent market. The Raiders gave the mid-major product a one-year, $6.5MM deal in 2018. While that contract did not end up leading to the kind of stability Melvin enjoyed in Indianapolis, it represents his most notable NFL payday.

Melvin signed with the Lions in 2019 and caught on with the Jaguars in 2020, before opting out of the latter situation in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. If the Jags stay is included, Melvin spent time with nine teams. He intercepted four passes — three of those picks coming in 2017 with the Colts — and forced three fumbles over the course of his career.

Panthers Re-Sign DB Rashaan Melvin

Rashaan Melvin will be back in Carolina next season. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the defensive back is re-signing with the Panthers.

Melvin had transformed into a true NFL journeyman, and a two-year stint with a team is a rarity. The 32-year-old will have a chance to make it two-straight years with the Panthers following a 2021 campaign where he collected 16 tackles in 10 games (two starts).

Since going undrafted out of Northern Illinois in 2013, the linebacker has also had stints with Buccaneers, Dolphins (two stints), Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Raiders, Lions, and Jaguars. Melvin started a pair of playoff games for Baltimore in 2014.

The defensive back sat out the 2020 campaign, but he actually had a career year as recently as 2019. Melvin finished that season with 12 starts in 13 games, collecting a career-high 68 tackles to go along with 11 passes defended.

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/30/21

Here are Thursday’s reserve/COVID-19 list updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Activated from virus list: OL Cody Ford, CB Cam Lewis
  • Activated from practice squad virus list: TE Quintin Morris

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Placed on practice squad virus list: LB Omari Cobb

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/25-12/26/21

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed on or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list on Christmas and today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Placed on practice squad/COVID-19 list: WR Steven Sims

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Panthers Promote Rashaan Melvin

The Panthers have signed Rashaan Melvin to the active roster (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). After moving between the practice squad and the gameday roster, the veteran cornerback will dress for this week’s game. 

[RELATED: Panthers Trade For Jags’ CJ Henderson]

Melvin, 31, has appeared in two of the Panthers’ three games so far. Now, he’ll be tasked with providing depth in the wake of Jaycee Horn‘s injury. The

Melvin is now a six-team veteran, having previously played for the Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Raiders and Lions. He was on track to play for the Jaguars last season too, but he opted out during the pandemic.

His last live action came with the Lions, when he was a 12-game starter in 2019. To date, he has 40 career starts under his belt.

Melvin will be joined in the secondary by former first-round pick C.J. Henderson. Earlier today, the Panthers sent tight end Dan Arnold and a third-round pick to the Jaguars in exchange for the UF product and a fifth-round choice.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/27/21

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Panthers Elevate CB Rashaan Melvin

Rashaan Melvin now has an opportunity to play in a game for the first time since the 2019 season. The Panthers made the veteran cornerback one of their Saturday elevations, with center Sam Tecklenburg the other.

The Panthers making Melvin one of their game-day actives would make the 31-year-old defender a six-team veteran. Melvin has already played for the Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Raiders and Lions. Melvin was on track to play for the Jaguars last season, but he opted out. Having brought in a new regime, the Jags cut him earlier this year.

A 12-game starter the last time he was with a team — the Lions in 2019 — Melvin has 40 career starts under his belt. The Panthers signed him in March but did not carry him over to their 53-man roster after cutdown day. Carolina cut Melvin from its practice squad earlier this month but brought him back this week.

Melvin would be in line to serve as a depth piece behind the likes of Donte Jackson and Jaycee Horn. Melvin’s bump could be a one-game situation, with A.J. Bouye‘s six-game suspension — which began during his final weeks as a Bronco — ending after Week 2. With Melvin being a Saturday elevation and not a full-on promotion, he can be passed through back to Carolina’s practice squad Monday.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/21

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Shurmur will give WFT another option as Ryan Fitzpatrick recovers from his hip injury. For now, this likely means that Taylor Heinicke will serve as their starter. Heinicke stepped in for Fitz against the Chargers on Sunday, completing 11-for-15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/2/21

Here are Thursday’s practice squad moves, with the list being updated throughout the day:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

  • Signed: LS Steven Wirtel
  • Cut: DT Willington Previlon

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC South

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 moves for the BuccaneersFalconsPanthers and Saints are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Atlanta Falcons

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Carolina Panthers

Release from IR:

Signed to practice squad:

New Orleans Saints

Released: 

  • K Aldrick Rosas; Rosas is expected to re-sign later this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets

Claimed:

Signed to practice squad:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed to practice squad: