Carolina Panthers Depth Chart
- NFC South
- Stadium
- Bank of America Stadium
- Head Coach
- Chris Tabor (Interim)
- Offensive Coordinator
- Brad Idzik
- Defensive Coordinator
- Ejiro Evero
- Special Teams Coach
- Chris Tabor
- Defensive Scheme
- 3-4
The Carolina Panthers signed outside linebacker Cam Gill and defensive lineman TJ Smith following a workout on Monday, the team announced on X. Gill spent the last four seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after going undrafted in 2020 out of Wagner College. He was mostly a depth and special teams player for Tampa, collecting 29 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in 40 career games. Smith, who was also undrafted out of the class of 2020, spent the last three years with the Minnesota Vikings and appeared in just five total games. Neither player is likely to push for a starting role, but depth jobs are up for grabs in the offseason and training camp, especially for a rebuilding franchise like Carolina.
Carolina Panthers rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders said his goal in the NFL is to be as good as former All-Pro Greg Olsen. Sanders, a converted receiver at Texas, averaged 49.5 catches a year with the Longhorns with an average of 648 yards and 3.5 touchdowns. His role with the Panthers is not clear yet, but head coach Dave Canales said on Saturday that Sanders will play both the "F" and the "Y" roles, dependent on pass plays versus 12 personnel. "He's a guy, you can move around a little bit more, maybe play him in the slot a little bit," Canales said, adding, "we look for those versatile type of tight ends." The 21-year-old was taken with the 101st overall pick in the fourth round this year but could immediately become the team's best pass-catching tight end over both Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas. Still, fantasy managers in single-year leagues in 2024 should temper expectations for Sanders in Carolina's offense.
Carolina Panthers rookie first-round wide receiver Xavier Legette, who was taken 32nd overall in this year's NFL draft last month, has had trouble connecting with the team's rookie quarterbacks so far in rookie minicamp practices. Legette has always had the size-speed combination -- his 4.39-second 40-yard dash tied for the sixth-fastest among wideouts at this year's scouting combine -- but he kept hearing that he had to improve as a route-runner as he took part in Senior Bowl practices and the combine. At 6-foot-1, 221 pounds, some questioned Legette's ability to drop his hips and quickly get out of his breaks. Legette has been compared physically to DK Metcalf, who Panthers head coach Dave Canales worked with in Seattle. At the very least, Legette will give second-year QB Bryce Young a speed, big-bodied target deep down the field in 2024, but expecting much more than that might be unwise in 2024.
Undrafted free-agent quarterback Jack Plummer signed with the Carolina Panthers on Friday, according to NFL.com. The 24-year-old spent four seasons at Purdue, one season at California, and one season and Louisville during his college career. Overall, he threw for 9,728 yards, 68 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions in 45 games (38 starts). Plummer is highly unlikely to take the QB2 job behind Bryce Young from Andy Dalton, but he could earn the QB3 role and stick around on the practice squad during the 2024 campaign. For now, he's nowhere near the fantasy football radar in any format.
The Carolina Panthers released veteran running back Tarik Cohen, who was attempting a comeback from a series of injuries that derailed his time as a Pro Bowl return man with the Chicago Bears. Cohen hasn't played in a regular-season game in the NFL since 2020, and it remains to be seen if he'll latch on with another club this offseason. The 28-year-old was a former fourth-round pick in 2017 by the Bears out of North Carolina A&T. He was never much of a ball-carrier at 5-foot-6, 181 pounds, but he excelled as a returner and as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Cohen suffered an ACL tear in Week 3 of 2020 and also tore his Achilles in May of 2022. He spent most of last year on Carolina's practice squad but missed two months with a hamstring injury.