South Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE — There are a few things to realize about the 53 names currently on the Panthers roster.

One is that it's far from final. Two is that it probably needed a change after a 2-15 season led to a change at coach and general manager.

And you can see that turnover from looking at what's here now. Of the initial 53, 21 are players who weren't here a year ago.

That includes five draft picks (wide receiver Xavier Legette, linebacker Trevin Wallace, tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders, cornerback Chau Smith-Wade, and defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy) and three undrafted rookies (receiver Jalen Coker, center Andrew Raym, and safety Demani Richardson). Second-rounder Jonathon Brooks remains on the NFI list, as expected, and they traded their seventh-rounder (linebacker Michael Barrett) to the Seahawks for cornerback Mike Jackson, who could end up starting in the opener.

And all that came after an offseason spent trading for a lead receiver (former Steeler Diontae Johnson, acquired in a trade in March) and stacking free agents to upgrade the offensive line and the defense in general.

So, after Tuesday's flurry of moves, you can tell from the construction of this list that it's not a finished product.

Conveniently, they have the first spot in the waiver claim order and are expected to use it. The Panthers can claim as many players as they like from Tuesday's transactions with no limit. (You can read a full explanation of the rules here.)

For instance, they have just three tight ends remaining, and veteran Ian Thomas hasn't practiced lately with a calf injury, and it's unclear when he's going to return. So that's probably a place where you could reasonably expect movement.

The 10 offensive linemen they kept include backups Yosh Nijman, Brady Christensen, Chandler Zavala, and Cade Mays along with Raym. Mays is coming off a shoulder injury and didn't play last week; Nijman hasn't gone through a full practice yet since being activated from physically unable to perform after offseason surgery. Raym has had a good camp but head coach Dave Canales admitted that they limited the offense to shotgun and pistol looks Saturday since he didn't have much experience working with quarterback Bryce Young.

At wide receiver, they're currently at seven after waiving former second-round pick Terrace Marshall Jr. and keeping returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette along with David Moore and Coker.

They also kept seven defensive linemen including mid-training camp pickup Jayden Peevy (who follows in the footsteps of mid-training camp pickups Nick Thurman and LaBryan Ray last year). But those three along with Crumedy are backing up a high-end group of starters including Derrick Brown, A'Shawn Robinson, and Shy Tuttle.

They've also spent the offseason looking for depth upgrades at positions such as outside linebacker and cornerback; that search will continue through tonight as they look for available options on the waiver wire.

It's been significant work to get it to this point. And the work is far from finished. With what lies ahead of them, that's appropriate.

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