South Charlotte Today

Dan Morgan, the Carolina Panthers' president of football operations and general manager, has a clear vision for the team's cornerbacks. Since his promotion in January, he has collaborated with coach Dave Canales and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to outline the ideal characteristics for their corners: big, physical players with speed.

"We talked about how we wanted to build this team and the type of profiles that we want by position, and we all came down to, you know, the size, the length, just guys with that athletic profile that we're looking for," Morgan said Thursday morning. This week saw significant changes in the Panthers' cornerbacks room, with four new additions.

Last Thursday, Morgan traded rookie linebacker Michael Barrett to the Seattle Seahawks for veteran corner Mike Jackson. On Wednesday, they used their waiver wire priority to acquire former Buccaneers cornerback Keenan Isaac, former Jets cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, and former Washington cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields.

Jackson stands at 6-1 and 210 pounds. Bartholomew matches Jaycee Horn at 6-1 and 200 pounds. Castro-Fields is also 6-1 but weighs 197 pounds. Isaac is notable for his length at 6-3 and 190 pounds. Before these acquisitions, Horn was the only Panthers corner over six feet tall and more than 190 pounds.

Corners are traditionally fast and agile. However, as Morgan emphasized on out-muscling opponents for possession of the ball became crucial: "I think when you bring corners in with the size and profile that we brought in yesterday; they're the type of guys we're looking for."

Bartholomew attracted attention during a joint practice with the Jets. He noted his physical play: "I was physical, and I made some couple run stops, play well in coverage as well."

Morgan's approach involves continuous improvement through challenging existing processes: "Turning the roster over... challenge everything you do."

In other team news, Jordan Matthews experienced a brief stint off the active roster before being re-signed to the practice squad and then promoted back to active status within three days due to injuries among tight ends Ian Thomas and Tommy Tremble.

The pass rush position opposite Jadeveon Clowney remains open due to injuries affecting key players like D.J. Wonnum, Eku Leota, and K'Lavon Chaisson. The Panthers recently added Jamie Sheriff from waivers who had three preseason sacks for Seattle.

Additionally, two claimed players from Seattle—Sheriff and linebacker Jon Rhattigan—have yet to join practice due to travel logistics.

As they head into a weekend break before regular-season preparations commence on Monday, Canales mentioned giving coaches and players time off to reconnect with families while humorously noting that they were starting "to get on each other's nerves."

Canales will still engage with football over the weekend by attending his son's game but without coaching responsibilities: "I've coached baseball in the past... Lizzie (his wife) fired me about three years ago."