The Carolina Panthers are bringing back a familiar name in Ihmir Smith-Marsette, adding the veteran return man to the practice squad and giving themselves another option in the kicking game.
The team announced the move on September 22, 2026, and Smith-Marsette has a chance to be active sooner rather than later because of his experience as a return specialist. To open a spot, Carolina waived wide receiver E.J. Williams.
Smith-Marsette, 27, first entered the league as a fifth-round pick by the Vikings out of Iowa in the 2021 NFL Draft. His NFL path has bounced from Minnesota to Chicago, then to Kansas City, where the Chiefs kept him on the practice squad before re-signing him to a futures contract in February of 2023 and later trading him to Carolina.
He also spent time with the Panthers again on a one-year deal in 2024 before being waived at the start of the regular season and landing with the Giants. From there, he re-signed with New York for the 2025 season, returned to the practice squad after preseason, then signed a futures deal with the Cardinals before a short stay on Arizona’s practice squad after camp.
Smith-Marsette’s most recent regular-season work came in 2024 with the Giants, when he played in 15 games. In that stretch, he handled 29 punt returns for 228 yards, a 7.9 average, and 11 kickoffs for 381 yards and a touchdown.
Carolina’s practice squad now includes:
WR David Moore
S Isaiah Simmons
G Jake Curhan
WR Ja’seem Reed
CB Corey Thornton
CB DeVonta Smith
WR Casey Washington
DT Parker Petersen
RB Tre Tyus
LB Maz Mwansa (international)
G/C Torricelli Simpkins
DT Anthony Goodlow
DB Zion Childress
G Chandler Zavala
RB Ahmani Marshall
LB Jeremiah Moon
WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
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