The Panthers trimmed their roster Tuesday, and the biggest headline was the departure of a familiar veteran receiver.
Carolina announced it is releasing David Moore, the 31-year-old wideout who has been with the franchise since 2024, the first season of the Dave Canales era in Charlotte. Moore and Canales go back even further than that. Their connection dates to 2017, when Moore entered the league with the Seahawks and Canales was his wide receivers coach.
Moore’s role had already faded in recent weeks. He hadn’t been on the field on offense lately and logged only three special teams snaps over the last two games. His roughest moment came in Week 7 against Tampa Bay, when he muffed a punt in what was already a disastrous day for Carolina.
The move clears a spot on the Panthers’ 53-man roster, and it comes roughly a day after Canales said 2024 first-round pick Xavier Legette would return to the practice field this week. Legette has been on injured reserve since early October with a knee injury, and that development suggests he could be activated to the active roster soon.
Carolina heads to the Caesars Superdome on Sunday for a 1 p.m. matchup with the New Orleans Saints. Both teams are 3-5, and the winner will leave in first place in the NFC South.
The Panthers also made two additional moves Tuesday. They placed wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette on the “practice squad; injured” list, which opened a practice squad spot, then filled it by signing linebacker Claudin Cherelus.
Cherelus gives Carolina a familiar depth piece. He’s been a steady backup linebacker and a special teams contributor, with just one defensive snap but 36 special teams snaps this season, according to Pro Football Reference. He began the year on the Panthers’ active roster, went on injured reserve before Week 3 against the Browns with a shoulder injury, and was released a week later with an injury settlement.
That decision made sense at the time because the Panthers could only activate eight players from injured reserve during the regular season. With multiple key players already occupying those spots, the team opted to move on from Cherelus rather than have him count against that limit.
So far, Carolina has designated three players to return from IR - linebacker Bam Martin-Scott, running back Trevor Etienne and offensive lineman Brady Christensen - with Legette next in line. The Panthers still have several injured players they hope to get back later this season, including cornerbacks Mike Jackson, Jaycee Horn and Akayleb Evans, running back Jonathon Brooks and outside linebacker Thomas Incoom.
Carolina also stood pat at the league’s trade deadline, making no deal before Tuesday’s 4 p.m. cutoff.
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