The Panthers are juggling injuries and roster moves again this week, and the picture at Mint Street is pretty clear: Carolina is patching holes wherever it can.
The biggest concern sits in the secondary. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson have both been placed on injured reserve, and while neither injury shows up on this week’s formal report, their absence is a major hit. The Panthers are expected to be stretched extremely thin at cornerback until they can get both players back later in the year.
There’s still plenty to watch on the practice field, even before Friday’s injury report lands. Jalen Coker missed Wednesday’s session with a quad issue and was limited Thursday.
Xavier Legette sat out both Wednesday and Thursday because of a knee problem. Damien Lewis also missed both practices, dealing with an elbow injury.
Monroe Freeling was out Wednesday with a concussion before returning as a limited participant Thursday. Lee Hunter, the Panthers’ second-round rookie, showed up as a limited participant Thursday as well.
Carolina’s response has been busy and practical. The team waived linebacker Claudin Cherelus with an injury settlement after a shoulder injury earlier in the season. Cherelus was in his fourth season with the Panthers and played in 35 games, piling up 61 tackles while contributing on defense and special teams.
The Panthers also promoted guard Torricelli Simpkins from the practice squad to the active roster. Simpkins spent the 2024 college season at South Carolina before signing with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent last year.
He played in 15 games with two starts for New Orleans, logging 179 offensive snaps, then was released after the 2025 season. Carolina signed him to the practice squad in September, and now he’s on the 53.
Another interior lineman is back in the building too. Saahdiq Charles signed to the practice squad after a winding stretch that included a fourth-round selection by Washington in 2020, 35 games played and nearly 1,200 offensive snaps there, a brief retirement in 2024, and a short stint with Carolina last year. He played two games for the Panthers and took 10 special teams snaps before the team signed him to a reserve/future contract in January 2026, waived him with an injury settlement in August, and brought him back again.
With the cornerback room battered, Carolina added Robert Rochell to the practice squad. Rochell, a 2021 fourth-round pick, has played in 54 career games with 30 tackles and has mostly worked on special teams. He appeared in four games for the Panthers in 2025 and played 33 special teams snaps.
The Panthers also brought back Cam Gill on the practice squad. Gill entered the league in 2020, has played in 50 games with 51 tackles and 2.5 sacks, and spent 2024 with Carolina, where he posted 22 tackles in 10 games.
Rounding out the week’s moves, the Panthers signed offensive lineman Isaia Glass to the practice squad. The undrafted rookie out of Arizona State, Oklahoma State, and Vanderbilt spent the preseason with Carolina, was waived at roster cuts, and has spent the year bouncing on and off the practice squad without appearing in a game.
In Other News...
Xavier Legette Trade Buzz Suddenly Feels Real For Panthers Fans
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report put Xavier Legette in the trade conversation this week, and for Panthers fans, the idea has enough logic to at least feel worth tracking. Legettes modest production since arriving in Carolina, paired with the teams habit of adding receivers in recent drafts, has left him in a crowded mix where opportunities are not exactly guaranteed.
Kansas City and Philadelphia were mentioned as possible landing spots, which only adds to the intrigue around how Carolina views its receiver depth moving forward. The Panthers are already juggling other concerns, including Bryce Youngs recent play and injury status plus cornerback injuries, so any roster move involving a young pass catcher would say plenty about where the team thinks it stands right now. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Get A Painful Reality Check Before Lions Showdown
The Panthers are about to find out how much room there really is for optimism when they line up against Detroit on Sunday Night Football. Carolina comes in at 1-2 and will be playing at home as the underdog, a spot that says plenty about where this team stands right now after an uneven start and a growing injury list.
Jaycee Horn and Damien Lewis are among the key names dealing with issues, and that has only added to the concern around a defense that now faces one of the leagues more capable offenses. The Lions are favored by 3.5 points, and for Carolina, the bigger question is whether it can keep this from becoming a long night against a unit built to punish soft spots. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Are Already Facing An Uncomfortable NFC South Reality
The Panthers are sitting at 1-2 and somehow still leading the NFC South, a reminder of how quickly division races can feel shaky this early in the season. Even with injuries hitting key pieces like Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, Carolina remains in a spot where the path to the top of the division is still right in front of it, even if the broader picture around the team feels a lot less stable.
CBS Sports analyst John Breech sees that reality playing out all year, projecting Carolina to repeat as NFC South champion with a 7-10 finish and the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. The catch is what comes with that kind of forecast: it would likely say as much about the weakness of the division as it does about the Panthers' ceiling, and it leaves open the bigger question of whether winning the South would mean much once the postseason begins. [Read more 🡒]