The Panthers may be staring at yet another reshuffle in the secondary, and this time the question isn’t just who starts - it’s who’s left to plug the hole if Akayleb Evans can’t go.
Carolina is already set to play its fourth straight game without its usual starting corner duo of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson. Evans now looks like the next concern after being listed as a non-participant on Monday and Tuesday because of a triceps injury, putting his status for Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers in doubt.
After Tuesday’s session, Dave Canales laid out the names the Panthers could turn to if Evans is unavailable.
"If AK can't go-is it Corey [Thornton]? Is it Marco Wilson?
Is it Malcolm [DeWalt IV]? There are guys who did different types of things and have different skill sets.
Marco Wilson's a quicker, athletic mover. And Corey Thornton is a big, physical corner who's played safety, who's played nickel for us.
"So there's options there."
Among that group, Wilson brings the most proven NFL experience by a wide margin. The former fourth-round pick has made 37 starts in 64 career games and has logged 2,177 snaps at outside corner.
Thornton is a more recent name in the mix. The undrafted free agent joined Carolina in 2025 and, after showing some promise as a rookie before a broken fibula ended his year in Week 12, has spent the first six games of this season on the practice squad.
The rest of the cornerback room includes DeWalt, Chau Smith-Wade, Robert Rochell, DeVonta Smith and Zion Childress.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Have A Trade Opportunity They Can't Ignore
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For Carolina, that matters because a team still looking to strengthen its roster cannot afford to ignore a chance to shop where the market suddenly gets a little softer. If Indianapolis is genuinely willing to listen, the Panthers could have a path to players who might fit immediate needs and cost less than they would have just a week ago. The challenge now is figuring out how far the Colts are prepared to go. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Now Wait On A Packers Weapon Who Could Change Thursday Night
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Green Bay's injury report also includes defensive tackles Devonte Wyatt and Anthony Campbell, along with edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr., but Golden is the name that changes the conversation most for Carolina. If he is active, the Panthers will have to plan for a different version of the Packers' passing game than the one they might have expected earlier in the week, and on a short week there is not much time to adjust once the final word comes in. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers May Have Found An O-Line Trade Fit Worth Debating
The Panthers are still poking around for help up front, and a new name worth watching has surfaced in Las Vegas. ESPNs Jeremy Fowler suggested interior lineman Jackson Powers-Johnson could be had for a Day 3 pick, which immediately makes him the kind of affordable target teams like Carolina have to at least consider as they keep sorting through their offensive line options.
Powers-Johnsons appeal is pretty straightforward for the Panthers: he has experience at right guard and center, and he profiles as either a plug-in starter or a useful depth piece depending on how the rest of the board breaks. Carolinas own roster needs make that kind of flexibility attractive, especially with other teams making moves and the market for interior linemen never really getting simple this time of year. [Read more 🡒]