The Panthers are trying to patch together their secondary at a rough moment.
Carolina, sitting atop the NFC South but carrying a 3-4 record into Week 9, has dropped back-to-back games in ugly fashion. The first was a 43-13 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The next came against the Green Bay Packers, who beat the Panthers 27-19 and exposed more issues in the pass defense after Tampa Bay had already battered Carolina’s run defense.
With the cornerback room getting thinner by the day, the Panthers are turning to a new body. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Carolina is signing 26-year-old cornerback Jakorian Bennett to the practice squad.
“The Panthers signed former Raiders and Eagles CB Jakorian Bennett to the practice squad,” Rapoport reported.
It’s not a splashy addition, but it may not stay a quiet one for long. Carolina’s depth at corner is stretched badly, and Bennett could be in line for real snaps sooner rather than later.
Will Lee III, Mike Jackson, Akayleb Evans, and Jaycee Horn are all dealing with injuries. Of that group, only Lee has a chance to play in Week 9 against the Broncos. If he can’t suit up, the Panthers would be leaning heavily on Malcolm DeWalt IV, with the rest of the depth chart already banged up.
Bennett brings some NFL experience with him. He has played in 35 games over three seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders and Philadelphia Eagles, and his career line includes 12 passes defended and 65 total tackles. He has also posted a solid 81.5 passer rating allowed.
More recently, Bennett allowed a 66.5 passer rating in the 2025 season and a 67.7 mark in 2024. He has not played in 2026 while dealing with an injury issue, but now that he’s in Carolina, he may be ready to go.
For a defense already under pressure, the Panthers need every available option. With injuries piling up in the secondary, Bennett could end up being part of the Week 9 answer.
In Other News...
Sean Payton Just Turned Denvers Backfield Tension Into A Bigger Debate
Sean Payton spent part of the week trying to cool down a backfield conversation that has been building around the Broncos, making it clear that J.K. Dobbins still matters to the offense even if his playing time has not always matched that role. At the same time, rookie Jonah Coleman has been pushing his way into the picture, earning more snaps and flashing enough in a recent game to make the rotation feel less settled than it looked a few weeks ago.
The noise around the position only grew louder when trade chatter involving Jonathan Taylor started making the rounds, but Payton brushed it off as internet gossip rather than something that should change the Broncos approach. For now, the real storyline is the one unfolding on the field and on the snap count sheet, where Dobbins usage remains under a microscope and Denvers backfield hierarchy still looks very much up for debate. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Make An Unusual In-Season Move As Stakes Rise At Mile High
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For a team trying to keep its footing as the stakes climb, the move fits a larger message from Greg Penners ownership group about player safety and long-term planning. The Broncos are also moving ahead with plans for a new stadium at the Burnham Yards site in Denver, but for now the focus is on making sure the current home field is as safe and reliable as possible down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Nix Is Forcing A Broncos Decision Fans Can See Coming
Bo Nix has already given the Broncos enough to make the next quarterback conversation feel less like a hypothetical and more like a countdown. He has started 42 NFL games in Denver, and with the team having reached the playoffs in 2024 and 2025 while trending toward another trip, the front office is staring at the kind of decision contenders eventually have to make with a young quarterback who has become the face of the operation.
The timing matters because Nix is not even eligible for an extension until the 2027 offseason, which gives Denver some room to breathe but not much reason to ignore what is coming. The Broncos can keep their options open for now, and the league keeps offering reminders of how quickly these situations move once a team decides its quarterback is the one, which is why this is starting to look less like a future debate and more like the next big Broncos decision fans can already see on the horizon. [Read more 🡒]