Panthers trim roster to 80

The Panthers trimmed its roster down to 80 players today by cutting ties with second year quarterback Tony Pike, offensive guard Duke Robinson and placing offensive tackle Geoff Schwartz, wide receiver David Gettis, tight end Gary Barnidge and offensive lineman Zach Williams on the injured reserve list.

The Pike move was a bit unexpected. I would have thought that the Panthers would have liked to keep him with the team by placing him on the injured reserve list after Pike had elbow surgery earlier in the week.

Duke Robinson being cut was expected. The Panthers made him their fifth round selection in the 2009 draft and Robinson has failed to ever live up to expectations. he struggled with injuries and keeping his weight down which really effected his play. He had numerous opportunities to become a starter at right guard for the Panthers but never showed any promise.

The biggest news today though is the Schwartz injury. Originally Schwartz hurt his hip when the Panthers had their Fan Fest on August 6th and it seems like the hip injury is a lot worse than expected. They tried various treatments for his hip but nothing seemed to work, leaving the Panthers with no other option. Schwartz was originally slated as the starting right guard along side Jeff Otah, but with him out for the season Mackenzie Bernadeau or Gary Williams will most likely take over the spot.

Another option would be for the Panthers to look to free agency. When rosters are trimmed down to the final 53, there will most likely be a couple decent options available for the Panthers to pick from if they choose to go that route.