We are one step closer to regular-season football as the Carolina Panthers and 31 other NFL teams cut down their rosters from 90 to 53 players.
General manager Dan Morgan will be spending the next handful of days sorting out the roster after the initial cutdown. Waiver wire acquisitions are likely, as well as potential free-agent signings to fill in the depth of the roster. And there was also a low-key trade to factor in.
There is so much to take in from the Panthers' roster cuts, and it feels as though the team is far from finished making moves. With that said, here are some of my takeaways from Carolina setting the initial 53-man roster.
Initial takeaways from the Carolina Panthers roster cuts
There is a winner at No. 2 linebacker, but at a cost
The Panthers have decided on the linebacker starting spot next to second-team All-Pro Devin Lloyd, and the player isn't technically on the roster yet. Carolina has reportedly agreed to terms with former New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke on Saturday. The next day, they waived 2024 third-round pick Trevin Wallace in favor of Claudin Cherelus.
It is a disappointing end to Wallace's time with the Panthers, as his development never took encouraging steps this training camp and preseason. Okereke's experience and production, and Cherelus' physicality and special teams value seemed to be the deciding factors.
Five tight ends make the roster
A surprise on this end is the Panthers keeping five tight ends for the initial roster: Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Feleipe Franks, Ja'Tavion Sanders, and Darren Waller.
My instant takeaway is that Sanders is still on the bubble, and Carolina will try to either find a trade partner willing to take him on or waive him as it makes wire claims throughout the week. By Week 1, we should see four tight ends on the roster, including Waller, who could have a bigger role in the offense.
John Metchie III's preseason got the job done
The final wide receiver spot came down between John Metchie III and Ja'seem Reed, with the latter being the odd man out. I would expect Reed, who is dealing with a calf injury, to be a practice-squad candidate if a team doesn't make a claim and clears waivers.
Metchie's performance this preseason was impressive, to say the least. His ball skills, route running, and special teams abilities stood out consistently, more so than Reed's before his injury. We may see Metchie on the field at times this season, with the connection with quarterback Bryce Young standing out.
Panthers' run game has their short-yardage running back
With an extra preseason game, Carolina had more opportunities to get looks at players at the bottom of the roster or on the bubble. A.J. Dillon was one, and he proved himself as a short-yardage tailback for the Panthers' run game this season.
Whether Trevor Etienne was placed on short-term injured reserve or not, Dillon did what he needed to make the initial 53-man roster, using his powerful running style, balance, and short-area quickness to gain the hard yardage. That will be valuable this season.
Offensive line depth is troubling
To say the least, I'm not overly excited about the depth of the Panthers' offensive line. Chandler Zavala made the initial roster, even though he may be one of the players waived if Morgan puts in claims for a few players, plus the signing of Okereke will be made official on Monday.
Stone Frosythe as a backup offensive tackle doesn't give me comfort. However, Brady Christensen has experience at all five spots along the offensive line, while undrafted rookie Albert Reese IV improved throughout the preseason to earn a roster spot as a potential backup.
Taylor Moton and Ikem Ekwonu should return at some point this season, easing some minds. Even so, depth along the offensive front is a concern moving forward.
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