The Carolina Panthers are making encouraging progress under the guidance of second-year general manager Dan Morgan. He's a methodical, poised leader of the front office, but he knows how to act quickly to keep things trending in a positive direction.
Another fine example of this came on the eve of Carolina's Week 10 game against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. It went relatively overlooked, but it's another sign of Morgan striking with conviction and purpose.
The Panthers signed rookie defensive lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte from the practice squad to the active roster. This is among Carolina's deepest position groups, so it was somewhat of a head-scratcher for fans; however, a report soon after revealed precisely why Morgan acted swiftly.
Carolina Panthers didn't want to lose Jared Harrison-Hunte amid interest from elsewhere
According to Mike Kaye from The Charlotte Observer, Harrison-Hunte was drawing interest from an unnamed AFC club. Morgan got wind of this and signed the interior presence to the 53-man squad to avoid losing him entirely.
An update on today’s 53-man roster move:
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) November 8, 2025
I’m told Harrison-Hunte had interest from an AFC team, and the #Panthers didn’t want to lose him, so they promoted him before he could be poached. https://t.co/HqukZmUcP4
Although Harrison-Hunte, an undrafted free agent out of SMU, was seen as a development project and still is, the Panthers must be suitably encouraged by his progress. And if other teams are also getting good reports on the first-year pro's initial transition from college to the pros, Morgan didn't want the player's growing credentials or the coaching staff's hard work to go to waste.
Whether this results in Harrison-Hunte being active on game days is another matter. The Panthers have a strong interior defensive line with much deeper depth than in years past. But being around the set-up rather than on the practice squad is only going to serve him well moving forward.
And this represents the most significant confidence boost of his fledgling career so far.
The fact that another franchise was looking to secure his services, immediately followed by Morgan taking drastic action, is a sign of how well his effort and development are being perceived — not only by those in power but by others across the NFL. It might not result in any playing time over the second half of 2025, but it shows that Harrison-Hunte is on the right trajectory.
As for Morgan? This small, subtle move proves beyond all doubt that the Panthers are in good hands.
And the results on the field, coupled with the overall atmosphere across the organization, are only going to get better from here.