Carolina Panthers

Chamon Metayer

TE

Metayer will take the spot on the 90-man roster vacated by rookie third-round wide receiver Chris Brazzell (knee), who was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding move. Metayer initially signed with the Steelers in late April as an undrafted free agent before being waived by Pittsburgh in early June. He'll audition for the Panthers for the next month, and while he's a longshot to make the 53-man roster, Metayer could get an invite to the practice squad if he impresses the coaching staff enough in training camp and preseason games.

Chris Brazzell II

WR

Brazzell will officially miss his entire rookie season due to the LCL tear he suffered during Wednesday's training camp practice. The rookie third-round pick will undergo surgery and set his full attention on making a recovery for the 2027 campaign. In the wake of this transaction, Xavier Legette and John Metchie are the top candidates to secure the No. 3 wide receiver role in Carolina behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.

Gabriel Benyard

WR

Benyard signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent before being released in early June. The wide receiver will now get another opportunity to make an NFL roster with the Panthers. The 5-foot-10, 185-pounder spent his final college season at Kennesaw State, recording 60 catches for 948 yards and nine touchdowns over 14 regular-season and postseason games.

Xavier Legette

WR

A 2024 first-round pick, Legette will need to prove himself even if the competition looks weak. He struggled through his first two NFL seasons and fell decisively behind Jalen Coker on the depth chart last year. Ona positive note, Legette told reporters in June that he was down to 221 pounds after playing at around 230 last year.

Corey Thornton

CB

Thornton has fully recovered from a broken fibula that landed him on the team's injured reserve last November. The 2025 undrafted free agent will now spend the remainder of the offseason competing for a roster spot as a depth cornerback.

Chandler Zavala

G

Zavala was put on the shelf last season after suffering a calf injury in Week 12, but he's now apparently healthy again as training camp kicks off. He figures to fill a depth role on the interior of the offensive line in 2026.

Casey Washington

WR

With fellow wide receiver Dan Chisena (undisclosed) being placed on injured reserve, Washington will get his chance to contend for a depth role with the 2026 Panthers. The 25-year-old was waived by the Falcons in mid-June, having produced seven receptions for 108 yards over 15 career regular-season games.

Dan Chisena

WR

Chisena was unable to participate in Sunday's practice due to an injury. The depth receiver clearly is not in good enough shape to warrant maintaining a roster spot through camp, and his 2026 season is likely over. In a corresponding move, the team signed wide receiver Casey Washington.

Mitchell Evans

TE

The Panthers got another injury scare when Evans had to be carted off the field Tuesday, but Evans avoided a serious injury. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick last year and secured 19 of 25 targets for 171 yards and two touchdowns across 17 regular-season games as a rookie.

Damien Lewis

G

Lewis should be able to return relatively quickly, and the left guard's ability to start the regular season should not be impacted. The 29-year-old has a history of quick turnarounds, only missing one week after suffering a shoulder injury during the 2025 season.

Jaycee Horn

CB

Horn was recovering from a cut on his foot and was never supposed to be sidelined for very long. The starting cornerback is back in action and ready to help the Panthers attempt to win back-to-back NFC South titles and earn a third consecutive Pro Bowl season.

DeCarlos Nicholson

CB

Nicholson is officially headed to Carolina after having worked out with the team Friday. The 24-year-old will now spend the remainder of the offseason competing for a depth spot on the team's final roster.

Brady Christensen

G

Christensen tore his Achilles in a Week 8 loss to the Bills last October. The right guard promptly had surgery and has been working his way back throughout the offseason. The 29-year-old has made 34 starts for the Panthers over the last five seasons appears on track to be ready to suit up in Week 1 of the coming campaign.

Patrick Jones II

LB

Jones is now the No. 1 weakside linebacker on the depth chart after Scourton went down for the season with an ACL tear during the first day of training camp. The 27-year-old Jones played in just four games for the team in 2025 before succumbing to a back injury, logging nine tackles (six solo) and one pass defensed during his early-season stint in the lineup. Training camp production and additional signings could change the team's plan, but as of now it looks like Jones will need to step up to help the Panthers try and defend the NFC South title in 2026.

Cam Gill

LB

This is not Gill's first stint with the Panthers, as he first suited up in Carolina in October 2024 after a stint on the Lions' practice squad. The linebacker spent this past spring in the UFL, where he led the league with 10.0 sacks in 2026. Gill will replace Nic Scourton (knee) on the active roster for the time being after the weak-side linebacker went down with an ACL injury during the first practice of training camp.

Nic Scourton

LB

Scourton tore his ACL during the first practice of training camp, ending his 2026 season before it began. Cam Gill was added to the roster in the wake of Scourton's injury. The Panthers will also continue to monitor the edge-rusher market for additional help at the position.

Caden Prieskorn

TE

The addition of Prieskorn gives the Panthers some added depth in a TE corps currently led by Tommy Tremble and Ja'Tavion Sanders. An Ole Miss graduate, Prieskorn was the MVP of the 2023 Peach Bowl after totaling 10 receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns.

Jonathon Brooks

RB

"He feels great, he feels strong, he looks fast," head coach Dave Canales said of Brooks, who has been limited to three NFL appearances through two seasons due to a pair of ACL tears. "He looks like the guy that I remember, and I'm really excited for that." Brooks and Trevor Etienne both mixed in with the first-team offense at Thursday's practice, along with Chuba Hubbard, per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. The Panthers selected Brooks out of Texas in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Tetairoa McMillan

WR

McMillan was in and out of practice during the spring due to ankle soreness, but he's ready to roll for the start of training camp now that pads are on and the season is inching closer. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, McMillan is expected to see more opportunities out of the slot this season after the Panthers used a third-round pick on outside weapon Chris Brazzell. McMillan added "eight or nine pounds of muscle" over the offseason, per Wolfe. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, McMillan will look to build on his 70-1,014-7 regular season from last year.

Monroe Freeling

OT

Freeling played left tackle primarily at Georgia before the Panthers selected him 19th overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but he will switch to the opposite end of the offensive line to begin his NFL career. The 6-foot-7, 315 pound athlete certainly has the size to hold his own in the league, and he will get a shot to fill in for Taylor Moton (illness) at right tackle while Moton recovers from a blood clot. With Ikem Ekwonu (knee) still recovering from offseason surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee, Carolina is expected to be without both of their starting offensive tackles to begin 2026.

Ikem Ekwonu

OT

Ekwonu suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee in the Panthers' 34-31 loss to the Rams in the wild-card round in January, so his placement on the PUP list comes as no surprise. General manager Dan Morgan said that the offensive lineman is "attacking" his rehab and that he's "really proud of him (Ekwonu) and where he's at right now." Ekwonu is fighting an uphill battle to play during the 2026 campaign, but Morgan expressed that there is some "optimism" that the 25-year-old will be able to return during the season.

Bobby Brown III

DT

It's not immediately clear what type of injury Brown is dealing with, and there's no concrete timetable for his return. In the meantime, rookie second-rounder Lee Hunter figures to get more looks with the first team on the interior of the defensive line.

Tershawn Wharton

DT

Wharton underwent a procedure on his neck in May, and he's still not ready to return to the practice field with training camp now underway. As long as he remains unavailable, LaBryan Ray will be a candidate to see more work with the first-team defensive line.

Taylor Moton

OT

Moton will be forced to miss at least four regular-season games if he is not activated by the time rosters are reduced to 53 players in late August. If Carolina believes its starting right tackle could return before mid-October, he could still be activated during training camp. Rookie first-rounder Monroe Freeling could get a chance to start in Week 1 due to Moton's health issues.

Ryan Fitzgerald

PK

After entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Fitzgerald won Carolina's kicker job in training camp last year and held the role through the campaign, making 24 of 29 field-goal attempts and 27 of 30 extra-point tries over 17 regular-season games. Even more impressively, he tied for the league lead with four game-winning FGs and ranked third in opponents' average drive start, a measure of his effectiveness on kickoffs. Fitzgerald's rookie season also included two made field goals of 55-plus yards, so he's essentially checked all the boxes. He isn't expected to have any competition for the starting role heading into training camp.