Panthers players who shouldn’t get too comfortable after making the initial 53-man roster with more moves to come
The Carolina Panthers made some surprising decisions on the 53-man roster but some players that made the initial cut won’t be sticking around for long with more roster moves expected to be made on Monday.
The Carolina Panthers released their initial 53-man roster on Sunday following roster cuts, and general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales made several surprising decisions that caught fans off guard.
From keeping five tight ends to retaining offensive linemen who struggled throughout the preseason, the Panthers’ roster has a few names that stand out as temporary placeholders rather than locked-in contributors for the 2026 season.
On that note, it’s worth noting this is just the initial 53-man roster. Waiver claims are coming up in a matter of hours, and Carolina still has a player like linebacker Bobby Okereke to officially sign. That means certain players who survived Sunday’s cuts shouldn’t feel too comfortable about their standing on the roster.
Ja’Tavion Sanders is likely on borrowed time
The Panthers kept five tight ends on the initial roster, which is a lot for any NFL team. Darren Waller officially made the cut, along with Tommy Tremble, Mitchell Evans, Feleipe Franks round out a group of four tight ends the Panthers appear committed to keeping. That leaves Ja’Tavion Sanders remaining as the odd man out.
Many expected Sanders to be cut outright, but the Panthers likely kept him to explore trade options rather than losing him for nothing. There’s no scenario where Carolina carries all five tight ends into Week 1. Sanders has the potential to be a useful piece for another team, and keeping him on the roster temporarily gives Morgan leverage to find a trade partner willing to send back draft capital or a player at another position of need.
John Metchie III could be shuffled around in the roster gymnastics
Another name to watch is wide receiver John Metchie III. He had a solid preseason and it’s worth debating if he earned the roster spot over Ja’seem Reed, which was a surprise in itself to see him get waived. The Panthers will risk losing Reed on the waiver wire, but the staff likely believes Reed can clear waivers and return to the practice squad without being claimed.
The logic explains keeping Metchie, for now. He has a strong history with quarterback Bryce Young and deserved to be on this team in some capacity. Still, his spot on the 53 feels temporary. Metchie could be a player that easily gets dropped and moved to the practice squad as one of the veteran practice squad players. He earned his spot with the team, but the roster math on the 53 might not work in his favor over the next few hours.
The OL decisions raise real concerns, unless that’s where the Panthers plan to attack on the waiver wire
The most eyebrow-raising decisions came along the offensive line. The Panthers kept three players who were not on many projection lists heading into cut day: guard Chandler Zavala, tackle Albert Reese IV, and tackle Stone Forsythe.
Zavala struggled at guard throughout the preseason, and keeping him on the 53-man roster is a tough decision to defend. There’s no reason he should have made this group based on his preseason performance, and the fact he did is quite concerning.
I felt Reese struggled in the preseason finale, though Canales did say some positive things about the rookie after the game, and he did have solid outings in the three previous games. Being a rookie provides some grace period, but Reese profiled more as a practice squad developmental player than a 53-man roster contributor for this team.
The context behind these decisions matters. I easily see offensive line being a position the Panthers look to address after scouring through the waiver wire. Also, offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu is on the PUP list, and Taylor Moton is on the NFI list. Both moves became official at the roster cutdown deadline. When Ekwonu and Moton get activated and return to the fold, these three depth offensive linemen seem like the obvious candidates to lose their spots.
The Panthers have a lot more roster moves to sort through over the next few hours, and several of these players could be on the move as Morgan and Canales work to finalize the group they actually want heading into the regular season.
