Carolina Panthers made major roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game that adds key veteran support on both sides of the ball
The Carolina Panthers have activated three players back onto the 53-man roster ahead of Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Carolina Panthers have made three significant roster moves going into Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles that adds key depth on both sides of the ball, and two of the moves were a very welcome surprise.
The Panthers activated running back Trevor Etienne, right tackle Taylor Moton, and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton back to the 53-man roster and all three players are expected to play in Week 6.
Head coach Dave Canales stated that Etienne was for sure going to be back on Friday but the activations of Moton and Wharton was certainly a major boost going into this game.
Taylor Moton and Tershawn Wharton will be key additions for the Panthers to have back
Starting with Moton, the Panthers couldn’t have asked for a better time to get their stalwart veteran back on the offensive line. While Moton was sidelined dealing with blood clots since June, rookie first-round pick Monroe Freeling stepped up as the team’s right tackle. However, Freeling is doubtful for Sunday’s game due to a knee injury he suffered back in Week 4 against the Detroit Lions.
Having Moton back this week will make sure the Panthers don’t miss a beat at that position. Moton is easily one of the best offensive linemen on this roster and one of the core leaders for this team. Getting him back for Sunday is a major boost, especially with Freeling’s injury situation.
As for Tershawn Wharton, the veteran defensive tackle has also missed a lot of time going back to the offseason after undergoing neck surgery. In his absence, the Panthers relied on two rookies to step up in Lee Hunter and Aaron Hall playing alongside Derrick Brown and Bobby Brown III on the interior of the defensive line. With Wharton now back, it’ll be interesting to see how the roles look up-front on the defensive line.
“Turk is one of our best football players when he’s available, and so once he is ready and once he is in there, we’re going to deploy him the same way,” defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero said. “A lot of the time, when you come back off of injury and off an extended time of not playing football, you can’t just resume your normal workload too. So there’s probably going to be an acclimation period for him as well, and a snap count, a pitch count, and all those things. But I mean, he’s a hell of a football player, and he’s certainly going to help us.”
Those three aren’t the only reinforcements the Panthers will have to boost the roster depth. Carolina also elevated running back Tre Tyus and cornerback Robert Rochell off the practice squad.
