Roster snapshot: The Carolina Panthers’ official roster, captured August 23, lists 88 active players, two players on Active/Physically Unable to Perform, one on Active/Non-Football Illness and three on Reserve/Injured.
The NFL calendar sets the final roster reduction for before 6 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, August 30. The 88 active players and the three players on the other two active-status lists make 91 names for that deadline. To reach 53, Carolina must make 38 roster moves affecting those lists.
Roster count
| Official list | Players |
|---|---|
| Active | 88 |
| Active/Physically Unable to Perform | 2 |
| Active/Non-Football Illness | 1 |
| Reserve/Injured | 3 |
| Total shown on the club roster | 94 |
| Names on the three lists subject to the August 30 reduction | 91 |
Players outside the active list
| Official list | Players |
|---|---|
| Active/Physically Unable to Perform | Ikem Ekwonu, tackle; Tershawn Wharton, defensive tackle |
| Active/Non-Football Illness | Taylor Moton, tackle |
| Reserve/Injured | Chris Brazzell II, wide receiver; Dan Chisena, wide receiver; Nic Scourton, outside linebacker |
Active roster by position
This is the club’s 88-player active list grouped by position. It is not a projection or a depth chart.
| Position group | Count | Players |
|---|---|---|
| Quarterback | 4 | Bryce Young, Kenny Pickett, Kyle Trask, Haynes King |
| Running back | 6 | Jonathon Brooks, Miles Davis, AJ Dillon, Trevor Etienne, Chuba Hubbard, Anthony Tyus III |
| Wide receiver | 11 | Jalen Coker, Elijah Cooks, Jimmy Horn Jr., Xavier Legette, Tetairoa McMillan, John Metchie III, David Moore, Ja’seem Reed, Roc Taylor, Brycen Tremayne, Casey Washington |
| Tight end | 7 | Mitchell Evans, Feleipe Franks, James Mitchell, Caden Prieskorn, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Tommy Tremble, Darren Waller |
| Offensive line | 15 | Ja’Tyre Carter, Brady Christensen, Jake Curhan, Stone Forsythe, Luke Fortner, Monroe Freeling, Isaia Glass, Ryan Hayes, Sam Hecht, Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis, Albert Reese, Nick Samac, Rasheed Walker, Chandler Zavala |
| Defensive line | 10 | Kyon Barrs, Bobby Brown III, Derrick Brown, Elijah Garcia, Aaron Hall, Jared Harrison-Hunte, Lee Hunter, Cam Jackson, Tywone Malone, Parker Petersen |
| Edge and linebacker | 15 | Claudin Cherelus, Cam Gill, Trevis Gipson, Thomas Incoom, Patrick Jones II, Jackson Kuwatch, Devin Lloyd, Bam Martin-Scott, Jeremiah Moon, Mapalo Mwansa, Maema Njongmeta, Jaelan Phillips, Isaiah Smith, Princely Umanmielen, Trevin Wallace |
| Cornerback | 11 | Akayleb Evans, Tyrek Funderburk, Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Will Lee III, Cam Miller, DeCarlos Nicholson, Robert Rochell, Chau Smith-Wade, Devonta Smith, Corey Thornton |
| Safety | 6 | Tre’von Moehrig, Lathan Ransom, Demani Richardson, Nick Scott, Isaiah Simmons, Zakee Wheatley |
| Specialists | 3 | Ryan Fitzgerald, kicker; JJ Jansen, long snapper; Sam Martin, punter |
| Total active | 88 |
Confirmed August transactions
These entries preserve the club’s transaction language. That includes the spelling “Ainais Smith” in the August 4 entry.
| Date | Club transaction entry |
|---|---|
| Aug. 17 | Signed TE Darren Waller to the active roster. Waived OL Joshua Gray Waived/injury settlement OLB Nick Hampton |
| Aug. 12 | Waived WR Malick Meiga with injury settlement. |
| Aug. 10 | Signed G Joshua Gray Waived TE Chamon Metayer |
| Aug. 9 | Signed OLB Jeremiah Moon. |
| Aug. 9 | Signed QB Kyle Trask and waived/injured WR Malick Meiga and OLB Nick Hampton |
| Aug. 6 | Waived WR Ainias Smith with an injury settlement and released G Saahdiq Charles with an injury settlement. |
| Aug. 5 | Placed G Saahdiq Charles on injured reserve. Signed G Jake Curhan and DT Parker Petersen |
| Aug. 4 | Placed DE LaBryan Ray on reserve/retired. Signed WR Roc Taylor and Elijah Cooks Waived WR Gabriel Benyard and waived-injured WR Ainais Smith |
| Aug. 3 | Activated DT Bobby Brown from the active/non-football injury list. |
League deadlines
August 30: The NFL calendar says, Prior to 6:00 p.m., New York time, clubs must reduce rosters to a maximum of 53 players on the Active/Inactive List.
August 31: Claiming period for players placed on waivers at the final roster reduction will expire at 1:00 p.m., New York time.
Final 53
Carolina reached the 53-player limit on Sunday, August 30, ahead of the league’s 6 p.m. deadline. The club made 32 moves and one trade on Sunday, on top of the eight players it had already moved off the roster on Saturday.
The trade brought defensive tackle TeRah Edwards from the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round pick.
Five players open the season on reserve lists and do not count against the 53. Right tackle Taylor Moton went to reserve/non-football illness. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton went to reserve/physically unable to perform. Running back Trevor Etienne and linebacker Bam Martin-Scott went to injured reserve with a designation to return.
Two decisions stand out from the rest. Linebacker Trevin Wallace, a starter last season, was waived. And the club kept receiver John Metchie III while releasing veteran David Moore.
Sunday, August 30
| Action | Players |
|---|---|
| Waived (16) | CB DeCarlos Nicholson, CB Cam Miller, CB Devonta Smith, CB Corey Thornton, S Demani Richardson, OLB Isaiah Smith, LB Maz Mwansa, LB Maema Njongmeta, LB Trevin Wallace, DT Parker Petersen, DT Jared Harrison-Hunte, OL Isaia Glass, C Nick Samac, RB Tre Tyus, WR Casey Washington, WR Ja’seem Reed |
| Released, vested veterans (10) | QB Kyle Trask, WR David Moore, TE James Mitchell, OL Jake Curhan, G Ja’Tyre Carter, DT Elijah Garcia, OLB Cam Gill, OLB Jeremiah Moon, CB Robert Rochell, S Isaiah Simmons |
| Waived-injured (1) | CB Tyrek Funderburk |
| Injured reserve, designated to return (2) | RB Trevor Etienne, LB Bam Martin-Scott |
| Reserve/non-football illness (1) | RT Taylor Moton |
| Reserve/physically unable to perform (2) | LT Ikem Ekwonu, DT Tershawn Wharton |
| Trade (1) | Acquired DT TeRah Edwards from the Los Angeles Chargers for a 2028 sixth-round pick |
Saturday, August 29
| Action | Players |
|---|---|
| Waived (6) | DT Kyon Barrs, WR Elijah Cooks, RB Miles Davis, DT Tywone Malone, TE Caden Prieskorn, WR Roc Taylor |
| Waived-injured (1) | OT Ryan Hayes |
| Released from injured reserve, injury settlement (1) | WR Dan Chisena |
The Sunday moves total 32 against the club’s own stated figure of 32 moves and a trade.
Waiver claims and subsequent moves
The claiming period expired Monday, August 31 at 1 p.m., New York time. What follows is drawn from the club’s own transaction index, captured September 7.
Carolina claimed one player and lost none it has announced
The Panthers Claimed C Corey Bullock off waivers from the Ravens on August 31, and waived guard Chandler Zavala to make room. Zavala re-signed to the practice squad the following day.
The club also Signed LB Bobby Okereke on August 31 and placed guard Brady Christensen on injured reserve the same day.
A club’s own transaction index records the players it acquires, not the players other clubs claim from it. Carolina has not announced the destination of any player it waived, and this page does not infer one.
Eight of the 16 waived players came straight back
On August 31 Carolina signed 12 players to the practice squad. Every one of the 12 had been cut by the club 24 hours earlier. Eight cleared waivers and returned; four were vested veterans who had been released outright and were free to sign anywhere.
| Returned via | Players |
|---|---|
| Cleared waivers, re-signed to the practice squad (8) | WR Ja’seem Reed, CB Corey Thornton, OL Isaia Glass, CB DeVonta Smith, WR Casey Washington, DT Parker Petersen, RB Tre Tyus, LB Maz Mwansa (international exemption) |
| Released veterans, re-signed to the practice squad (4) | WR David Moore, S Isaiah Simmons, G Jake Curhan, OLB Cam Gill |
David Moore is the notable name. The club released him at the reduction while keeping receiver John Metchie III, and then brought him back on the practice squad the next day.
The eight waived players who did not return
Eight of the 16 players waived on August 30 are not on any subsequent Carolina transaction: CB DeCarlos Nicholson, CB Cam Miller, S Demani Richardson, OLB Isaiah Smith, LB Maema Njongmeta, C Nick Samac, LB Trevin Wallace and DT Jared Harrison-Hunte.
Trevin Wallace is the one that stands out. He started last season and did not come back. Whether he was claimed by another club or went unclaimed is not stated in Carolina’s records and is not asserted here.
Practice squad additions after August 31
| Date | Club transaction entry |
|---|---|
| Sept. 3 | Signed RB Ahmani Marshall to the practice squad. Released OL Isaia Glass from the practice squad. |
| Sept. 1 | Signed G Chandler Zavala to the practice squad. |
| Sept. 1 | Signed G Torricelli Simpkins and CB Zion Childress to the practice squad. |
| Sept. 1 | Signed LB Tyrel Dodson and DT Anthony Goodlow to the practice squad. |
Injury-list moves since the reduction
| Date | Club transaction entry |
|---|---|
| Sept. 3 | Waived OT Ryan Hayes with an injury settlement. |
| Sept. 2 | Waived CB Tyrek Funderburk from injured reserve. |
| Aug. 31 | Placed G Brady Christensen on injured reserve. |
Week 1
Carolina opens the regular season at home against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, September 13, at 1 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium.
Sources
- Carolina Panthers official roster, captured August 23, 2026
- Carolina Panthers official transaction index, captured August 17, 2026
- NFL Football Operations, 2026 important dates
- Carolina Panthers official transaction index, captured September 7, 2026