Sun sets on preseason, as Panthers fall to Steelers

Panthers general manager Dan Morgan dropped into the Panthers Television Network booth in the third quarter, and discussed how things could be different this year at final cuts compared to last season.

In 2024, the Panthers had the first spot in waiver order and claimed six players who were cut by other teams at cuts to 53. Three of them — cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, linebacker/special teamer Jon Rhattigan, and offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston remain on the roster. Those moves were by necessity, as they needed depth at so many spots.

After another aggressive offseason, Morgan doesn’t think that will be the case this year.

“I think last year compared to this year, we were looking for like starters at the waiver wire and like depth guys that were going to play an important role,” Morgan said. “This year, we don’t feel so much that way. We feel good about our roster; we just feel good about the roster as a whole that we’re starting to gain some depth. We’re starting to get the kind of players that we want to get here.

“But to your point, if we want to, since we’re eighth in the order (this year), if we need to, we can swap late round picks if we really like a guy just to kind of get ahead of it. So there are ways to kind of get ahead of it. We’re always looking into things. We’re always going to be creative and try to do things to make this roster a better roster.”