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The Carolina Panthers have the top waiver priority heading into this NFL season, so after cutdown day on Tuesday, they were in position to have their pick of the litter when it came to players who were cut by other teams, and they took advantage of that by claiming five defensive players.
The Panthers claimed three cornerbacks in Shemar Bartholomew, Keenan Isaac and Tariq Castro-Fields, along with two linebackers in Jamie Sheriff and Jon Rhattigan, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team. Bartholomew is from the New York Jets, while Isaac is from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Castro-Fields is from the Washington Commanders. Sheriff and Rhattigan come from the Seattle Seahawks.
Carolina also signed veteran cornerback Lonnie Johnson Jr., and the plan is to have him on the practice squad initially and elevate him for Week 1, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
It will be interesting to see if the Panthers make any other additions to their roster in the lead up to Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints. Coming off of last year's disappointing season, along with a transition at general manager and head coach, add in the waiver priority, and it is understandable that Carolina is taking chances on players on the waiver wire to try to improve the roster.
Panthers trying to overhaul defense on waiver wire
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It is certainly interesting that the Panthers have targeted strictly defensive players with these moves, especially at cornerback. It is certainly clear that they want to improve that position. It will be interesting to see where the new additions slot in on the depth chart, especially where Lonnie Johnson Jr. is in comparison to the waiver pickups in Shemar Bartholomew, Keenan Isaac and Tariq Castro-Fields.
On paper, Carolina has a talented top cornerback in. Jaycee Horn. When on the field, Jaycee Horn has flashed the elite talent that resulted in him getting drafted so high, but he has had trouble staying healthy in his career. Behind Horn, there is not much depth at that position for Carolina, so the infusion of players with the three waiver claims and Johnson signing are intriguing.
It will be worth monitoring if Sheriff and Rhattigan slot into starting linebacker rolls as well.
The Panthers did not pick up any offensive players, so it will be worth monitoring any potential additions on that front as well, as the franchise hopes to give second-year quarterback Bryce Young every chance to succeed after he dealt with a very tough situation a year ago.
