The Carolina Panthers' season is all but done after a rough 1-7 start, but there are still moves that need to be made. Injuries are forcing the front office to dip deep for linebacker depth, so much so that the team is signing a player who already hung up his cleats.

“Veteran LB Blake Martinez is coming out of retirement and is signing with the Panthers,” Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report reported Monday. The 29-year-old is most known for his time with the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants and last played in four games for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022.

Martinez's return comes after his Pokemon stream, Blake's Breaks, was banned from the platform Whatnot for allegedly scamming buyers. Brian Burns exited the Colts game due to concussion protocol and Carolina just placed former All-Pro Justin Houston on the injured reserve. The team in desperate need of some healthy bodies.

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The Panthers struggled mightily in their 27-13 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts this past Sunday. Adding Martinez is certainly not a guarantee to remedy their issues, but a veteran with 706 combined tackles and 39 tackles for loss in his career should at least be of some football value to a franchise seemingly stuck in the early stages of a rebuild.

He has only played in seven games in the last two years, though, so fans should not expect Blake Martinez to serve a prominent role on Frank Reich's squad. The NFL's 2017 co-tackles leader (144) could be looking to bounce back from a controversial 2023 and clearly believes the gridiron can afford him that opportunity. The Panthers face the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football in Soldier Field.