The Carolina Panthers just finished the part of training camp that every NFL team dreads: roster cuts. Cutting so many players that teams believe in and perhaps ending some players' careers is rough for everybody. Some of those guys could impact the team's roster immediately. Fortunately for the Panthers and every other NFL team, there are always guys who do slip through the cracks, do make the roster, and help their teams win games. One player, in particular, managed to find himself on the Panthers' 53-man roster and could help the Panthers immediately. His name is Ihmir Smith-Marsette.

Who is Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Ihmir Smith-Marsette is a wide receiver who graduated from the University of Iowa. After racking up 110 receptions on 202 targets for 1,615 yards and 14 touchdowns over four seasons as a Hawkeye, Smith-Marsette was drafted in the fifth round by the Minnesota Vikings. Those numbers may not seem gaudy, but considering Iowa doesn't believe in modern offense, those numbers are pretty darn impressive. Smith-Marsette didn't play much as a Viking; he only played in eight games in Minnesota before getting waived after the season. But he did manage to rack up a 103-yard game in Week 18 of the 2021 season, proving he's got the juice to play receiver in the NFL.

Smith-Marsette has bounced around since then. He popped up with the Chicago Bears in 2022, whom he played six games for. But the Bears soon let him go and he's largely hung around the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad ever since. That's where he was to begin the 2023 season. The Chiefs entered the 2023 season without a ton of star power in their receiver room, but plenty of depth. With Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, and Rashee Rice locks to make the team, Smith-Marsette was competing with the likes of Justin Watson (who was with the Chiefs last season), Richie James (who posted a 70-57-569-4 statline with the New York Giants last season), and Justyn Ross to make the roster.

Smith-Marsette didn't make the cut, but it wasn't through any fault of his own. He balled out in the preseason. His nine receptions for 195 yards and two touchdowns were some of the best marks anybody has put up during the preseason. His preseason magnum opus came in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns, where he hauled in four balls for 101 yards and a touchdown.

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Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, it wasn't enough for the Chiefs to retain him. Kansas City just had too many guys to hang onto. But the beauty of the preseason is that the team that currently employs a player isn't the only team evaluating him. Every team is. And the Carolina Panthers took notice. They traded for him in return for a swap of 2025 conditional seventh-round pick swaps.

2023 Impact

After landing in Carolina, it isn't hard to see how Ihmir Smith-Marsette could make an impact for the team. For one, any time Smith-Marsette has gotten an opportunity in the NFL, he's made the most of it. Look no further than 2021 Week 18 and his 2023 preseason performances. For another, a lot of the Panthers' receivers are currently injured. Terrace Marshall Jr. has a back injury he's tending to. DJ Chark Jr. recently injured a hamstring and could miss Week 1.

The talent in that receiver room isn't exactly the upper echelon of the NFL either. Adam Thielen is not the player he was three years ago. DJ Chark Jr. is mostly a deep threat. Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. are largely unproven. Jonathan Mingo is a promising rookie but also a rookie.

There's room for someone to separate themselves from this bunch. That could be Ihmir Smith-Marsette. He didn't survive the Chiefs' roster cuts, but he did end up making the Carolina Panthers' 53-man roster. And he could help them and make an impact sooner rather than later.