We’re counting down the days until the Panthers open up the 2025 season!
There are 54 days until the opening kickoff of the Carolina Panthers 2025 season, so today’s countdown piece will focus on that number. It’s currently being worn by edge and best name on the team, Boogie Basham.
Basham joined the Panthers on a reserve/futures contract right after the end of the 2024 season. Prior to that, he spent four seasons split between the Bills and Giants, where he was a seldom used rotational edge rusher. He also played some special teams.
Basham is likely a practice squad candidate, but it would be lovely if he was good enough to make the active roster just so we can get some Boogie Basham sacks over the course of the season.
While Basham is cool, he’s far from the most prominent player to don the #54 jersey for the Panthers. It was most recently worn by Shaq Thompson, who sported it for most of his ten years with the team (he took a little break to try out number 7 for a couple years). Prior to that, it was featured by notable linebackers Will Witherspoon in the 2000s and Carlton Bailey in the 90s.