We’re counting down the days until the Panthers open up the 2025 season!
There are 57 days until the first game of the season for the Carolina Panthers. Today’s piece looks at the present and history of the number 57 jersey, which is currently being worn by rookie Bam Martin-Scott.
The rookie
Martin-Scott. 6’2” and 231 pounds, is a 25-year old undrafted free agent rookie linebacker out of South Carolina. Projected as 4-3 outside linebacker by most pre-draft analysts, his biggest knocks as an older rookie are a lack of experience in college combined with limited instincts and middle of the road change of direction athleticism. He has above average straight line speed for his size and position and will most likely look to make an impact for the Panthers on special teams. as with most UDFAs, Martin-Scott has an uphill battle this summer to stick with the team.
The history
Only two players of note have worn the number 57 jersey thus far in Panthers history, Lamar Lathon and Jordan Senn
- Lathon wore the jersey for the first four years of the Panthers history. These were the last and most porductive of Lathon’s nine year career. After five years with the Houston Texans, Lathon joined the 95 Panthers and started all 48 games that he appeared in over the next four seasons. He recorded 23.5 of his 37.5 career sacks with the Panthers and earned a a Pro Bowl nod in 1996.
Lathon, alongside Kevin Greene, set the tone for the early days of the Carolina Panthers defense. For more on Lathon, his life, career, and regrets, I highly recommend this Charlotte Observer profile from 2022 by Scott Fowler. - Senn was a six year linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts and the Panthers who briefly cracked the starting lineup in 2011. As a rotational player, he saw playing time in 66 games over four and a half years with the Panthers. After retiring in 2013, Senn went into medicine and is now a practicing physician in his home state of Oregon.