The Carolina Panthers made a somewhat intriguing move prior to this past weekend’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and head coach Dave Canales explained the rationale behind it on Wednesday.
On Saturday, the team signed quarterback Jack Plummer, along with veteran running back Mike Boone, from their practice squad to the active roster. The undrafted rookie, however, did not go on to play Sunday—even in what turned out to be a 48-14 loss to the host Bucs.
So, will Plummer get to see the field in this week’s regular-season finale against the Atlanta Falcons? You never know!
“Yeah, we had an opportunity. We had a roster spot,” head coach Dave Canales said of the decision this afternoon. “And for Jack, he’s been working so hard. I thought, ‘Shoot, let’s get him up.’
“Like, a lot of teams have three quarterbacks, and we’ve chosen not to to have people available in other positions. But the opportunity presented itself. And so, I was like, ‘Shoot, let’s get him up there.’ You never know.”
Canales stated on Monday that he plans on playing quarterback Bryce Young, as well as the rest of the team’s available starters, in Week 18. Young, for the second week in a row, will be backed on the depth chart by 14th-year veteran Andy Dalton and the 25-year-old Plummer.
Adding Plummer to the active roster also prevents the possibility of him being poached. Plummer now cannot be signed off Carolina’s practice squad by any of the NFL’s other 31 teams.