Carolina Sports News

Carolina Sports News

Panthers Notebook: GM Dan Morgan Remaining Active With NFL’s Waiver Wire, Creating Cornerback Competition, Claiming ‘Dawg’

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Dave Canales stepped up to the podium Wednesday and smiled:  

“Another great day …”  

The Carolina Panthers’ rookie coach laughed, but he meant it.   

“Got out there in the heat … right in the thick of it,” Canales said less than 24 hours after the NFL-mandated cutdown day. “Good to get a little heat. We got in some good running at the end.

“It’s been great.”  

And busy.

Panthers CB Room Gets New Post Cutdown-Day Look

As the top waiver-wire pick through Week 3 of the regular season, first-year general manager Dan Morgan promised he would be prudent. The 53-man roster the Panthers submitted by Tuesday’s deadline changed quickly.

Enter former New York Jets cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, former Washington Commanders cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields, former San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Keenan Isaac and former Seattle Seahawks linebackers Jon Rhattigan and Jamie Sheriff.    

Exit wide receivers Jalen Coker and Ihmir Smith-Marsette, cornerback D’Shawn Jamison, offensive lineman Cade Mays, defensive lineman Jayden Peevy and safety Demani Richardson.  

Canales said the newcomers will compete for playing time as the Panthers build for their season opener at the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 8.   

“I just really feel like we owe it to this team to look,” Canales said after Wednesday’s practice, the second since cutting the preseason roster down from 90. “We looked across all the league and kinda compared it to the roster we had. And we’ve been talking about challenging our roster from the beginning.   

“Really started off with the secondary room. And so, that was a place we really wanted to see if we can start trying to get a look at a lot of guys.” 

Canales said the trio of cornerbacks offers intriguing possibilities to the ever-changing room. Morgan on Thursday traded rookie linebacker Michael Barrett to the Seattle Seahawks for veteran cornerback Mike Jackson, not Michael. He said that while on the football field, he prefers to shorten his famous moniker. Barrett was cut by the Seahawks on Tuesday.

Canales said he anticipates Jackson earning the CB2 role opposite Jaycee Horn, but with the additions, “I’m glad to get those guys out there and see what they look like.”

Panthers Newcomers Going To ‘Dawgs’ 

Staging his first press conference since being acquired, Jackson was informed the Panthers claimed Rhattingan. 

He was pleasantly surprised.

“We got Rhattingan?” Jackson said.  

He smiled and said in a drawn-out fashion: “My daaa-wwwg.” 

Jackson continues to fit into the Panthers’ culture. Since taking over as GM last January, Morgan has often utilized the “dawg” term to describe an attitude he favored when scouting a prospect or potential waiver pickup. 

“Everybody is a (dawg), but you got different kinds,” said Jackson, describing himself as a “pitbull but with the body of a Neapolitan Mastiff.” 

“Y’all know what a pit bull is, right?” Jackson asked. “So that demeanor. But have you ever seen a Neapolitan Mastiff? They are huge. My grandfather had one and they’ve got a bunch of wrinkles in their face, but they can get up to like 150 pounds as a puppy.”

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