As unfortunate as this side of the business can be, five players were headed to the chopping block for the Carolina Panthers on Tuesday afternoon. What’s even more unfortunate is that one of them has come as a result of a crushing injury.
During their cutdown to the 85-man roster limit, the Panthers announced they have placed cornerback Troy Pride Jr. on the injured reserve. Pride Jr. sustained a knee injury late in Sunday’s preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts and was carted off into the locker room. He will undergo ACL surgery and miss the remainder of the season according to head coach Matt Rhule.
The 23-year-old defender was drafted by the team in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. He started in eight of his 14 games played as a rookie last season, totaling 41 tackles and a pair of pass deflections.
Pride Jr.’s spot on the roster was already in jeopardy, even prior to the injury. With Carolina boasting a sudden crop of solid depth at cornerback, teammates Keith Taylor and Stantley Thomas-Oliver III were presumed as favorites to knock off Pride Jr. on the depth chart.
The Panthers also released fullback Rod Smith, who they had signed less than two weeks ago, and waived/injured the duo of center Mike Panasiuk and linebacker Nate Hall.
Offensive tackle Greg Little was served his walking papers as well, with the team announcing a trade of the 2019 second-round pick to the Miami Dolphins at the head of this Tuesday wave of departures.
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