Carolina Panthers GM, EVP address whirlwind waiver-wire changes, 53-man roster decisions

Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis have been busy.

Over the past few days, Morgan and Tilis — the Panthers’ two top front office execs — have crafted a 53-man roster that features 24 players who weren’t in Carolina during the franchise’s 2-15 campaign in 2023. Those new faces include six waiver-wire claimed contributors, who were the product of the team’s top priority in the pecking order.

After roughly 72 hours of tough roster decisions, Morgan — the first-year GM — and Tilis — the first-year EVP of football operations — spoke for roughly 23 minutes Thursday about their nine new players on offense, 15 new players on defense and the conversations that led to the other 29 players sticking around under a new brain trust.

“Throughout the season, not just the past few days, we’re going to be active,” Morgan said. “We’re going to watch guys. If we feel like a guy can upgrade us, we’re not going to be shy to claim him. So yeah, we’re going to be aggressive. We’re going to continue churning the bottom of the roster, churning the roster in general, and trying to make it best in the NFL.”

Here are five big takeaways from the media’s chat with Morgan and Tilis:

Morgan, Tilis say they are in lockstep on roster-building

Morgan and Tilis both said their alignment was intact throughout the roster-building process. While Morgan said he is the ‘football guy” and Tilis has “the brain” for the salary cap, the GM acknowledged both know quite a bit about each others’ domains. Tilis said the pair share morals and ideals for the roster — and that has allowed the duo to have communication cohesion when making the sweeping changes from the 91-man offseason roster to the 53-man regular-season roster.

“It’s been like that since Day 1,” Morgan said. “Just aware of our communication, you know, we’re more alike than what people would think. We like laughing, we like having a good time out there. We enjoy working with each other every single day, and I think it’s a great match, and I’m looking forward to what the future holds.”

Still, Morgan said the duo checked each other when necessary. Tilis believes that they both stayed within their philosophies but remained open-minded to each other’s perspectives. Morgan went as far as to say they helped sharpen one another in their respective jobs.

“So we can be both steadfast in what we believe in while also being humble enough to listen to what everyone else has to say, which creates a pretty good work environment for everyone in the building,” Tilis said.

That collective approach led to the decisions made at the cut-down deadline. The team was active, which was a strategy set forth by the two top execs, who looked at the roster from both immediate and future perspectives.

Challenging the roster brought on Wednesday movement

Throughout the offseason, head coach Dave Canales has talked about challenging the roster with incoming talent. On Wednesday, the Panthers added three defensive backs, a pass rusher, a linebacker and an offensive lineman. Those claims led to a small summer exodus in Carolina.

Cornerback D’Shawn Jamison, center Cade Mays and wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette — a trio of 2023 holdovers — and undrafted rookies safety Damani Richardson and wideout Jalen Coker joined defensive lineman Jayden Peevy on the way out the door.

All six players made the initial 53-man roster after competing during the offseason program, training camp and the preseason.

“You saw the guys that we claimed,” Tilis said. “We claimed younger players with years left on their (rookie) contract. I think that’s important. But ultimately, it’s really just about getting the culture right. Getting those ‘dawgs’ in that Dan’s talked about. Just making sure that we get players that fit our scheme and what we want.”

Morgan, who was a top cog in the previous front office group, didn’t rest on his staff’s previous work. Instead, the GM brought in players to make the system better, particularly in the secondary.

Spoiler alert: Size matters...

Over the past week, the Panthers have added quite a bit of size to the secondary, particularly at cornerback.

The team traded for Mike Jackson (6-1, 210 lbs.), who is expected to start in Week 1, prior to the preseason finale against the Buffalo Bills. The team then claimed Shemar Bartholomew (6-1, 200 lbs.), Tariq Castro-Fields (6-1, 197 lbs.), and Keenan Isaac (6-3, 190 lbs.) off waivers on Wednesday. On Thursday, they added Lonnie Johnson Jr. (6-2, 213 lbs.) to the practice squad.

Jamison (5-9, 186 lbs.) and Dicaprio Bootle (5-10, 180 lbs.) were among the cornerbacks moved off the roster over the past week to make room for the big guys.

“I think we’re looking to build our roster at every turn, and just kind of build our roster the right way,” Morgan said. “I think, when you bring corners in with the size and the profile we brought in yesterday, they’re the type of guys that we’re looking for. It’s a big man’s league, so we want some big corners out there who are physical, can run and do the type of things that we want to do from a schematic standpoint. We feel like we got better there.”

The Panthers now have length and size at the cornerback position with 6-foot-1, 200-pound No. 1 cover man, Jaycee Horn, at the top of the depth chart. Even nickel corners, Troy Hill (5-10, 182 lbs.) and rookie Chau Smith-Wade (5-11, 176 lbs.), have relatively appealing size for the inside coverage position.

Retool not rebuild?

The Panthers aren’t putting expectations on their roster. Morgan says the brass is working “in reality” with the squad.

While the outside perception is that the team is rebuilding, Morgan prefers to label the team’s roster churn as a “retool.”

Whatever the process actually is, the Panthers have made pretty radical changes to a roster that is overseen by last year’s assistant GM and defensive coaching staff.

“Everyday there are challenges with the roster, whether they’re injuries — there are all different circumstances,” Morgan said. “And I think at the end of the day, we have a really good core of guys that we’re excited about. We’re excited about the season. We don’t want to put any expectations on the season. But that’s not to say we’re not confident in the season.”

“You can just look through the history of the NFL,” Tilis said. “Teams ascend and descend for various reasons. So it’s impossible to know what all the risk factors are. So that’s one thing that Dan and I talk about, is what are the things that we know, and what are the things that we don’t know.”

Why Panthers cut Terrace Marshall Jr.

The Panthers have been adamant that special teams are very important to the success of the squad. Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith even got one of his old buddies — waiver claim linebacker Jon Rhattigan — added to the mix on Wednesday.

The emphasis on special teams ultimately cost a 2021 second-round pick his job in Carolina. Terrace Marshall Jr., one of the breakout stars of the summer, was waived Tuesday. The Panthers initially kept seven wideouts on their 53-man roster after the cut-down deadline, but the team deemed that Marshall’s lack of special teams upside made him more of a luxury than a compelling contributor.

“I had a few teams call me and ask me about Terrace,” Morgan said. “And obviously, I think the world of Terrace. Not only a great person, but he had a great camp, he did everything that we asked out there. Those type of cuts, they’re always tough, they’re always challenging. It was right there at the end, where we were kind of deciding if we were going to keep him or not.

“But special teams really comes into play. And (he) hasn’t really been a special teams kinda ace for us. That played a big role in our decision to ultimately release him. But I wish him nothing but the best. I think he’s going to do great. And I wish him success where he’s at.”

Marshall went unclaimed on waivers on Wednesday. He will reportedly join the San Francisco 49ers in some capacity this week, as he looks to rebuild his career in a new place.

Carolina Panthers quick hits

▪ Prior to practice on Thursday, the Panthers elevated tight end Jordan Matthews to the 53-man roster. Sixth-round pick rookie defensive lineman Jaden Crumedy (ankle) was placed on injured reserve in a corresponding move. Crumedy is eligible to return from IR after the first four games of the campaign.

▪ Johnson, TE Feleipe Franks, OLB Tarron Jackson and OLB Thomas Incoom were officially added to the practice squad, which is now up to 12 players after Matthews’ promotion.

▪ Morgan said the Panthers think the world of No. 1 running back Chuba Hubbard. The GM believes Hubbard is going to have a big year. Morgan added that Miles Sanders, the well-paid backup, has come into this year with an “unbelievable” mindset, and that practice squad running back Mike Boone has some active-roster potential, considering his display in camp and his proven prowess in the return game.

▪ Morgan said every waiver wire list serves an opportunity when asked about the players who were cut around the league on Wednesday to make room for waiver claims. Roughly a dozen new players hit the waiver wire in time for claims on Thursday.

The Observer’s Alex Zietlow contributed to this story.