Tag: isaiah simmons

With injuries piling up before their Week 14 bye, the Panthers made four roster moves Saturday to prepare for Sunday’s home matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

The team placed guard Chandler Zavala (calf) on injured reserve to make room for cornerback Kalen King, who was promoted from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. The team also used standard elevations to lift linebacker Isaiah Simmons and guard Saahdiq Charles from the practice roster to the game-day roster for Sunday’s game.

Both Simmons and Charles will revert to the practice squad Monday.

The Panthers needed to add to their roster after ruling out five players with injury Friday. The team will also be without safety Tre’von Moehrig as he serves a one-game suspension for a low-blow punch in Monday’s 20-9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The prime-time loss proved costly for the Panthers as Zavala, cornerbacks Jaycee Horn (concussion) and Corey Thornton (ankle) and linebacker Claudin Cherelus (concussion) were all injured in the game. Thornton, a backup rookie cornerback, was placed on injured reserve earlier in the week, while Horn, Cherelus and Zavala missed the entire week of practice.

With Horn sidelined, second-year cornerback Chau Smith-Wade is expected to move from the nickel position to the outside spot opposite Mike Jackson. Special teams contributor Akayleb Evans is likely to factor into the nickel package as well, but the Panthers were still hurting for depth with Thornton on IR. The team signed Robert Rochell off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad earlier in the week, and King is expected to help fill the depth void this weekend.

King, a 2024 seventh-round pick of the Green Bay Packers, has spent the entire season on the Panthers’ practice squad. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound corner played his college ball at Penn State, and Sunday will serve as his NFL regular-season debut after spending his entire rookie campaign on the Green Bay practice squad.

“We have arguably one of the best secondaries in the league,” cornerback Mike Jackson said Monday. “So, not just top guys like Jaycee, but you go down the whole room, like we got guys that can play. And it’s guys who are going to play that ya’ll don’t even know, that they might get their (opportunity) this week. I just know what those guys bring to the table.”

Jackson was asked to clarify to whom he was specifically referring, and the veteran cornerback name-dropped King. The second-year cornerback is likely to play on special teams against the Rams. It wouldn’t be surprising to see King get some sub-package cornerback reps as well.

With Moehrig, Cherelus and Christian Rozeboom (hip/hamstring) unavailable, the defense needed additional depth at safety and linebacker. Simmons can play both positions and special teams.

The former Clemson Tigers standout has bounced around the league since being chosen by the Arizona Cardinals with the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound hybrid defender was labeled as a “tweener” coming out of college, but his interesting mix of size and speed makes him an intriguing depth option for Carolina.

Simmons, who will wear No. 27, has played in 84 career games for the Cardinals and New York Giants. He has produced 127 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 21 pass breakups and nine forced fumbles in his five-year career. He has yet to play a regular-season snap this season after spending the summer with the Packers.

With Krys Barnes starting opposite Trevin Wallace at inside linebacker, Simmons can fill the special teams void at the position opposite Bam Martin-Scott and Maema Njongmeta. Simmons can also provide safety support behind Nick Scott, Lathan Ransom and Demani Richardson against the Rams.

Charles, a 2020 fourth-round pick out of LSU, hasn’t played in a regular season game since 2023. He has experience at both guard and tackle, and he is likely to join Yosh Nijman and Nick Samac as a backup lineman on game day. Journeyman backup Jake Curhan is expected to start at right guard in place of Zavala. Veteran Austin Corbett is expected to start in place of center Cade Mays (center).

Zavala’s latest stint on injured reserve will keep him on the list until at least Week 17. Zavala previously spent a month on IR with a knee injury during the first half of the season. Through three seasons, Zavala has appeared in 34 games (14 starts).

The 2023 fourth-round pick has been placed on injured reserve three times in his career after starting his rookie training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.