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+--- Thread: TEAM RECORD FOR WEEK ONE - MOST ROOKIES ON 53 MAN ROSTER (/showthread.php?tid=2120)
TEAM RECORD FOR WEEK ONE - MOST ROOKIES ON 53 MAN ROSTER - PantherFan007 - 09-06-2025
Including 8 Draft Picks and 4 Undrafted Rookies:
https://www.panthers.com/news/as-team-sets-rookie-record-gm-dan-morgan-takes-long-view-of-roster-building
CHARLOTTE — The Panthers are setting a record before they even take the field this weekend, and it's one they hope helps them build for years to come.
Of the 53-man active roster they're taking to Jacksonville, 12 of them are rookies, the most the Panthers have ever carried into a regular season in 31 years of business.
That breaks the previous record of 10, which happened in three seasons.
That's also nearly a quarter of the roster (22.6 percent), and part of a deliberate effort by general manager Dan Morgan to make this team more sustainable. Of the 53 players on the roster entering Sunday's game against the Jaguars, 40 have been acquired in the last two seasons when Morgan was GM (and only seven predate his arrival in June 2021 as assistant GM).
"We definitely wanted to get younger," Morgan said. "More of a younger team and build a really solid core for the future."
For Morgan, a man of few words back to his playing days, it's as simple as that.
When you go back to the first day of free agency and they signed five contributors on defense, the oldest of which was 28-year-old linebacker Christian Rozeboom, it was a signal. Along with 27-year-old Tershawn Wharton, 26-year-olds Tre'von Moehrig and Patrick Jones II, and 25-year-old Bobby Brown III (who is actually younger than some of their rookies), it does become clear that this is all on purpose.
"I think just getting as young and healthy as we can get, not bringing guys in that have a history of injuries, I think that's how you build a young core," Morgan said. "You obviously need to mix some veterans in here and there for the leadership, and obviously, they have to be good players too. But that's what you want."
The Panthers only have eight players on the roster who have reached their 30th birthday. And that group includes 39-year-old long snapper JJ Jansen, 37-year-old backup quarterback Andy Dalton, and 35-year-old punter Sam Martin. With respect to that group of elders' athleticism, those are positions where you can afford to be old.
Otherwise, right tackle Taylor Moton (31), center Austin Corbett (30), wideout David Moore (30), defensive end A'Shawn Robinson (30), and safety Nick Scott (30) are guys still playing at a high level, who also bring experience to their groups. Moore is the shepherd for a young group of wideouts, Scott starts on defense and lends ballast to a special teams group that saw a lot of turnover this offseason, and Moton, Corbett, and Robinson are starters and leaders of their respective groups as well.
(MORE AT LINK....)
RE: TEAM RECORD FOR WEEK ONE - MOST ROOKIES ON 53 MAN ROSTER - Firstchance - 09-07-2025
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Panthers were careful to create a plan to maintain offensive line depth, and they're rolling it out Sunday in the opener.
Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who is two weeks removed from an emergency appendectomy, is inactive for today's regular-season opener.
Ekwonu practiced on a limited basis on Friday, but that was his first action since the procedure.
Veteran tackle Yosh Nijman is expected to start in his place. Nijman has 25 career starts, including three for the Panthers last season. The rest of the line is intact, as guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis are active. They were on the injury report this week after being limited in practice, but they had no status on the final injury report for the week.
The rest of the inactive for Sunday's game against the Jaguars are wide receivers Jimmy Horn Jr. and Dalevon Campbell, tight end James Mitchell, and defensive tackle Cam Jackson.
That means that the Panthers will go with five active receivers today, with starters Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, and Hunter Renfrow, along with David Moore and Brycen Tremayne.
No Jimmy Horn today! But is looks like my guys Bam is playing, hope more than just special teams.