08-28-2025, 11:21 AM -
https://www.panthers.com/news/four-takea...don-hooker
CHARLOTTE — Panthers head coach Dave Canales expressed nothing but respect for the way veteran wide receiver Hunter Renfrow worked during his comeback attempt, and said the team still has "a couple of things on the table" for the former Clemson star.
The 29-year-old Renfrow was released Tuesday and was not a part of their moves on Wednesday to fill roster spots or the practice squad.
But Canales said he wanted to stay in touch with Renfrow as he considered his future steps.
"He's talking to his family, he's talking to his agent," Canales said. "We're just going to keep taking it kind of one day at a time and see where he's at. I just felt like towards the end, like the last stretch of what I saw, I want to be able to count on Hunter to be as good as he was the whole time.
And I just saw some peaks and then I just saw some dips also in terms of his performance, and I just felt like, in fairness to the whole group, in fairness to the team, I wanted to make sure that he knew I wanted to be a part of your future.
"I don't think right now is the time initially for this team, and so he just kind of said, you know, I have to think about what I want to do, and so we're in communication right now, we're going to kind of take it day by day and see what we're at."
Renfrow signed with the Panthers this offseason in a bid to return to the league after missing last season.
He battled ulcerative colitis during the latter part of his stint with the Raiders.
After getting healthy, he looked good early in camp, drawing rave reviews. But he was slowed recently by a hamstring strain before returning for the preseason finale.
Canales was asked if any of the options the team presented to Renfrow were in a non-playing capacity and said, "Could be." But the conversation seemed to center on a return to the roster at some point or the practice squad.
"We're just talking about everything right now," Canales said. "I just want to be a part of his future, of what he wants to do. I just told him that, like in whatever capacity that is, whether it's the 53 or practice squad, that was just kind of the conversations.
"I'm just talking about wanting to be a part of him, like the guy that I remember. And I think that he's on his way back there, and I truly believe that, and I believe in him as a guy. I had such a blast working with him in this short amount of time, but I'd love to see him back out there at some point, and so it's just a matter of us continuing to stay in touch and see where we're at."
CHARLOTTE — Panthers head coach Dave Canales expressed nothing but respect for the way veteran wide receiver Hunter Renfrow worked during his comeback attempt, and said the team still has "a couple of things on the table" for the former Clemson star.
The 29-year-old Renfrow was released Tuesday and was not a part of their moves on Wednesday to fill roster spots or the practice squad.
But Canales said he wanted to stay in touch with Renfrow as he considered his future steps.
"He's talking to his family, he's talking to his agent," Canales said. "We're just going to keep taking it kind of one day at a time and see where he's at. I just felt like towards the end, like the last stretch of what I saw, I want to be able to count on Hunter to be as good as he was the whole time.
And I just saw some peaks and then I just saw some dips also in terms of his performance, and I just felt like, in fairness to the whole group, in fairness to the team, I wanted to make sure that he knew I wanted to be a part of your future.
"I don't think right now is the time initially for this team, and so he just kind of said, you know, I have to think about what I want to do, and so we're in communication right now, we're going to kind of take it day by day and see what we're at."
Renfrow signed with the Panthers this offseason in a bid to return to the league after missing last season.
He battled ulcerative colitis during the latter part of his stint with the Raiders.
After getting healthy, he looked good early in camp, drawing rave reviews. But he was slowed recently by a hamstring strain before returning for the preseason finale.
Canales was asked if any of the options the team presented to Renfrow were in a non-playing capacity and said, "Could be." But the conversation seemed to center on a return to the roster at some point or the practice squad.
"We're just talking about everything right now," Canales said. "I just want to be a part of his future, of what he wants to do. I just told him that, like in whatever capacity that is, whether it's the 53 or practice squad, that was just kind of the conversations.
"I'm just talking about wanting to be a part of him, like the guy that I remember. And I think that he's on his way back there, and I truly believe that, and I believe in him as a guy. I had such a blast working with him in this short amount of time, but I'd love to see him back out there at some point, and so it's just a matter of us continuing to stay in touch and see where we're at."