Pro Football Rumors
Entering a must-win showdown with NFC South rival Tampa Bay on Saturday, Carolina made a couple of notable roster moves on Wednesday. The Panthers claimed safety D’Anthony Bell off waivers from the Seahawks and placed tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders on injured reserve, per Joe Person of The Athletic.
Bell, a fourth-year man and a former Brown, played 14 games and started two with the NFC-leading Seahawks this season. He totaled 15 tackles and a half-sack while mostly working as a special teamer. Bell ranked third among Seahawks in ST snaps (251) before they waived him on Tuesday.
Seattle’s hope was that Bell would clear waivers and re-sign with its practice squad, but the team will instead lose him to Carolina. It’s a bit of payback for the Panthers after they fell to the Seahawks in Week 17. The defeat prevented the Panthers from clinching the NFC South. Their game against the Buccaneers in Week 18 will decide the division.
No matter how far they go, the Panthers will likely finish the season without Sanders after he broke his fibula last Sunday. The 2024 fourth-round pick from Texas will wrap up his second NFL season with 29 catches, 190 yards and a touchdown in 13 games. Sanders ranks second among Panthers tight ends in snap share (38.9%), trailing only Tommy Tremble (58.4). With Sanders out of commission, Mitchell Evans and James Mitchell could log more playing time.
