Cat Scratch Reader
The Carolina Panthers front office is busy throughout the season with transactions, roster moves, and injury updates. Here’s what’s happening at Mint Street this week.
Believe it or not, the 7-6 Carolina Panthers currently sit atop the NFC South standings thanks to the shocking come from behind win the Atlanta Falcons had over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night. The Panthers head on the road to face a struggling 3-10 New Orleans Saints squad in a game that can go long way toward punching Carolina’s ticket to the playoffs should the Panthers emerge victorious.
Health, as always, plays a big role in the final score. As of Friday’s injury report, the Panthers are looking very healthy going in to Week 15. Cornerback Jaycee Horn and linebacker Claudin Cherelus were both limited in practice on Wednesday, but were full participants on Thursday and Friday.
As of now, the only player with a question mark about his availability is center Cade Mays, who is showing he may have missed Friday’s practice (or not?) with the designation as “unspecified”. He missed the Panthers last two games with an ankle injury, but was a full participant in practices earlier in the week.
It looks like the Panthers front office is doing the same as many of the rest of us do in our jobs as the calendar flips to December, which is to start coasting and gently ease in to the beloved downtime of Christmas and New Year’s. As such, there have been zero transactions coming from Mint Street this week. No movement on the practice squad. No signings, no releases, no reports of players being elevated to the 53-man roster.
Nada.
So, this week we are going to quickly profile the four rookies on the Panthers practice squad who have largely flown under the radar this year. They are:
Mapalo Mwansa, linebacker. Mwansa joined the Panthers this year from England as part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway. He has a pretty cool backstory, including learning about American football by watching “Last Chance U” on Netflix. He’s obviously a raw prospect and has yet to appear in a game for the Panthers this season.
Bryce Pierre, tight end. Pierre spent two years at Arizona State before transferring to UCLA for one season in 2024. His college receiving stats were less than impressive with 28 receptions for 233 yards and zero touchdowns in 23 college games. But the 6-foot-5, 255-pound prospect showed enough to land with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent this year.
Ja’seem Reed, wide receiver. Reed might have played at a small school (University of San Diego), but at 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds he’s plenty big for the NFL. During his final season at San Diego he had 77 receptions for 1,052 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Anthony Tyus III, running back. Tyus is a relatively new addition to the practice squad after signing with the Panthers on October 1st. His rookie season has been the...
