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.
This week’s injury report brings plenty of worry for the Panthers passing game.
Rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, the team’s leader in receiving yards, is battling a calf issue and is questionable. Tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who ranks second on Panthers in receiving yards, is out with an ankle injury. Wide receiver Xavier Legette has had a brutal start to the season and will now miss this game with a hamstring injury.
On the defensive side of the ball, outside linebackers Patrick Jones II and D.J. Wonnum are both out.
It has been a relatively quiet week on the transactions front, which isn’t a bad thing for a team coming off an impressive Week 3 divisional win against the Atlanta Falcons. Stability in the NFL is a rare luxury, so let’s appreciate the relatively calm waters heading into Week 4. Here are the two transactions coming from Carolina’s front office.
Signed WR Dan Chisena to the practice squad
If the name Dan Chisena sounds familiar, it probably should. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound wide receiver is a five-year NFL veteran who appeared in six games for the Panthers in 2024. His NFL career up to this point is pretty extraordinary because he has quite literally been a special teams ace.
Chisena wasn’t selected in the NFL Draft but in 2020 made the Minnesota Vikings roster. He ultimately spent three seasons with the Vikings appearing in 27 games with 496 special teams snaps and just 11 on offense without ever touching the ball. In 2023 he appeared in four games for the Arizona Cardinals playing 53 special teams snaps and just one on offense.
In 2024 he joined the Carolina Panthers and appeared in six games. And — wonder of wonders! — he caught the first three passes of his NFL career for 37 yards. He played 81 special teams snaps and 19 on offense in Carolina last year. The Panthers put him on the PUP list back in July 2025, released him about a week later, and are now bringing him back to the practice squad.
Released DT Tommy Akingbesote from the practice squad
Akingbesote was a 2025 seventh round pick by the Dallas Cowboys, but they released the rookie during roster cuts. The Panthers signed him to their practice squad on September 8th, so his tenure with Carolina lasted just under three weeks.
