Panthers Injury Report & Transactions – Week 5

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.

Injury Report

The biggest news on this week’s injury report is running back Chuba Hubbard will miss the game against the Miami Dolphins. The fifth-year veteran has been the most reliably consistent performer on the Panthers offense over the last couple of years, so backups Rico Dowdle and Trevor Etienne, a rookie with eight career rushing attempts, will need to shoulder the load.

Second-year tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders will miss his second game in a row. He had a solid start to the season with 11 receptions on 14 targets for 92 yards through the Panthers first three games, and his absence will have an impact on the passing game.

Transactions

Buckle up, everybody! The Panthers front office made a host of roster moves this week, including the following:

• Injured reserve: Placed wide receiver David Moore and guard Chandler Zavala on injured reserve
• Waived players: Waived outside linebacker DJ Johnson and wide receiver Dalevon Campbell (injured)
• Practice squad signings: Signed running back Deejay Dallas and safety Trevian Thomas from the practice squad to the active roster
• Signed from other practice squads: Signed tackle Jake Curhan from the Arizona Cardinals practice squad to the active roster
• Signed to the practice squad: Signed running back Tre Tyus, guard Aiden Williams, and guard Saahdiq Charles to the practice squad

The most surprising move was releasing DJ Johnson. He was a third round pick in 2023 and recorded 60 tackles, four tackles for loss, and half a sack in his first two seasons in Carolina. This year he had just two tackles in four games before his release.

Losing David Moore and Chandler Zavala to the injured reserve is a blow to the offense. Regarding Zavala’s injury, this is why it was wise for the Panthers to re-sign Brady Christensen this year. In limited snaps this season Christensen is PFF’s No. 2 rated guard in the NFL, though there will be regression to the mean as he continues to play.