The Carolina Panthers' initial 53-man roster is officially set. The team had to make several cuts on Tuesday prior to the 4 p.m. deadline to arrive at 53. There were some interesting decisions made by GM Scott Fitterer and head coach Matt Rhule. Here are a few of the surprises from cut-day.
Keeping LB Clay Johnston
I really liked what I saw from Johnston in the preseason and throughout training camp, but I just felt like there wouldn't be enough room for him on the roster. Scott Fitterer decided that keeping seven linebackers was necessary which opened the door for Johnston. He'll be a quality special teamer that will get a few chances here and there on defense.
Keeping CB Stanley Thomas-Oliver III
To be honest, I'm stunned the Panthers chose to keep Thomas-Oliver III over veteran Rashaan Melvin. Maybe they see something there that gives them the belief that "STO" can turn into a viable fourth option in the corner room. This was probably the biggest surprise of cut-day.
Keeping DT Phil Hoskins
Coming in a close second behind keeping Stanley Thomas-Oliver III was seeing Caroling carry five defensive tackles. With Derrick Brown, DaQuan Jones, Bravvion Roy, and Daviyon Nixon assuming the top four spots on the depth chart, playing time is going to be extremely limited for Hoskins. He's a little ways away from making much of an impact which is why I thought he would be waived.
Waiving QB Will Grier
From what I saw in the preseason, Grier deserved a spot on the 53-man roster. He outplayed PJ Walker and at the very least, should have been a third-stringer even if not being named the backup. Walker completed just 41% of his passes in three preseason games (16/39).
Releasing CB Rashaan Melvin
As I mentioned earlier, I don't really understand the logic of keeping Thomas-Oliver III over Melvin. Melvin has years of experience in the league and can help the younger guys develop. Now, the Panthers' oldest active and healthy corner, Donte Jackson, is just 25-years old.
Releasing LB Josh Bynes
I don't know that this is a total surprise but I lumped it in here with the others because I figured Bynes would find a spot on the roster, especially after the team traded Denzel Perryman. Acquiring Darryl Johnson from the Bills was likely the move that put Bynes on the outside looking in.
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