Panthers Activate Three From Reserve Lists

The Panthers were well-prepared for the hardship they would face early into the 2026 NFL season, but they’ll surely welcome the incoming help for this week’s game. Carolina has played its first four games without its starting bookends on the offensive line, left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and Moton. Ekwonu was placed (and remains) on the reserve/physically unable to perform list as he works his way back from a torn patellar tendon suffered in the postseason, while Moton was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung.

Moton has been an ironman for the Panthers ever since they drafted him in the second round nine years ago. Though he wasn’t a starter, he appeared in every game of his rookie season before taking over a full-time starting job in Year 2. From there, Moton would go on to start in every Panthers game from 2018 through 2023. He proved to be human in 2024, missing three games over the course of the year, then he essentially missed two last year, playing only three special teams snaps in a trip to Green Bay.

Knowing they would be without Ekwonu to start the year, the Panthers signed former Packers starting tackle Rasheed Walker in free agency. Additionally, with Moton heading into his age-32 season, Carolina acted with an eye towards the future, drafting developmental tackle prospect Monroe Freeling out of Georgia with the 19th overall pick of the this year’s draft. Walker and Freeling have filled in admirably for Ekwonu and Moton, respectively, on the first-team offensive line, but with Moton returning to the active roster, Freeling should be able to return to a developmental backup role on the bench.

Wharton joined the Panthers last year as a big free agent addition after five years in Kansas City. The undrafted lineman out of Missouri S&T immediately found a rotational role on the Chiefs defensive line as a rookie in 2020 and eventually worked his way into a more significant starting role in the back half of the 2024 season. He signed a three-year, $54MM contract to take on a full-time starting role in Carolina but was ultimately limited to only nine games due to a season-ending neck surgery.

With Wharton out, the Panthers have depended on a pair of two other undrafted players to fill his role. TeRah Edwards, a second-year player out of Illinois, and Duke undrafted rookie Aaron Hall have filled in admirably alongside Derrick Brown, Bobby Brown III, and second-round rookie Lee Hunter. Wharton’s return from the reserve/PUP list should take some pressure off the younger linemen playing bigger-than-expected roles this year.

Behind last year’s starting running back pair of Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, Etienne served as a seldom-used RB3 as a fourth-round rookie out of Georgia. With AJ Dillon joining in free agency and Jonathon Brooks expected to return to health at some point, Etienne seemed destined to return to the reserve role in 2026. Brooks found his way back to injured reserve, though, so Etienne’s activation from the IR comes with perfect timing. With AJ Dillon out this week with an ankle injury, Etienne may open his 2026 campaign as the RB2 behind Hubbard.

Joining Moton, Wharton, and Etienne on the active roster for this week will be running Anthony Tyus III and cornerback Robert Rochell. Both players will see their first standard gameday elevations on fresh practice squad contracts. They were both elevated earlier in the season before being added to the 53-man roster, cut, then re-signed to the taxi squad.