Panthers Suddenly Terminate WR Contract Before Week 3

The Carolina Panthers released wide receiver E.J. Williams from the practice squad on Tuesday, ending a brief stay that began only five days earlier, via the NFL transaction wire.

The team signed veteran returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette to take his place.

Williams, a 6-foot-3, 203-pound undrafted rookie, joined Carolina on Sept. 17 after the promotion of linebacker Tyrel Dodson to the 53-man roster opened a practice-squad spot.

The Panthers had also considered bringing back Jimmy Horn Jr. after he cleared waivers; Horn instead signed with Cleveland.

The move is a familiar one this time of year. Practice-squad receivers turn over quickly as teams chase special-teams help, size, or a different look in meetings.

Carolina’s choice of Smith-Marsette, a former Panther with return experience, points to that need after Jalen Coker handled punts in Atlanta last week.

Williams arrived with a longer college résumé than most undrafted receivers. He spent three seasons at Clemson (40 catches, 442 yards, two touchdowns from 2020–22) before transferring to Indiana.

In 2025, he posted career highs — 36 receptions, 438 yards, six touchdowns — on a Hoosiers team that won the national title. Over six college seasons he finished with 100 catches, about 1,200 yards, and eight scores.

Las Vegas signed him as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 draft, pairing him with former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 overall pick.

Williams caught three passes for 52 yards in three preseason games before the Raiders waived him at final cuts. Carolina gave him another look almost immediately.

He never reached the active roster. With Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker atop the depth chart and other bodies already in the room, Williams was depth and a scout-team option, not a weekly game-day candidate. Five days later, the club decided it wanted a different skill set on the practice squad.

For Williams, now 24 and from Phenix City, Alabama, the NFL path remains the standard undrafted grind: short stints, new cities, and another chance if a team needs a tall receiver who can work the middle of the field. He is free to sign with another club’s practice squad.

For the Panthers, sitting 1-1 and first in the NFC South heading into a Week 3 trip to Cleveland, the transaction is housekeeping more than a statement.

They added a familiar returner, trimmed a receiver they had just brought in, and kept moving. In September, that is how most practice-squad stories end.