<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-vs-cardinals-bold-predictions-week-2-2025-nfl-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers vs. Cardinals bold predictions for Week 2 of 2025 NFL season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gallery-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Panthers vs. Cardinals bold predictions for Week 2 of 2025 NFL season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T13:07:19-07:00">September 11th, 1:07pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T13:07:19-07:00">September 11th, 1:07pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Arizona Cardinals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It has been a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-most-to-blame-for-week-1-blowout-loss-to-jaguars">week of regrouping for the Carolina Panthers.</a> Meanwhile, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/arizona-cardinals/cardinals-news-arizona-loses-special-teams-with-neck-injury">Arizona Cardinals are dealing with a special teams injury</a> in a win. These teams meet in Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season, and here are the bold predictions.</p><p>The Panthers got hammered 26-10 against the Jaguars, featuring a disappointing start for quarterback Bryce Young. As for the Cardinals, they didn’t play lights out, but still came away with a 20-13 victory over the Saints.</p><p>With Carolina traveling across the country, will it be another long day for Young and company?</p><h2><b>Panthers QB Bryce Young will bounce back strong</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/gallery.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Talk about a bold prediction. This one takes some courage. Some NFL observers have already written Young off, one game into the season.</p><p>But this week’s opponent is a little different. The Cardinals managed only one sack against Spencer Rattler and the Saints. With time to operate, Young might be able to get the ball in Tetairoa McMillan’s hands for his first 100-yard game.</p><p>Young hasn’t enjoyed many victories in his NFL career. So he’s had to learn how to <a href="https://www.panthers.com/news/moving-past-deadline-after-opener-bryce-young-is-looking-ahead" rel="noopener">grow in losses</a>, according to panthers.com.</p><p>“I mean that’s the nature of the sport,” he said. “Whatever level, whatever it is, you’ve got to play again next week, good, bad, or indifferent. Whatever it is, you don’t go into the next game. Winning or losing, nothing you do carries over, so you get a lot of practice throughout playing sports.”</p><p>His teammate referred to the process as “One snap, clear.”</p><p>“Just that mantra, just taking it one day at a time,” left tackle Taylor Moton said. “Just one snap, clear, right? I think that’s huge across the board, whatever position you’re in. It’s not always going to be perfect, but like if you have a bad play, go on to the next one, bad game going on to the next one. Whatever it is, you can’t turn a bad play into a bad drive, a bad drive into a bad game, right? You’ve got to learn how to go on to the next one.</p><p>“I mean, shoot, I think that that carries on in life, right? Learning how to learn from your mistakes and go on and make sure that those mistakes won’t happen again. Learn from them, but don’t dwell on it because we’re on the field, you really don’t have time to.”</p><h2><b>Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison will get pair of TDs</b></h2><p>Harrison looked good in his season debut against the Saints. His bulked-up frame seems to have made a difference. Harrison totaled five catches for 71 yards and a score. And this week, he could experience multiple trips to the end zone. The Cardinals seem determined to improve Harrison’s connection with quarterback Kyler Murray early in the season.</p><p>Harrison said he believes <a href="https://www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/news/arizona-cardinals-wr-marvin-harrison-jr-opens-up-kyler-murray-chemistry" rel="noopener">things are growing</a>, according to Sports Illustrated.</p><p>“I mean, it’s just the start. Definitely continue to build, continue to grow. But I like where we’re at. And I think the first game was a good start for sure,” said Harrison.</p><p>“… I mean, it’s easy to say that I guess when you look at how this last week played out compared to maybe some games last year. But we just have continue to grow, continue to build, and let’s see where we are at the end of the year.”</p><p>Harrison said he believes Murray is improving as well.</p><p>“Yeah, I said it after the game,” Harrison said. “I thought he played really well. You could feel his confidence (and) how comfortable he was on the field. Honestly, I don’t think there was any negative that I could say about how he played. Not that I’m looking to say anything, but I thought he played well.”</p><h2><b>Cardinals RB James Conner will cut loose</b></h2><p>After being hemmed in for only 39 yards on 12 carries, things should change this week. The Panthers have run defense problems, and Conner should feast.</p><p>The Panthers slopped it up on defense in <a href="https://www.panthers.com/news/defense-determined-to-show-week-1-was-an-anomaly" rel="noopener">a disappointing game</a> against the Jaguars, according to panthers.com.</p><p>“That’s the message I was echoing on the sideline like it’s week one, man,” said defensive back Jayce Horn. “I know it feel like, ‘Oh, it’s just the same Panthers again, came out here and let everybody down,’ but we just got to worry about us, stay together as a team because we go out there and win next week, they will be saying something different, so we just got to get back next week, work even harder, because this is the worst we’re going to be.”</p><p>Of course, Conner and the Cardinals aren’t worried about the Panthers’ problems. Conner will be determined to add to them and have his first big game of the 2025 season.</p><h2><b>Cardinals will move to 2-0 on the season</b></h2><p>Because of a relatively soft early season schedule, the Cardinals have a chance to get off to a great start. It’s too early in the year to look ahead, so they should be locked and loaded.</p><p>The Cardinals are 6.5-point favorites, and should cover that spread with a 31-20 decision.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers vs. Cardinals bold predictions for Week 2 of 2025 NFL season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-carolina-fires-communications-staffer-mocking-charlie-kirk-death');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers fire communications staffer for mocking Charlie Kirk’s death');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Panthers-news-Carolina-fires-communications-staffer-for-mocking-Charlie-Kirks-death.jpg"></figure><h1>Panthers fire communications staffer for mocking Charlie Kirk’s death</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T10:26:50-07:00">September 11th, 10:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T17:29:24-07:00">September 11th, 5:29pm</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday, September 10, Charlie Kirk, the co-founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. Kirk, a father and a husband, died at 31 years old. While many mourned the death of Kirk, some took the opportunity to mock his passing. According to Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer, the Carolina Panthers <a href="https://x.com/scott_fowler/status/1966146819446157706" rel="noopener">fired a member</a> of the team’s communications department, Charlie Rock, for sharing insensitive posts in reference to the murder of Kirk.</p><p>“BREAKING: The Carolina Panthers have fired Charlie Rock, of the team’s communications department, for an insensitive post regarding the murder of Charlie Kirk, a source familiar with the organization’s decision tells me,” Fowler wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team shared images of Rock’s posts on social media.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Panthers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Panthers</a> have fired a football communications staffer for IG story posts mocking the death of Charlie Kirk, per <a href="https://twitter.com/scott_fowler?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@scott_fowler</a>.</p><p>The team also released a statement addressing the situation: <a href="https://t.co/eeec3GXX4B">pic.twitter.com/eeec3GXX4B</a></p><p>— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1966168136484532344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>As Meirov mentioned in the above post, the Panthers <a href="https://x.com/Panthers/status/1966139925130351065" rel="noopener">released a statement</a> on X.</p><p>“The views expressed by our employees are their own and do not represent those of the Carolina Panthers. We do not condone violence of any kind. We are taking this matter very seriously and have accordingly addressed it with the individual,” the Panthers’ statement reads.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-most-to-blame-for-week-1-blowout-loss-to-jaguars" rel="noopener">Panthers were defeated in Week 1</a> of the NFL season by the Jacksonville Jaguars, losing by a final score of 26-10. Carolina will play the Cardinals in Arizona in Week 2 of the ’25 campaign. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 PM EST as the Panthers attempt to earn their first victory of the new season in the road matchup.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers fire communications staffer for mocking Charlie Kirk’s death

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/49ers-news-sf-trying-ex-panthers-jets-kicker-replace-jake-moody');   ga('set', 'title', '49ers trying out ex-Panthers, Jets kicker to replace Jake Moody');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Eddy-Pineiro-kicking-for-the-Panthers.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>49ers trying out ex-Panthers, Jets kicker to replace Jake Moody</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T13:54:54-07:00">September 9th, 1:54pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T13:54:54-07:00">September 9th, 1:54pm</time><address><a>Yago Antunes</a>Yago Antunes is a Brazilian journalist and writer with experience covering esports, the NFL, NBA, and soccer. He has contributed to online outlets and reported on major international tournaments, building a strong background in sports journalism and digital media while displaying his passion about storytelling and sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The San Francisco 49ers have been searching for answers on special teams, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/49ers-news-change-jake-moody-made-fix-kicking">Jake Moody’s struggles forced the team to take action</a>. Moody had entered 2025 determined to turn things around after a shaky 2024, even adopting a two-step kicking approach inspired by legends like Adam Vinatieri and Mason Crosby.</p><p>He hoped the adjustment would bring consistency after battling through a nagging ankle injury last season. For a while, the plan looked promising. Kyle Shanahan even noted surprise at Moody’s preseason work. But the regular season brought renewed issues, leaving San Francisco little choice but to explore alternatives.</p><p>On Tuesday, according to Mike Garafolo from NFL Network via X, formerly Twitter, the 49ers <a href="https://x.com/mikegarafolo/status/1965502916808368371?s=46" rel="noopener">are bringing in</a> veteran kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who worked with current Niners special teams coordinator Brant Boyer during his time with the Jets in 2012. Piñeiro has quietly built one of the more consistent resumes in recent years.</p><p>Over his last three seasons with the Carolina Panthers, he converted 89 percent of his field-goal attempts, showing reliability from multiple ranges. San Francisco hopes that consistency can stabilize a unit that has been anything but steady.</p><p>The timing is crucial. The 49ers edged the Seahawks 17-13 in Week 1, but Moody’s missed opportunities nearly swung the game. He hit the upright on a 27-yard attempt and had another field goal blocked, leaving the door open for Seattle. Although he connected on a 32-yarder late, the damage to his confidence and to the team’s trust in him appeared irreversible, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/49ers-news-san-francisco-waiving-jake-moody-amid-struggles">leading the San Francisco 49ers to waive him</a>.</p><p>For San Francisco, the situation is particularly painful because Moody was a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, a rare investment of high draft capital into a kicker. While he showed promise early, his playoff misses as a rookie and double-digit whiffs in 2024 amplified the doubts. The front office had little margin for patience entering 2025, especially with Super Bowl aspirations on the line.</p><p>Piñeiro isn’t guaranteed the job yet, but the workout underscores how quickly things can change in the NFL. If he signs, the veteran will have the task of restoring calm to the 49ers’ kicking game ahead of their Week 2 matchup with the New Orleans Saints.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

49ers trying out ex-Panthers, Jets kicker to replace Jake Moody

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-most-to-blame-for-week-1-blowout-loss-to-jaguars');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers most to blame for Week 1 blowout loss to Jaguars');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Panthers-most-to-blame-for-Week-1-blowout-loss-to-Jaguars.jpg"></figure><h1>Panthers most to blame for Week 1 blowout loss to Jaguars</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-09T10:51:39-07:00">September 9th, 10:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-09T11:41:24-07:00">September 9th, 11:41am</time><address><a>Garrett Kerman</a>Garrett Kerman also goes by the name of The Fight Analyst. He covers all combat sports, from MMA, to boxing, to even bare-knuckle. He is also very well-versed in all American sports when it comes to news and betting analysis. Whether you want betting advice or some breaking news, Garrett is your guy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Carolina Panthers entered Week 1 with optimism around a new regime led by head coach Dave Canales and hopes for a sophomore leap from quarterback Bryce Young. Instead, they were humbled in a 34-10 blowout loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, a defeat that already raises concerns about the direction of this roster. While Jacksonville is a playoff-caliber team, the Panthers looked overmatched, disorganized, and flat. The responsibility for the collapse falls squarely on a mix of Bryce Young’s continued struggles and a conservative, ineffective offensive game plan from Canales.</p><h2>Bryce Young Still Looks Overwhelmed</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Panthers-new-Bryce-Young-slams-helmet-after-Dave-Canales-head-rub-2.jpg"><figcaption>Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Bryce Young was supposed to bounce back from his rocky rookie season with renewed confidence under Canales’ QB-friendly system. Instead,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/bryce-young-panic-meter-after-panthers-brutal-week-1-showing-vs-jaguars"> Bryce Young looked eerily similar to the player who floundered in 2023</a>. Young completed just 18 of 35 passes for 154 yards, tossed two interceptions, and failed to engineer any scoring drives beyond a late field goal and one garbage-time touchdown.</p><p>While his accuracy has never been in question, Young continues to struggle with field vision and pocket awareness. Multiple times, he locked onto his first read and forced throws into tight coverage. His lone interception came off a telegraphed slant that Jaguars cornerback Tyson Campbell read like a book. Worse, Young never pushed the ball downfield, finishing with a meager 5.3 yards per attempt. For a quarterback drafted first overall to inject life into this offense, those numbers are not just disappointing—they’re alarming.</p><h2>Play Calling Failed to Help</h2><p>If Young’s execution was poor, the coaching staff didn’t do much to help him. Canales emphasized a quick-game passing attack and predictable shotgun runs that allowed Jacksonville’s defense to sit on routes and crowd the line. There was little creativity in motion, play-action, or designed shots downfield. The result: Carolina managed only 265 total yards while converting just 3 of 12 third downs.</p><p>Dave Canales appeared reluctant to take risks. He leaned on a run-first mindset against a defensive front that stuffed everything between the tackles. Chuba Hubbard and newly acquired Rico Dowdle combined for only 69 yards on 19 carries. Meanwhile, Young rolled out of the pocket to gain 40 yards of his own, trying to make something out of nothing against a surprisingly stout Jaguars defense.</p><p>This start is particularly concerning because Carolina has bet their entire rebuild on Young’s development. The offensive line, one of the most criticized units from last year, again faltered in protection, and no receiver outside of rookie Tetairoa McMillan—which only offered flashes—threatened Jacksonville’s secondary. That lack of support leaves Young with razor-thin margins for error, yet his own indecision only compounds the offensive stagnation.</p><p>Canales now faces a critical choice. He cannot simply manage the game and hope Young figures things out over time. He must install a system that makes life easier—simplifying progressions, incorporating run-pass options, and scheming open throws to instill rhythm and confidence. Without that, this offense is destined to remain stuck in neutral.</p><h2>Defense Couldn’t Hide the Offensive Failures</h2><p>While much of the attention falls on the offense, Carolina’s defense didn’t exactly cover themselves in glory. While Trevor Lawrence didn’t have the most efficient game going 19 for 31, 178 passing yards and one touchdown, he didn’t need to do much when his running game and defense kept the lead all game long. Travis Etienne Jr. looked like his old self, shredding the Panthers’ front seven for 143 yards on 16 carries. Still, the defense was placed in an impossible spot by an offense incapable of sustaining drives. Jacksonville consistently took over with favorable field position, and the Panthers’ defense simply wore down.</p><p>The blowout quickly spiraled because Carolina had no counterpunch. Once the Jaguars jumped ahead by two scores, the Panthers lacked the firepower to mount any real comeback. That lopsided dynamic speaks volumes about how limited this roster currently looks when games don’t play on its terms.</p><p>It’s only Week 1, but the warning signs are flashing. The storylines fans hoped would define 2024—a confident Bryce Young operating in a QB-friendly scheme, a revitalized rushing attack, and smarter play design—were nowhere to be found in Jacksonville. Instead, it looked like a continuation of last year’s dysfunction.</p><p>The Panthers’ front office invested in Canales believing he could develop Young the way he helped Baker Mayfield revive his career in Tampa Bay. That coaching touch will need to appear quickly, or this franchise risks spinning its wheels around a young quarterback struggling to adapt to the NFL game.</p><h2>Who Bears the Blame?</h2><p>Assigning blame for a blowout is never neat, but in this case, the bulk of responsibility falls on two shoulders: Young and Canales. Young looked hesitant, jittery, and mistake-prone. Canales looked conservative, unimaginative, and unwilling to adapt under pressure. Together, the duo executed a game plan that gave the Panthers little chance to compete against a rising AFC contender.</p><p>Week 1 is not a death sentence for the season, but perception matters. After a year of misery, Panthers fans wanted hope. What they got instead was déjà vu—a stagnant offense, an overwhelmed quarterback, and a head coach still searching for answers. Unless Young and Canales find a way to make strides quickly, the season could unravel before Carolina even gets off the ground.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers most to blame for Week 1 blowout loss to Jaguars

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/bryce-young-panic-meter-after-panthers-brutal-week-1-showing-vs-jaguars');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bryce Young panic meter after Panthers’ brutal Week 1 showing vs. Jaguars');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Carolina-Panthers-QB-Bryce-Young_cf1e3d.jpg"><figcaption>Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union</figcaption></figure><h1>Bryce Young panic meter after Panthers’ brutal Week 1 showing vs. Jaguars</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-08T12:34:00-07:00">September 8th, 12:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-08T12:34:00-07:00">September 8th, 12:34pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-qb-bryce-young-slams-helmet-after-dave-canales-head-rub">Carolina Panthers had an ugly start</a> to the 2025 NFL season. And maybe a big part of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/nfl-news-peyton-manning-hits-bears-panthers-blunt-reality-qb-struggles">problem is the quarterback position</a>. Certainly, it’s time to take a look at the Bryce Young panic meter after a brutal Week 1 showing versus the Jaguars.</p><p>Criticism will follow Young this week after this third straight season-opening loss. He fumbled to lose a field goal opportunity and had two interceptions. A potential third-pick that went for a pick-six got nixed only because of a defensive holding penalty.</p><p>Young said he knows he <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46191895/nfl-carolina-panthers-bryce-young-tetairoa-mcmillan" rel="noopener">must do better</a>, according to ESPN.</p><p>“I obviously can’t turn the ball over like that,” said Young, who completed 18 of 35 passes for 154 yards and a 49.0 passer rating. “It cost the team. I have to be better than that.”</p><h2><b>Panthers QB Bryce Young on hot seat again</b></h2><p>Young’s struggles were in full view in the first half. He completed only seven passes for 47 yards. Young said it’s simply a matter of <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/article/bryce-young-early-struggles-continue-042511797.html" rel="noopener">reading things better</a>, according to Yahoo.com.</p><p>“Just better decision-making,” Young said. “I can’t turn the ball over like that. Cost the team. I have to be better than that. Just better decision-making.”</p><p>It didn’t help matters that Young had to deal with errant snaps from time to time. Center Austin Corbett didn’t have his best game. Panthers head coach Dave Canales said his team needs to settle in and settle down.</p><p>“We just really got to figure calming down the cadence part, getting everybody started out in the protection,” Canales said.</p><p>Of course, there were more issues than just Young and the center. The Panthers had breakdowns all over the place. It doesn’t bode well for Canales’ future as the franchise’s sideline leader.</p><p>“That’s a picture of where we’re at right now,” Canales said. “Obviously, not good enough. The turnovers, the explosive plays, our tackling was not great. Anytime you have four turnovers in a game, you give an offense with a bunch of playmakers more opportunities.</p><p>“We have to grow from this. We have to take care of the basic things that we’ve been working on and just take a next step this week.”</p><h2><b>Is it time for the Panthers to move on from Bryce Young?</b></h2><p>Of course, it’s Week 1. But let’s be real about the history. Young is now 6-23 as a starting NFL quarterback. He can’t possibly be given the same leash he got last year. He needed to hit the ground running in 2025. And that didn’t happen.</p><p>Maybe it’s even to the point that the Panthers have to hand the football to the aging Andy Dalton once again. That’s a move that could be in play, according to CBS Sports.</p><p>“After a strong finish to the 2024 season, the Panthers were hoping that Bryce Young would take a step forward this year,” John Breech wrote. “But instead, he took a giant step back in Week 1.</p><p>“If Young doesn’t improve quickly, it could be another lost season for the Panthers. And if that happens, this team could be looking for a new QB next year. Young got benched after his first two games last season. And if he keeps playing like this, Dave Canales might be forced to bench him again.”</p><p>Canales had a heated discussion with Young after a <a href="https://www.charlotteobserver.com/sports/nfl/carolina-panthers/article311907784.html" rel="noopener">fourth-down failure</a>, but didn’t elaborate on it after the game, according to charlotteobserver.com.</p><p>“I‘m never gonna share that stuff publicly,” Canales said. “I think that’s just something that he and I will work through and talk about. His frustration wasn’t directed me in that. We were just talking about we gotta keep playing ball. “I think it was just a frustrating day in general. So I think there are a lot of guys who would come up and tell you they wish they could do better.”</p><p>After the game, Canales said he tried to encourage Young.</p><p>“Just go back to work. Really, to Bryce, to the whole group: We have to look in the mirror. This is where we’re at today. The film’s the truth. This is where we’re at. Do we have the character to keep pushing forward, to keep better in our fundamentals?”</p><p>Of course, Canales needs to do better, too. The Panthers didn’t look like a prepared group, though Canales said they were.</p><p>“I believe so,” he said. “I thought we had a great camp. (And) I thought we had a fantastic amount of work. I think the fitness of the group was excellent. When I looked out there, we were finishing the game, playing hard still. “So to me, the physical readiness was there. I have to look at myself and say, ‘OK, how did we not prepare these guys to be able to finish the way we wanted to?’ I have to look at that.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bryce Young panic meter after Panthers’ brutal Week 1 showing vs. Jaguars

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-qb-bryce-young-slams-helmet-after-dave-canales-head-rub');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers QB Bryce Young slams helmet after Dave Canales head rub');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Panthers-new-Bryce-Young-slams-helmet-after-Dave-Canales-head-rub.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Panthers QB Bryce Young slams helmet after Dave Canales head rub</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-07T21:24:36-07:00">September 7th, 9:24pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-07T21:24:36-07:00">September 7th, 9:24pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Bryce Young showcased some visible frustrations towards head coach Dave Canales during the Carolina <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-vs-jaguars-bold-predictions-week-1-2025-nfl-season">Panthers’ season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars</a>.</p><p>Young hoped to begin the 2025 season strong, looking to carry over momentum he had towards the end of last season. He finished his sophomore campaign with 234 completions for 2,403 yards and 15 touchdowns while attempting 43 rushes for 249 yards and six scores.</p><p>Things didn’t come easy for Young against the Jaguars. He finished the day with 18 completions out of 35 attempts for 154 yards and a touchdown while making five carries for 40 yards. However, he threw two interceptions as the opposing defense made life difficult for him and the Panthers’ offense.</p><p>This resulted in Young <a href="https://x.com/josephperson/status/1964782239583215667" rel="noopener">expressing frustration</a> with Canales, per reporter Joe Person.</p><p>“Fourth-and-1 and the Panthers come out in empty set. No one open. Glorified throwaway by Bryce Young, who appeared to be upset with the play call,” Person wrote.</p><p>“Dave Canales said something to Bryce Young as he reached the sidelined. Bryce said something back, slammed his helmet and kept walking.”</p><h2><b>How Bryce Young, Panthers played against Jaguars</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Panthers-new-Bryce-Young-slams-helmet-after-Dave-Canales-head-rub-2.jpg"><figcaption>Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The season is still young for Bryce Young and the Panthers. However, they have some cleaning up to do after their 26-10 loss to the Jaguars.</p><p>Carolina struggled for the entire day, only scoring a field goal in the first quarter. They did not reach the end zone until the fourth quarter when Young fired a 27-yard pass to running back Chuba Hubbard for the touchdown with 4:47 remaining in the game.</p><p>Hubbard had a decent outing in both rushing and receiving. He made 16 of the team’s 25 carries for 57 yards while making three catches for 32 yards and the score. Rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan was a bright spot as he made five receptions for 68 yards, a connection that Young will develop moving forward.</p><p>Carolina will look to bounce back in their next matchup, remaining on the road. They face the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 14 at 4:05 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers QB Bryce Young slams helmet after Dave Canales head rub

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/nfl-stories/nfl-news-panthers-jaguars-season-opener-delayed-lightning');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers-Jaguars season opener delayed due to lightning');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Panthers-Jaguars.jpg"><figcaption>Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Panthers-Jaguars season opener delayed due to lightning</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-07T11:14:36-07:00">September 7th, 11:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-07T11:27:47-07:00">September 7th, 11:27am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Jacksonville Jaguars have an early 10-3 lead <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-atlanta-steals-defender-sam-roberts-panthers-practice-squad">over the Carolina Panthers</a> in the season opener on Sunday. However, the contest was forced to be halted due to weather concerns.</p><p>Reports indicate that the Panthers-Jaguars game is <a href="https://x.com/UnderdogNFL/status/1964749720594812970" rel="noopener">officially in a delay</a> with lightning strikes seen around EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville. The game is stopped with 8:32 remaining in the second quarter, and the Jaguars will have possession of the ball once the game resumes. As of now, it is not known how long the lightning delay will be in effect.</p><p>“Game alert: Panthers-Jaguars delayed due to inclement weather Sunday.”</p><p>Coaches and players for both teams went back to their respective locker rooms while they wait for the weather to clear up. Fans in attendance were informed to leave the stands and seek cover, with most of them going underneath the stadium where the concessions are located.</p><p>It has not rained in Jacksonville, however, with some fans remaining in the stands, per Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer. Fowler claims the lightning <a href="https://x.com/scott_fowler/status/1964754640056295674" rel="noopener">doesn’t appear to be going away</a> soon despite the delay already being active for 20 minutes as of his posting.</p><p>“People in Florida do not care about warnings to ‘move from open areas.’ Panthers-Jaguars has been delayed 20 minutes so far in Jacksonville; it still has yet to rain. But radar doesn’t look good.”</p><p>Before the lightning delay, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/jacksonville-jaguars/jaguars-news-watch-travis-hunters-first-nfl-catch">the Jaguars appeared to have the edge</a> over the Panthers. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has already recorded 84 passing yards and a touchdown throw to tight end Hunter Long. Meanwhile, Carolina hasn’t been able to get anything going on offense so far. Bryce Young has mustered only 16 passing yards and has thrown one interception early on in the contest.</p><p>More updates regarding the lightning delay will be revealed in due time. Until then, both teams and the fans attending the game will have to continue waiting until the weather clears up.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers-Jaguars season opener delayed due to lightning

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-atlanta-steals-defender-sam-roberts-panthers-practice-squad');   ga('set', 'title', 'Falcons steal defender from Panthers practice squad');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/NFL-defensive-lineman-Sam-Roberts.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Falcons steal defender from Panthers practice squad</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T14:00:35-07:00">September 5th, 2:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T14:00:35-07:00">September 5th, 2:00pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Atlanta Falcons</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With the 2025-26 season officially underway after Thursday night’s contest between the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, some teams around the league are making last-minute roster adjustments. One of those clubs <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/atlanta-falcons/falcons-news-michael-penix-receiver-game-time-decision-vs-buccaneers">is the Atlanta Falcons</a>, as the front office signed a player off of the Carolina Panthers’ practice squad.</p><p>Reports indicate that the Falcons are <a href="https://x.com/MikeGarafolo/status/1964056965568450924" rel="noopener">signing defensive lineman</a> Sam Roberts, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network. The 27-year-old defensive tackle will be given a spot on the active roster.</p><p>“The Falcons are signing DL Sam Roberts to their active roster off the Panthers’ practice squad, source says.”</p><p>Roberts is entering the fourth year of his career. He spent his first two seasons in the league with the New England Patriots before playing with the Panthers last season. Through his three seasons in the league, Sam Roberts has only played in 15 total games, making sporadic appearances and starting in one game. He’s totaled eight combined tackles (three solo) so far in his career.</p><p>The Falcons seemingly signed Roberts off of the Panthers’ practice squad to add some depth to the interior defensive line. It’s unclear how much playing time Roberts will receive this year, as Atlanta has several defensive tackles on the roster. David Onyemata and Brandon Dorlus lead the way, while Zach Harrison and Ruke Orhohoro are listed as the immediate backups.</p><p>Roberts may have a chance to play against his former team, though, as the Falcons take on the Panthers in Week 3. It’s possible Atlanta signed the veteran defensive lineman to gather intel about Carolina, as that is a common practice in the NFL.</p><p>Until then, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/tampa-bay-buccaneers/buccaneers-falcons-bold-predictions-week-1-2025-nfl-season">Falcons will kick off the regular season</a> with a Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s an opportunity for Atlanta to get an early edge over a divisional rival, who is believed to be the favorite in the NFC South.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Falcons steal defender from Panthers practice squad

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-carolina-cb-damarri-mathis-suffers-torn-acl');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers CB suffers torn ACL right after joining team');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Carolina-Panthers-helmet.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Panthers CB suffers torn ACL right after joining team</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T10:21:37-07:00">September 5th, 10:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T10:22:04-07:00">September 5th, 10:22am</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/nfl-rumors-panthers-didnt-make-micah-parsons-trade-offer-despite-call">Carolina Panthers received</a> bad news on Friday, leading up to the season opener, as the defense lost a player for the entire 2025-26 season. Reports indicate that a newly acquired cornerback who was primed for a spot on the active roster tore his ACL in practice.</p><p>Damarri Mathis, who was picked up off waivers by the Panthers on August 27, <a href="https://x.com/mike_e_kaye/status/1964007833482957252" rel="noopener">suffered a torn ACL</a> in his first practice with the team, according to Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer. The 26-year-old cornerback will now miss the 2025-26 campaign, and Carolina will likely have to make a roster move before the Week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.</p><p>“Panthers CB Damarri Mathis tore his ACL in his first practice on Wednesday.”</p><p>Mathis was initially picked up off waivers by the Panthers after being cut by the Denver Broncos in August. He’s in the final year of his four-year rookie contract worth over $4 million. He is on track to make $3.406 million this season.</p><p>Now that he’s injured, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/which-panthers-wr-reminds-jaycee-horn-of-a-j-brown">the Panthers will have</a> two options. The club will either place him on the season-ending IR, effectively ending his season, or the front office will elect to offer an injury settlement to Mathis. If Mathis were to agree to an injury settlement, then he would no longer be on the roster and would become a free agent.</p><p>Mathis is entering the fourth season of his career after spending the first three with the Broncos. He’s played sporadically so far, making appearances in 43 games while starting in 18 of them. The former fourth-round pick has played more of a rotational role, which is what he would have likely done with the Panthers.</p><p>In his three seasons in the league so far, Mathis has recorded 103 combined tackles (81 solo) and nine pass deflections. Hopefully, he can make a full recovery and push for a roster spot for an NFL team next offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers CB suffers torn ACL right after joining team

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/which-panthers-wr-reminds-jaycee-horn-of-a-j-brown');   ga('set', 'title', 'Which Panthers WR reminds Jaycee Horn of A.J. Brown?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Panthers-wide-receiver-Xavier-Legette-catches-pass-vs.-Buccaneers.jpg"><figcaption>© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Which Panthers WR reminds Jaycee Horn of A.J. Brown?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T09:22:14-07:00">September 4th, 9:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T09:59:46-07:00">September 4th, 9:59am</time><address><a>Caleb Nixon</a>Caleb Nixon is a graduate of Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and currently works as a sports reporter for ABC27 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In addition to his full-time role, Caleb pursues his passion for writing through freelance coverage of basketball and football.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Carolina Panthers wide receiver <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-xavier-legette-draws-aj-brown-comp-from-star-teammate">Xavier Legette is drawing an impressive comparison</a> heading into the 2025 NFL season. His teammate, defensive back Jaycee Horn, told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46146415/nfl-week-1-buzz-news-updates-fantasy-intel-questions-predictions" rel="noopener">that the sophomore receiver reminds him</a> of three-time AP All-Pro A.J. Brown.</p><p>“Also, Panthers receiver Xavier Legette, a first-rounder from 2024, will be a factor in Carolina,” Fowler said. “Teammate Jaycee Horn told me Legette reminds him of A.J. Brown with his combination of physicality and speed.”</p><p>Brown is coming off his third consecutive season making an All-Pro team as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. His connection with quarterback Jalen Hurts has been both dominant and consistent.</p><p>In all three seasons with the Eagles, he surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark in addition to scoring at least seven touchdowns. He is currently 6-foot-1, 226 pounds.</p><p>While Legette’s weight is nearly identical at 227 pounds, the Panthers receiver actually stands two inches taller than Brown at 6-foot-3. The physicality comparisons line up, but the statistics, not yet.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-tetairoa-mcmillan-breaks-down-xavier-legette-hands-fight-browns">Legette is coming off a rookie season</a> with 49 receptions, 497 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. Despite Carolina’s poor offensive performances and inconsistent play at quarterback, Legette led the team with 84 targets.</p><p>According to Fowler, he should be a primary target for third-year quarterback Bryce Young. However, 2025 first-round pick <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-xavier-legette-dishes-relationship-tetairoa-mcmillan">Tetairoa McMillan will play a factor</a> in just how much Legette is used.</p><p>McMillan marked back-to-back years that the Panthers spent a first-rounder on a wide receiver. Clearly, the focus is on developing Young by providing him with young targets that are on the quarterback’s timeline.</p><p>The good news for Legette is that not only is he receiving comparisons to one of the NFL’s best receivers, but he’s also got a year under his belt. Building and developing chemistry with a quarterback takes time.</p><p>While McMillan is listed as the No. 1 receiver on the Panthers’ depth chart, Legette could again dominate targets and be Young’s go-to option in 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Which Panthers WR reminds Jaycee Horn of A.J. Brown?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/nfl-rumors-panthers-didnt-make-micah-parsons-trade-offer-despite-call');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers didn’t make Micah Parsons trade offer despite call');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Adam-Schefter-Cowboys-shocking-Micah-Parsons-contract-offer.jpg"><figcaption>© Andrew Dieb-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Panthers didn’t make Micah Parsons trade offer despite call</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-04T08:51:18-07:00">September 4th, 8:51am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-04T09:31:07-07:00">September 4th, 9:31am</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Carolina Panthers were <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/nfl-rumors-3-teams-were-waiting-in-wings-if-packers-micah-parsons-trade-fell-apart">among the teams that explored the possibility of acquiring All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons</a> before he was traded to the Green Bay Packers, but ultimately chose not to submit a formal trade offer, according to a report from ESPN.</p><p>As the 2025 NFL season prepares to begin Thursday night with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/nfl-rumors-cowboys-shut-down-eagles-micah-parsons-trade-efforts">Dallas Cowboys visiting the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles</a>, new details have emerged regarding the teams involved in the trade discussions for Parsons. ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano reported that Carolina reached out to the Cowboys to inquire about Parsons’ availability but <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46146415/nfl-week-1-buzz-news-updates-fantasy-intel-questions-predictions" rel="noopener">opted against advancing</a> beyond initial interest.</p><p>“One team that inquired about Parsons’ availability but ultimately didn’t pursue aggressively was Carolina,” Fowler wrote. “The Panthers made a call but did not formally offer a trade package to Dallas. Carolina would have made sense because the Cowboys were looking for a premier defensive tackle, which Carolina has in Derrick Brown.”</p><h2><b>Panthers passed on Micah Parsons deal as Cowboys finalize trade with Packers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Micah-Parsons-Packers-practice.jpg"><figcaption>Tork Mason-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Despite the potential fit, the Panthers decided to retain Brown and preserve their future assets. Brown, 27, has emerged as one of the league’s most reliable interior defensive linemen. In the 2023 season, he posted a career-high 103 total tackles, including 57 solo stops, two sacks, one interception, and 16 tackles for loss across all 17 games. However, Brown’s 2024 campaign was cut short due to a torn meniscus suffered in Week 1, limiting him to just one appearance.</p><p>Dallas had been seeking defensive line help as part of their trade parameters, making Brown a logical piece in any potential Carolina deal. Nevertheless, the Panthers elected not to engage further and were not among the final suitors when Dallas reached a deal with Green Bay.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/dallas-cowboys/cowboys-rumors-jerry-jones-dug-in-micah-parsons-negotiation">Cowboys traded Parsons to the Packers</a> in exchange for two first-round picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/nfl-news-packers-give-micah-parsons-188-million-contract-extension-after-blockbuster-cowboys-trade">Packers then signed Parsons to a four-year, $188 million contract</a> extension, solidifying his role as a long-term anchor on their defensive front. The deal concluded a tense standoff between Parsons and the Cowboys, which began earlier this offseason when Parsons publicly requested a trade amid contract frustrations.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-vs-jaguars-bold-predictions-week-1-2025-nfl-season">Panthers will begin their 2025 campaign on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars</a>. That Week 1 matchup is set for Sunday, September 7 at 1:00 p.m. ET on FOX. The team enters the season with hopes of competing in a tight NFC South race, while looking to keep Brown healthy and productive after his return from injury.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Cowboys will open their season two days earlier in a high-stakes divisional matchup against the Eagles on Thursday night at 7:20 p.m. ET on NBC. The contest will mark Dallas’ first game without Parsons in the lineup since drafting him in 2021.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers didn’t make Micah Parsons trade offer despite call

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/nfl-stories/nfl-news-peyton-manning-hits-bears-panthers-blunt-reality-qb-struggles');   ga('set', 'title', 'Peyton Manning hits Bears, Panthers with blunt reality on QB struggles');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Hall-of-Fame-quarterback-Peyton-Manning.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: © Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Peyton Manning hits Bears, Panthers with blunt reality on QB struggles</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-02T09:11:31-07:00">September 2nd, 9:11am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-02T09:11:31-07:00">September 2nd, 9:11am</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Football season is finally back. The 2025 NFL season kicks off in just a few days when the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/cowboys-eagles-bold-predictions-week-1-2025-nfl-season">Eagles and Cowboys face off on Thursday Night Football</a>. Now is the perfect time for think pieces about the NFL as fans begin locking in ahead of the new season.</p><p>That’s exactly what The Athletic’s Zak Keefer did on Tuesday. Keefer released an article title “The bust files: How NFL teams break young quarterbacks.”</p><p>In the article Keefer outlines <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6584516/2025/09/02/nfl-first-round-quarterback-busts/" rel="noopener">both success stories and failures</a> of young quarterbacks. One common scenario that Keefer argued fails young quarterbacks join a team that needs them desperately. Which puts the rookie under immense pressure right away.</p><p>Legendary NFL quarterback Peyton Manning weighed in on the phenomenon. He argued that teams should wait to have some stability before plugging in a quarterback. At the very least, they should have a consistent coaching staff.</p><p>“I just wish a team would admit, ‘OK, we need a quarterback this year, but we’re not 100 percent sure our coach is the right guy, so we’re not gonna bring him into this,’” Manning said. “Of course, they always draft the quarterback.”</p><p>Manning even cited the Bears and Panthers as two teams that fell into this trap recently.</p><p>“Those teams were not ready,” he says of the Bears and Panthers. “That’s just how I feel.”</p><p>Both Caleb Williams and Bryce Young are already on their second head coach of their young careers. They’ve also had to adapt to multiple playcallers.</p><p>That kind of environment is not ideal for the growth of a young NFL quarterback.</p><h2><b>Caleb Williams, Bryce Young both intriguing case studies on the value of a rookie quarterback</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/NFL-news-What-bothers-Peyton-Manning-most-about-Caleb-Williams-Bryce-Young-struggling.jpg"></figure><p>The Bears and Panthers are both excellent recent examples for Manning to cite.</p><p>Carolina was in a desperate situation when they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/chicago-bears/regrading-bears-panthers-trade-involving-no-1-pick-dj-moore">aggressively traded up for Bryce Young in 2023</a>. The Panthers sent away multiple first-round picks, and even receiver D.J. Moore, just to acquire Young.</p><p>Unfortunately, Young has yet to live up to his massive hype. In large part because the Panthers put the cart before the horse by bringing in Young first.</p><p>Meanwhile, Chicago used Carolina’s first-round pick in 2024 to select Caleb Williams first overall.</p><p>Williams joined a more talented roster than Young had. But coaching problems still haunted his rookie campaign, highlighted by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/chicago-bears/bears-news-fire-matt-eberflus-following-lions-disaster">Matt Eberflus’s inauspicious exit after Thanksgiving</a>.</p><p>None of this is to say that Young and Williams are doomed to fail.</p><p>But it is hard to ignore that they were not set up to succeed early in their careers.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Peyton Manning hits Bears, Panthers with blunt reality on QB struggles

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-bluey-nearly-cost-hunter-renfrow-nfl-job');   ga('set', 'title', 'Did ‘Bluey’ nearly cost Hunter Renfrow an NFL job?');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hunter-Renfrow.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Did ‘Bluey’ nearly cost Hunter Renfrow an NFL job?</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-01T21:21:21-07:00">September 1st, 9:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-01T21:37:04-07:00">September 1st, 9:37pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Hunter Renfrow didn’t survive the Carolina Panthers’ 53-man roster cutdown last week. It appeared that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-ex-raiders-star-agrees-sign-carolina-2025-nfl-draft">Renfrow’s comeback attempt</a> was over before it began. But the NFL landscape can change quickly. And the former Pro Bowl wideout nearly missed a second chance with the team when he was unexpectedly unavailable last Thursday.</p><p>After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/vikings-news-minnesota-pulls-off-adam-thielen-reunion-panthers">trading Adam Thielen</a> and placing second-year slot receiver Jalen Coker on the IR, Carolina was suddenly very thin at wideout. The Panthers wanted to bring Renfrow back but no one could get ahold of him. On Monday, the 29-year-old father of two explained why he <a href="https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/hunter-renfrow-daughters-delayed-panthers-reunion-because-bluey" rel="noopener">wasn’t picking up his phone</a>.</p><p>“My daughters were in the car – I was right outside the car… I guess I had like 10 missed phone calls from [general manager] Dan [Morgan], [head coach] Dave [Canales], my agent. And they were all just ignored. My daughter’s watching ‘Bluey,’” Renfrow explained per FOX Sports: NFL.</p><h2><b>Hunter Renfrow gets second chance with Panthers</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Hunter-Renfrow-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Apparently Renfrow’s daughter really wanted to finish an episode of the animated kids’ show, so she declined numerous calls on her dad’s phone. But eventually the sixth-year veteran got in touch with Carolina. And when he did, he discovered the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-carolina-reunites-receiver-hunter-renfrow-adam-thielen-trade">Panthers wanted to reunite</a>.</p><p>Renfrow is attempting to make a comeback after <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-hunter-renfrow-reveals-shocking-reason-2024-nfl-absence">sitting out all of the 2024 season</a> with ulcerative colitis. With his illness now manageable, he’ll get a chance to play with Carolina.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-hunter-renfrow-reaffirms-commitment-with-free-agency-admission">Renfrow is fully committed</a> to the Panthers. Despite receiving other offers after he was released from the team, the wideout had decided he would either play for Carolina or not play in the NFL at all.</p><p>With Thielen back in Minnesota and Coker sidelined for at least the first four games of the season, Renfrow should see the field for the Panthers. Carolina added Tetairoa McMillan eighth overall in the 2025 draft and former first-round pick Xavier Legette will return as well. But the team is anticipating a leap from third-year passer Bryce Young and there’s definitely a role for a QB-friendly slot receiver.</p><p>Renfrow set career-highs across the board with his 100-catch, 1,000-yard, 9-touchdown 2021 campaign with the Las Vegas Raiders. He earned a Pro Bowl nod for the strong season and appeared to be an ascending player.</p><p>However, Renfrow fell off over the next two years before being forced to sit out 2024. Now he’ll have an opportunity to continue playing football. As long as he can prevent “Bluey” from sabotaging his career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Did ‘Bluey’ nearly cost Hunter Renfrow an NFL job?

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-vs-jaguars-bold-predictions-week-1-2025-nfl-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers vs. Jaguars bold predictions for Week 1 of 2025 NFL season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Panthers-vs-Jaguars-bold-predictions-for-Week-1-of-2025-NFL-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Panthers vs. Jaguars bold predictions for Week 1 of 2025 NFL season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-01T18:08:47-07:00">September 1st, 6:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-01T18:11:23-07:00">September 1st, 6:11pm</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/3-panthers-bold-predictions-for-2025-nfl-season">Carolina Panthers enter the season with higher hopes</a> than last year, while the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl-editorials/3-jaguars-bold-predictions-2025-nfl-season">Jacksonville Jaguars could be a sleeper</a>. They meet in Week 1, and here are the Panthers-Jaguars bold predictions for the opener of the 2025 NFL season.</p><p>Looking to improve on last year’s dud of a 5-12 season, the Panthers hope to be much better on offense early in the season. Meanwhile, the Jaguars are hoping they don’t tank like last year’s 4-13 finish.</p><p>It should be a very interesting contest with a pair of impressive rookie receivers on the field.</p><h2><b>Panthers QB Bryce Young will throw for 280-plus yards</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Carolina-Panthers-QB-Bryce-Young.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Look for the Panthers to be aggressive on offense, and for Young to find throwing lanes. The yardage prediction is a little shy, but Pro Football Network believes Young is <a href="https://www.profootballnetwork.com/fantasy-football/nfl-waiver-wire-qb-week-1-2025/" rel="noopener">positioned to do well</a> in Week 1.</p><p>“Young steps into Week 1 with a revamped offense, headlined by first-round WR Tetairoa McMillan,” Jason Katz wrote. “After a rookie season lost to offensive dysfunction, Young improved considerably as a sophomore. He could be poised for a third-year leap.</p><p>“Young will be asked to throw more, run more, and take advantage of soft defenses much like the one he faces in Week 1. It’s very easy to see Young throw for 200-plus yards and two touchdowns against the Jacksonville Jaguars.”</p><p>Young should bounce back in 2025, thanks in part to the way he handled <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/dave-canales-bryce-young-disagreed-with-me-benching-him-earned-respect-with-his-response" rel="noopener">last year’s benching</a>, according to NBC Sports.</p><p>“He continued to lead throughout that process,” Canales said. “He earned a lot of respect from his teammates, from me. That, regardless of the situation — he didn’t agree with me on the decision not to play him — but he worked and he kept leading. He was showing me, ‘This is my team.’ And he was showing his teammates, ‘You’re my guys.’</p><p>“He came back in and we started to grow together, and then building into that into the offseason, the leadership continued,” Young said. “That was the most impressive part to me. It’s a real challenge. We’ve seen different situations, different scenarios on teams where a top pick is struggling and can get isolated from teammates. He just stepped up.”</p><h2><b>Jaguars WR Travis Hunter will catch a 50-plus-yard TD</b></h2><p>It may wind up being his only big play of the game. And he may not add a lot of yardage around it. But look for Hunter to find a seam, make a catch, and go the distance.</p><p>The Jaguars are trying to fit things around Hunter and give him a chance to make <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46096920/jacksonville-jaguars-quarterback-trevor-lawrence-travis-hunter-coach-liam-coen" rel="noopener">some splash plays</a>, according to ESPN.</p><p>“It’s super organized,” Hunter said. “Me and Coach [Liam Coen] go over it pretty much every week, and they send me a picture. And I get a piece of paper to keep in my locker so I know exactly where I have to be and when I need to be there.”</p><p>The Jaguars brought Hunter along slowly, perhaps too slowly at times.</p><p>“We saw there was a span where maybe he practiced on offense,” Coen said. “Let’s call it a Thursday because we didn’t do anything on the Fridays. And then he had Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and then Monday, he was on defense. That’s four days without doing anything on offense. Well, we learned that it was too long. That’s too long to kind of go without doing anything on maybe the other side of the ball. So we learned something there.”</p><h2><b>Panthers WR Tetairoa McMillan will score a TD</b></h2><p>Make that another rookie splash for this game. However, McMillan’s touchdown will likely come in the Red Zone. Most likely, he will be the recipient of a goal-line fade from Young. That could actually be a fairly common sight for the Panthers this season.</p><p>Panthers head coach Dave Canales <a href="https://www.nfl.com/news/panthers-coach-dave-canales-rookie-wr-tetairoa-mcmillan-s-preseason-debut-a-sign-of-good-things" rel="noopener">is high on</a> McMillan, according to NFL.com.</p><p>“That’s what we’re counting on,” Canales said via team transcript. “That’s why he’s here. Stretch the field, play big, and that was a sign of good things.”</p><h2><b>Jaguars WR Brian Thomas Jr. will go for 100-plus receiving yards</b></h2><p>It should be a good second-year debut for Thomas, who could wreck the Panthers’ secondary.</p><p>And it could be a weekly thing, according to NBC Sports and Rotoworld.</p><p>“Thomas has every chance to lead all receivers in fantasy points this season,” Rotoworld staff wrote. “Coen’s offensive system should be a boon for everyone in the Jacksonville offense, including Thomas. Coen has said he’ll use Thomas across the formation, keeping opposing secondaries guessing as to how Thomas will be deployed against them. If Lawrence improves in Coen’s system, the sky is the limit for one of the most exciting wideouts in recent NFL history.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers vs. Jaguars bold predictions for Week 1 of 2025 NFL season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-hunter-renfrow-reaffirms-commitment-with-free-agency-admission');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers’ Hunter Renfrow reaffirms commitment with free agency admission');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/full.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Panthers’ Hunter Renfrow reaffirms commitment with free agency admission</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-01T11:17:31-07:00">September 1st, 11:17am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-01T11:17:31-07:00">September 1st, 11:17am</time><address><a href="https://matthew516sports.substack.com/">Douglas Fritz</a>Douglas Fritz has been writing about sports for almost four decades and publishes a Christian sports newsletter and podcast on Substack at Matthew516Sports. He started as a reporter for the student newspaper at East Tennessee State University, worked his way up to Editor-In-Chief, and began his sports writing career at the Johnson City Press daily newspaper while still in college. During 30-plus years at the Press, he covered University of Tennessee football, men's and women's basketball, ETSU athletics, and high school athletics. Among the people he has interviewed are Dale Murphy, Bobby Cox, John Smoltz, and Bruce Smith. He is also a Christian-based screenwriter (five feature-length and one short), book writer (three completed manuscripts and one novel), and songwriter.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-dave-canales-jalen-coker-significant-quad-injury">Carolina Panthers suffered a tough injury</a> with the loss of Jalen Coker. But they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-carolina-reunites-receiver-hunter-renfrow-adam-thielen-trade">reunited with Hunter Renfrow</a>. And the veteran receiver reaffirmed his commitment to the Panthers with his free-agency admission.</p><p>Renfro said <a href="https://x.com/josephperson/status/1962555854797865037" rel="noopener">he had choices</a>, according to a post on X by Joe Person.</p><p>“Hunter Renfrow says he had other offers. But he was either going to play for the Panthers or not at all.”</p><p>The Panthers released Renfrow during final roster cuts. However, the injury to Coker reopened the door for Renfrow to return.</p><h2><b>Panthers WR Hunter Renfrow back in business</b></h2><p>The 29-year-old Renfrow, a former Pro Bowl slot receiver, did not play in 2024 because of his battle with ulcerative colitis. He now stands as WR4 in the Panthers’ suddenly depleted wide receiver room.</p><p>Renfrow’s illness left him feeling his NFL days <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46112946/panthers-bring-back-hunter-renfrow-place-jalen-coker-ir" rel="noopener">might be over</a>, according to ESPN.</p><p>“I felt so bad those two years, and I felt like I let my teammates down so much,” Renfrow said earlier this year. “Because I had expectations. I just signed a new contract [in 2022]. I had a new coaching staff that I was going to be perfect for. And I was just a dud.</p><p>“I was like, ‘Man, I know I don’t feel well, but I do not want to play football again. Like, I do not want to let people down. I just want to go over here in my corner, do what I do, get into business.'”</p><p>Renfrow still has the ability to make things happen on the NFL field, said offensive coordinator Brad Idzik.</p><p>“He’s got some freaky lateral quickness,” Idzik said. “And then when he opens up, he’s like big strides, a powerful first four steps, which simulates, ‘I’m going full-tilt vertical.’ He simulates that every single time, and then he eats up whatever leverage you give him.”</p><p>Tetairoa McMillan headlines the Panthers’ receivers with Xavier Legette as WR2. Also in the starting lineup are David Moore. Renfrow, Jimmy Horn Jr., and Brycen Tremayne serve as backups. The lack of overall talent could make things tougher for third-year quarterback Bryce Young.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers’ Hunter Renfrow reaffirms commitment with free agency admission

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-former-1st-rounders-status-vs-jaguars-after-appendectomy');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers former 1st-rounder’s status vs. Jaguars in question after appendectomy');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Ikem-Ekwonu-during-Panthers-minicamp-practice.jpg"><figcaption>© Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Panthers former 1st-rounder’s status vs. Jaguars in question after appendectomy</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-01T10:47:28-07:00">September 1st, 10:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-01T10:47:28-07:00">September 1st, 10:47am</time><address><a>Ben Strauss</a>Ben Strauss is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a die-hard NFL fan who cheers for the Detroit Lions. He has previously written fantasy football content for IDPGuys and ImportantNonsense.com.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Carolina Panthers are hoping to take a big step forward in 2025. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-bryce-young-gets-100-real-reset-strong-2024-finish">Carolina finished the 2024 season strong</a> and made some big investments during the offseason. Thankfully they made some investments in offensive line depth ahead of the new season.</p><p>Panthers left tackle Ikem Ekwonu <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1962553305789342039" rel="noopener">underwent an appendectomy</a>, which has his status for Carolina’s season opener in question, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.</p><p>Panthers head coach Dave Canales first told reporters about the situation on Wednesday. Canales said that Ekwonu <a href="https://www.panthers.com/news/ikem-ekwonu-status-up-in-the-air-after-appendectomy" rel="noopener">had an emergency appendectomy</a> on Sunday August 24th.</p><p>Ekwonu reportedly came to the team facility complaining of stomach pain. The team’s medical staff recommended a quick surgery after giving Ekwonu a thorough check.</p><p>On Wednesday, Canales called Ekwonu “day-to-day, all the way up until the game.” That leaves room for plenty of uncertainty.</p><p>As Darin Gantt of Panthers.com noted, players have varying recovery times when returning from appendix procedures.</p><p>Minkah Fitzpatrick missed eight days after having a procedure back in 2022. Meanwhile, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/green-bay-packers/packers-news-david-bakhtiari-appendectomy-knocks-him-out-of-week-13-vs-bears">David Bakhtiari missed three games for the Packers</a> during the same season after his appendectomy.</p><p>If Ekwonu cannot play in Week 1, then veteran Yosh Nijman will likely step in at left tackle.</p><h2><b>Panthers reunite with Hunter Renfrow after Adam Thielen trade</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Carolina-Panthers-WR-Hunter-Renfrow.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Yosh Nijman potentially starting is not the only curveball the Panthers received before Week 1.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-carolina-reunites-receiver-hunter-renfrow-adam-thielen-trade">Carolina reunited with veteran receiver Hunter Renfrow</a> after surprisingly releasing him last week. There are a few reasons why the Panthers brought him back.</p><p>Originally the Panthers released Renfrow but hoped to bring him back on the practice squad. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/nfl-rumors-hunter-renfrow-garnering-significant-interest-after-panthers-release">Renfrow drew some significant interest</a> as a free agent. That made a return uncertain.</p><p>But a pair of roster moves over the past week made the reunion possible.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/adam-thielen-trade-grades-for-vikings-panthers">Carolina traded veteran Adam Thielen back to Minnesota</a> on Wednesday in a trade involving multiple late-round draft picks. This opened the door for Renfrow getting a spot on the 53-man roster.</p><p>Then second-year receiver Jalen Coker strained his quad during Thursday’s practice.</p><p>That became the final straw. Carolina signed Renfrow back to the roster and placed Coker on IR in a corresponding move.</p><p>Coker is expected to miss at least four weeks with his injury. That leaves the door wide open for Renfrow to make an impact.</p><p>Carolina kicks off the regular season with a road trip to Duval County to take on the Jaguars.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers former 1st-rounder’s status vs. Jaguars in question after appendectomy

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-dave-canales-jalen-coker-significant-quad-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers’ Dave Canales says Jalen Coker has ‘significant’ quad injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Tyrann-Mathieu-would-like-to-get-back-to-LSU-after-his-NFL-career-is-over.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Panthers’ Dave Canales says Jalen Coker has ‘significant’ quad injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-01T10:41:39-07:00">September 1st, 10:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-01T10:41:39-07:00">September 1st, 10:41am</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matt Wadleigh is a Senior Editor at ClutchPoints who used to lead NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball coverage while also specializing in MLB and NFL coverage. He was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno with his wife and two dogs. Matthew is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-jalen-coker-credits-adam-thielen-vikings-trade">Carolina Panthers’ trade of Adam Thielen appeared to open</a> the way for Jalen Coker. However, things took an unfortunate turn for Coker as he landed on Injured Reserve just ahead of Week 1.</p><p>After Coker was placed on IR, Panthers head coach Dave Canales <a href="https://x.com/Sheena_Marie3/status/1962550219398144322" rel="noopener">spoke about the extent</a> of the injury for the young wide receiver, per Sheena Quick of Fox Sports.</p><p>“He got a pretty significant quad strain, Canales said. “Bummed out for Jalen whose had a fantastic camp.”</p><p>It’s a tough development for Coker, who was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-jalen-coker-role-update-carolina-gm">expected to have a bigger role for the Panthers</a> after Thielen was dealt.</p><p>“But at the same time, we’re really excited about our young core of receivers. Jalen Coker’s gonna step into the slot. We utilized a lot of resources with [Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan]. So we have guys that we’re really excited about, and I think that definitely made me feel more comfortable pulling the trigger and trading him,” Panthers Gm Dan Morgan said following the Thielen trade.</p><p>Coker played college football at Holy Cross and caught 163 passes for 2,684 yards with 31 touchdowns in four seasons, including double-digit touchdowns each of the last two seasons and 50 catches or more in the final three.</p><p>Despite the strong numbers, Coker went undrafted but signed a deal with the Panthers shortly after the 2024 NFL draft, and now he is on the 53-man roster with a lot of buzz around him.</p><p>Although Coker is out for some time, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-carolina-reunites-receiver-hunter-renfrow-adam-thielen-trade">Panthers did re-sign veteran wide receiver Hunter Renfrow</a> after he was initially released ahead of the roster cut day.</p><p>Entering Week 1, Carolina has rookie Tetairoa McMillan along with Xavier Legette and David Moore listed as the top-three wide receivers on the depth chart, but Coker should be a name to watch whenever he returns from injury.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers’ Dave Canales says Jalen Coker has ‘significant’ quad injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-carolina-reunites-receiver-hunter-renfrow-adam-thielen-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers reunite with receiver following Adam Thielen trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Panthers-WR-Hunter-Renfrow.jpg"><figcaption>Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Panthers reunite with receiver following Adam Thielen trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-30T09:59:16-07:00">August 30th, 9:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-30T09:59:16-07:00">August 30th, 9:59am</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/vikings-news-minnesota-pulls-off-adam-thielen-reunion-panthers">Carolina Panthers continue to shake up their receiver room</a> since trading Adam Thielen to the Minnesota Vikings. After releasing Hunter Renfrow during final roster cuts, the team is bringing him back onto its active roster.</p><p>To make room for Renfrow, the Panthers are placing second-year slot receiver Jalen Coker <a href="https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/1961818701453299964" rel="noopener">on injured reserve</a>, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. Coker will miss at least the first four games of the year with a quad injury.</p><p>The move comes just after Panthers general manager <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-jalen-coker-role-update-carolina-gm">Dan Morgan backed Coker as the starting slot receiver</a> with Thielen moving on. Morgan said that Coker was one of the main reasons he felt comfortable relinquishing Thielen and doubled down on the 23-year-old as a significant part of the team’s future.</p><p>Renfrow, 29, received considerable media attention throughout the offseason as he attempted to return to the NFL. The former Pro Bowl slot receiver did not play in 2024 due to his battle with ulcerative colitis, which he did not reveal until after signing with Carolina.</p><p>Without either Thielen or Coker on the active roster, Renfrow should be a shoo-in for the Panthers’ starting lineup. The position has proven lucrative in recent years, with Thielen leading the team in receiving out of the slot over the last two seasons. Thielen and Coker were the team’s two top pass-catchers at the end of the 2024 season, both playing primarily out of the slot.</p><h2><b>Panthers receivers regroup after Adam Thielen trade</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Carolina-Panthers-WR-Hunter-Renfrow.jpg"><figcaption>Scott Kinser-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Panthers were just 5-12 in 2024, but they boasted one of the hottest offenses at the end of the year. After reclaiming the starting job, Bryce Young played like a man possessed down the stretch and led Carolina to average 31.3 points per game over the final three games of the regular season.</p><p>Adjusting to life without Thielen will be key for the Panthers if they wish to continue their success. None of the team’s supporting pass-catchers has done much with their opportunities with Young under center.</p><p>Carolina drafted Xavier Legette in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, hoping that he would become the team’s next alpha wideout, but they already appear skeptical of that outlook. One year after taking Legette, the Panthers doubled down and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-bryce-youngs-involvement-tetairoa-mcmillan-nfl-draft-choice">took Tetairoa McMillan at No. 8 in the 2025 NFL Draft</a>.</p><p>If Renfrow desires to fill Thielen’s role, he will be tested in Week 1. The Panthers begin the year against the Jacksonville Jaguars, who just made Jourdan Lewis the highest-paid nickelback in the NFL.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Panthers reunite with receiver following Adam Thielen trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-jalen-coker-role-update-carolina-gm');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jalen Coker gets role update from Panthers GM');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jalen-Coker.jpg"><figcaption>Bob Donnan-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jalen Coker gets role update from Panthers GM</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-30T07:31:14-07:00">August 30th, 7:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-30T07:31:14-07:00">August 30th, 7:31am</time><address><a>Jaren Kawada</a>Jaren Kawada is a former full-time sports bettor and is now a NFL, College Football and Betting Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. Kawada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, but now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, after graduating from Butler University with a B.A. in sports media. Aside from football, Kawada is an avid combat sports and basketball bettor.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/vikings-news-minnesota-pulls-off-adam-thielen-reunion-panthers">Carolina Panthers traded Adam Thielen</a> and released Hunter Renfrow, fans assumed it would open up a significant opportunity for second-year receiver Jalen Coker. General manager Dan Morgan essentially confirmed as much one week ahead of the 2025 NFL season opener.</p><p>With Thielen out of the picture, Morgan acknowledged that Coker would begin the season as the Panthers’ <a href="https://x.com/mike_e_kaye/status/1961084464118788150" rel="noopener">starting slot receiver</a>. He noted that having a young player like Coker, in addition to a pair of first-round picks in Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan, made him feel “more comfortable” trading Thielen.</p><p>“Any time you lose a receiver like Adam, it’s a big loss,” Morgan said, via Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer. “But at the same time, we’re really excited about our young core of receivers. Jalen Coker’s gonna step into the slot. We utilized a lot of resources with [Xavier Legette and Tetairoa McMillan]. So we have guys that we’re really excited about, and I think that definitely made me feel more comfortable pulling the trigger and trading him.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Panthers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Panthers</a> GM Dan Morgan on WR room, specifically says Jalen Coker will play in the slot. <a href="https://t.co/5T4f620Qjk">pic.twitter.com/5T4f620Qjk</a></p><p>— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) <a href="https://twitter.com/mike_e_kaye/status/1961084464118788150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Coker started four games in 2024, all in the second half of the season. He ended the year on a tear, averaging 51.5 receiving yards in his final five games.</p><p>Despite the attention new receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Renfrow garnered in the offseason, Coker was quietly one of the team’s most impressive players throughout training camp. His emergence <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/2-panthers-first-stringers-danger-losing-starting-jobs-2025-nfl-season">threatened Thielen’s role in the starting lineup</a> and ultimately led to the trade.</p><h2><b>Panthers’ receivers without Adam Thielen</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Dan-Morgan.jpg"><figcaption>Kirby Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Without Thielen, who led the team in receiving yards the last two years, the Panthers are heavily relying on their young players to elevate their games. The bulk of the pressure is on McMillan, the No. 8 overall pick, but a lot is also on the line for Legette, the team’s 2024 first-round selection.</p><p>Although the group is relatively inexperienced — David Moore is the only receiver on the team who has been in the NFL for longer than two seasons — they are already expected to surpass the team’s 2024 production. The Panthers’ offense looked like one of the worst in the league early in the year before Bryce Young pulled a complete 180 to end the season. Young will be one of the most interesting players to monitor in 2025, but everything will be dependent on Carolina’s receiving corps.</p><p>As exciting as the starters are, the Panthers lack depth at the position. In addition to Moore, Carolina has two undrafted free agents — Dalevon Campbell and Brycen Tremayne — and sixth-round rookie Jimmy Horn Jr. as backups.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jalen Coker gets role update from Panthers GM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-carolina-fans-love-hendon-hookers-cam-newton-admission');   ga('set', 'title', 'Panthers fans will love Hendon Hooker’s Cam Newton admission');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Carolina-Panthers-quarterback-Hendon-Hooker.jpg"><figcaption>David Reginek-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Panthers fans will love Hendon Hooker’s Cam Newton admission</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-28T13:06:48-07:00">August 28th, 1:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-28T13:06:48-07:00">August 28th, 1:06pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Carolina Panthers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Carolina Panthers enter the 2025-26 NFL season looking to take a step forward. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/carolina-panthers/panthers-news-dave-canales-makes-confident-bryce-young-declaration">Head coach Dave Canales likes what he has seen from Bryce Young</a> and others in the preseason. However, the Panthers are still making adjustments to the roster. Carolina added Hendon Hooker to its practice squad. Hooker appreciates the chance to play on the same team his idol, Cam Newton, did.</p><p>Hooker was a standout quarterback during his time at Tennessee. However, he struggled to find playing time in the NFL during his rookie season. He appeared in just three games for the Detroit Lions last season, attempting just nine passes while he was on the field. Now, he has a chance to play on the Panthers’ practice team and fight for a spot behind Young on Canales’ depth chart.</p><p>As he gets settled in to his new home, Hooker hasn’t lost sight of how his football journey came full circle. According to The Athletic’s Joe Person, Hooker grew up in North Carolina and <a href="https://x.com/josephperson/status/1961136388918882756" rel="noopener">looked up to</a> Newton.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hendon Hooker grew up in Greensboro as a big Panthers and Cam Newton fan. Also had a cool interaction with Steve Smith and other players as a kid. <a href="https://t.co/GKidnC6gva">pic.twitter.com/GKidnC6gva</a></p><p>— Joe Person (@josephperson) <a href="https://twitter.com/josephperson/status/1961136388918882756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“Cam Newton is what I vividly remember, but I also remember Steve Smith, Jake Delhomme coming out to Greensboro and playing with a whole bunch of little kids,” Hooker said about the Panthers’ past legends. “Being around Ricky Proehl growing up, going to his camps every single year, being around his sons was always a lasting image in my mind of the Panthers’ logo.”</p><p>After spending his childhood as a fan of Carolina, Hooker has a chance to leave his mark on the team. He was compared to Newton and other duel threats in college. However, he will have to win the starting job from Young if he wants to follow in Newton’s footsteps. Regardless of what happens, the Panthers have another intriguing young player to watch.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/detroit-lions/lions-news-detroit-releasing-hendon-hooker-kyle-allen-preseason">Hooker is a practice squad quarterback for now after the Lions let him go</a>. However, that could change quickly if Canales wants to give him a chance on the 53-man roster.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

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