On the eve of the Week 13 home game against the Los Angeles Rams, the Carolina Panthers have made a handful of moves, including placing an offensive lineman on injured reserve.
Panthers Place Guard on IR, Add Secondary and LB Depth
The Carolina Panthers placed guard Chandler Zavala on injured reserve on Saturday. This is Zavala’s second stint on IR this season. The first time was due to a knee injury. Now, a calf injury will sideline him for at least the next four games. The Panthers have five games left, so this could likely end Zavala’s third season.
Zavala, a 2023 fourth-round pick, has played in 27 games and started nine. The former NC State Wolfpack standout has battled injuries throughout his career. In 2023, he sustained a neck injury and was carted off the field. He has one year left on his contract.
Jake Curhan will get the start at right guard, where he has outperformed Zavala in his limited opportunities this season.
In a corresponding move, the Panthers signed cornerback Kalen King from the practice squad. King joined the Carolina practice squad after 53-man roster cuts in August and has stayed there until now. He was a second-team All–Big Ten player at Penn State in 2023.
King will add depth with Jaycee Horn (concussion) sidelined at least this week and Corey Thornton (broken fibula) out for the season.
Carolina also signed Isaiah Simmons and Saahdiq Charles from the practice squad by standard elevation. Simmons just arrived this week. He brings experience at linebacker, safety, and special teams. This is helpful since Christian Rozeboom (hamstring), Claudin Cherelus (concussion), and Tre’von Moehrig (suspended) are all out for Sunday.
Rozeboom has been the Panthers’ highest-rated linebacker this season, per PFSN’s LB Impact metric. His 73.5 score ranks him 48th among all qualified linebackers. Carolina is set to have Trevin Wallace back on the field, however, after missing the last two contests with a shoulder injury.
Simmons will likely serve in a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency role, but he can make his fastest impact on special teams.