Panthers Announce Surprise New Starter Ahead of Week 15

The 2024 season is coming to an end rather quickly. Week 15 is underway, the Carolina Panthers have the Dallas Cowboys coming into town for an NFC showdown.

The Panthers are on a three-game skid, but all three losses have been by one possession. The best part about Carolina during this losing streak is the solid play of Bryce Young.

While Carolina is preparing for this matchup against the Cowboys, head coach Dave Canales revealed that a new player will be starting on the defensive end.

Panthers News: Claudin Cherelus Will Start in Week 15

When speaking to reporters on Friday, Canales said that Claudin Cherelus will start at inside linebacker as rookie linebacker Trevin Wallace is out with a shoulder injury. Wallace suffered that injury in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week.

Cherelus is currently in his second season with the Panthers after joining them through waivers. The Alcorn State product has carved out a role to get his way onto the field as a consistent special teams contributor. This season, the 25-year-old has logged 195 total snaps on special teams.

He also has notched 105 defensive snaps for the Panthers in 2024, notching 11 total tackles. He's going to take over for Wallace, who has the second-most snaps at LB (583) for Carolina. That's a big test, but it gives him a golden opportunity to impress the coaching staff as offseason evaluations are set to begin.

According to PFF, Cherelus has a 71.3 overall grade, 76.3 pass rush grade, and 72 run defense grade.

The Cowboys have Cooper Rush at quarterback with Dak Prescott out for the year. With Rush at the helm, Dallas has scored 20 points or fewer in three games.

The Panthers are 2.5-point favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook, which is the first time Carolina has been a favorite since Dec. 18, 2022.

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