Panthers Make Surprise Signing Ahead of First Preseason Game

The Carolina Panthers are set to open their 2024 preseason slate on Thursday night against the New England Patriots. Carolina fans will get an early look at first-time head coach Dave Canales and the rest of the new-look Panthers’ roster.

However, before the preseason action begins later this week, the team continued to bolster their offense and add more competition to the skill positions. 

According to Joe Person of The Athletic, the Panthers signed veteran tight end Jesper Horsted and waived wide receiver Tayvion Robinson. Robinson joined the team last week after Rashaad Penny shockingly announced his retirement.

Panthers News: Carolina Signs TE Jesper Horsted

Horsted becomes the sixth tight end on the Panthers’ 90-man roster. Over the weekend, the Panthers released waived tight end Curtis Hodges, while placing tight end Stephen Sullivan on injured reserve on Thursday.

The 27-year-old Horstead will try to compete for a job on the 53-man roster as maybe the fourth tight end, with Carolina already having Ian Thomas, Tommy Tremble, and Ja’Tavion Sanders.

The former Princeton standout spent the last two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, where he played in 28 games. Last season, Horstead didn’t have a huge role in the Raiders’ offense as he exclusively saw time on special teams (65 percent of snaps).

The Panthers could be looking for the same thing from Horstead, especially after losing special teams ace Sam Franklin to a broken foot earlier in training camp.

With the NFL introducing the XFL’s kickoff rules, teams could look to have more tight ends, safeties, and linebackers on the field, especially with the different blocking schemes special teams coordinators could use.

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