The Carolina Panthers will be sending two players to the Pro Bowl.  32-year old WR Steve Smith is having a monster year for the Panthers.  He has played in 15 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has caught 73 passes for 1,308 yards (17.9 avg) with 6 TD grabs. Smith has also carried the ball 5 times for 55 yards (11.0 ypc).  26-year old center Ryan Kalil has been elected to start the Pro Bowl for the NFC.  He has played in 15 games (all starts) for the Panthers so far this year.

The Panthers have released 25-year old FB Jerome Felton.  Felton played in 9 games for the Panthers this year in which he carried the ball 3 times for 10 yards (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 24 yards (12.0 avg).  He has now played in 51 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 42 times for 136 yards (3.2 ypc).  Felton has also caught 32 passes for 264 yards (8.3 avg) so far in his career.  Felton wanted the ball more, while the Panthers wanted him to block better.

The Panthers have lost 25-year old OT Jeff Otah for the rest of the season due to back and knee injuries.  He has been placed on the Injured Reserve List.  Otah played in 4 games (all starts) for the Panthers this year.  He has played in 29 games (all starts) in his first four years with the Panthers.  The Panthers have re-signed 30-year old G/T Reggie Wells who was with them earlier in the year.  Wells has played in 112 games (91 starts) in his first 9 years in the NFL.

The Panthers have lost 27-year old OLB Omar Gaither for the next 2-4 weeks with a sprained left MCL.  Gaither played in all 5 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has 8 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  25-year old Jason Williams will take over for Gaither until he’s ready to return to action.  Williams has played in 3 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has 13 tackles.

The Panthers have waived 24-year old DE George Selvie.  Selvie played in all 4 games for the Panthers this year and he had 2 tackles.  Selvie has now played in 20 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 23 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.  The Panthers are loaded at DE, so they should be o.k. without Selvie.

The Panthers have released 28-year old safety Sean Considine.  Considine played in all 4 games for the Panthers this year and he didn’t have any tackles.  He did recover a fumble though.  The Panthers have claimed rookie safety Jermale Hines off waivers from the Colts.  He was a fifth round pick by the Rams out of Ohio State last April.  The Panthers are hoping that Hines can help them on special teams.

The Panthers have claimed 25-year old linebacker Jason Phillips off waivers from the Cowboys.  Phillips played in 9 games for the Ravens last year and he had 5 tackles.  The Panthers are injured ravaged at linebacker right now, so Phillips is going to get a chance to play some on defense right away.

The Panthers have lost 28-year old LB Thomas Davis for the season for the second year in a row to a torn ACL.  Davis played in both games for the Panthers this year and he had 12 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.  He has now played in 71 games in his first 7 years with the Panthers and he has 402 tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, 11 sacks, 8 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 22 passes defensed and 3 interceptions.  The Panthers are really hurting at linebacker now as they have already lost Jon Beason and Thomas Davis for the year.

The Panthers have signed 30-year old DT Ronald Fields.  Fields played in all 16 games for the Broncos last year and he had 22 tackles.  Fields has now played in 81 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has 134 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 1 pass defensed.  Fields should be able to help the Panthers’ D-Line depth, but he’s not much of a playmaker.

The Carolina Panthers have signed 30-year old OG Reggie Wells.  Wells played in 8 games (1 start) for the Eagles last year.  He has now played in 112 games (91 starts) in his first 8 years in the NFL.  The Panthers should be able to take advantage of Wells’ versatility along the O-Line.  He is a good run blocker, which could help the Panthers’ offense be more balanced going forward if he can earn his way into the starting lineup.

UPDATE:  (9/21/2011) – The Panthers have released Reggie Wells.  He didn’t play in any games for the Panthers this year.