The Panthers have claimed 25-year old cornerback Darius Butler off waivers from the Patriots.  Butler played in 15 games for the Patriots last year and he had 23 tackles and 6 passes defensed.  He has now played in 29 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 58 tackles, 14 passes defensed and 3 interceptions (one returned for a TD).  This was a solid pickup for the Panthers as Butler has been a decent corner so far in his young NFL career.

The Panthers have signed 29-year old center Geoff Hangartner.  Hangartner played in 12 games (all starts) for the Bills last year.  He has now played in 82 games (55 starts) in his first six years in the NFL.  The Panthers were smart to sign Hangartner as he will give them solid depth at both center and guard in 2011.  Don’t be surprised to see him force his way into the starting lineup at some point in 2011.

The Panthers have signed 27-year old guard Max Jean-Gilles to a 1-year deal.  Gilles played in 13 games (10 starts) for the Eagles last year.  He has now played in 42 games (26 starts) in his first five years in the NFL.  This was a good pickup for the Panthers, as Jean-Gilles is a good run blocker and that’s what they want to do in 2011.

UPDATE:  (9/12/2011) – The Panthers have released Max Jean-Gilles.

The Panthers have released 24-year old DE Everette Brown.  Brown played in 13 games for the Panthers last year and he had 25 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception and 1 pass defensed.  He played in 28 games in his two years with the Panthers and he had 47 tackles, 6 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles, 1 interception and 3 passes defensed.  I was surprised by this move by the Panthers as Brown is certainly going to get snapped up by another team on waivers.

The Panthers have claimed 22-year old rookie CB Josh Thomas off waivers from the Cowboys.  The Cowboys wanted to slide Thomas through waivers with the idea of putting him on the practice squad, but that just didn’t work out for them.  Thomas played in 3 preseason games for the Cowboys and he had 7 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  This was a good pickup for the Panthers as Thomas can provide depth at CB while also helping out on special teams in 2011.

The Panthers have claimed 24-year old DE George Selvie off waivers from the Rams.  He played in all 16 games for the Rams last year and he had 21 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks.  Selvie was a big time pass rusher in college and he could be able to help the Panthers as a situational pass rusher down the road.  This was a good pickup for the Panthers.

The Panthers have claimed 24-year old safety Stevie Brown off waivers from the Raiders.  Brown played in 15 games as a rookie for the Raiders last year and he had 30 tackles and 2 passes defensed.  This was another good pickup for the Panthers as Brown should be able to help out the depth in the secondary while also helping them out on special teams in 2011.

UPDATE:  (9/7/2011) – The Panthers have released Stevie Brown.

The Panthers have claimed 24-year old WR Seyi Ajirotutu off waivers from the Chargers.  Ajirotutu played in 10 games as a rookie for the Chargers last year and he caught 13 passes for 262 yards (20.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  This was a good pickup for the Panthers because Ajirotutu has the speed to help them stretch the field on passing downs.

The Panthers have released 26-year old WR David Clowney.  Clowney played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Panthers last year and he caught 6 passes for 102 yards (17.0 avg).  He has played in 28 games (3 starts) in his first three years in the NFL and he has caught 22 passes for 341 yards (15.5 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This is not much of a loss for the Panthers who have loaded up at WR for the 2011 season.

The Panthers have claimed 27-year old DT Marcus Harrison off waivers from the Bears.  Harrison played in 5 games for the Bears last year and he had 3 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  He has now played in 37 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 55 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 tackles for a loss and 3 passes defensed.  Harrison will likely fit into the Panthers’ rotation at DT in 2011, so this was a decent pickup for them.

UPDATE:  (9/6/2011) – Marcus Harrison flunked his physical with the Panthers and they have dropped their waiver claim on him.