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.

The Panthers have released 25-year old fullback Tony Fiammetta.  Fiammetta played in 14 games (9 starts) for the Panthers last year and he carried the ball 7 times for 22 yards (3.1 ypc).  He also caught 5 passes for 34 yards (6.8 avg) last year.  Fiammetta played in 24 games (11 starts) in his two years with the Panthers but he didn’t touch the ball as a rookie.  The recent claim of fullback Jerome Felton off waivers essentially ended Fiammetta’s tenure with the Panthers.

The Panthers have waived 26-year old CB/S C.J. Wilson.  Wilson played in 8 games for the Panthers last year and he had 13 tackles and 1 fumble recovery.  Wilson played in 23 games in his four years with the Panthers and he had 27 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery.  The Panthers don’t have much need for Wilson anymore as they have improved the secondary and special teams in the offseason.

The Panthers have released 24-year old RB Tyrell Sutton.  Sutton played in 9 games for the Panthers last year and he carried the ball 13 times for 71 yards (5.5 ypc).  He also caught 12 passes for 70 yards (5.8 avg) last season.  Sutton played in 16 games in his two years with the Panthers and he carried the ball 25 times for 139 yards (5.6 ypc).  He also caught 18 passes for 132 yards (7.3 avg) and he returned 16 kickoffs for 332 yards (20.8 avg).  Sutton was caught up in a numbers game at RB for the Panthers.  I look for him to hook on with another team at some point this year.

The Panthers have placed 25-year old G/T Garry Williams on the Injured Reserve List due to a fractured ankle.  He played in 16 games (11 starts) for the Panthers last year.  Williams has now played in 23 games (11 starts) in his first two years with the Panthers.  This is a big blow to the Panthers who are losing offensive linemen at an alarming rate.

The Panthers have waived 24-year old DE Kenwan Balmer.  Balmer played in 43 games in his first three years in the NFL and he had 62 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss and 2 passes defensed.  The Panthers use their DEs to rush the passer, so they won’t miss Balmer too much, if at all in the future.

The Panthers have claimed 25-year old fullback Jerome Felton off waivers from the Lions.  Felton played in 16 games (2 starts) for the Lions last year and he carried the ball 22 times for 76 yards (3.5 ypc).  He also caught 8 passes for 54 yards (6.8 avg) last year.  Felton is the rare NFL fullback that can make some plays with the ball in his hands.  Felton has now played in 42 games (16 starts) in his first three years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 39 times for 126 yards (3.2 ypc).  He has also caught 30 passes for 240 yards (8.0 avg) in his NFL career.  This was a solid pickup for the Panthers as Felton is a decent all around fullback.

The Carolina Panthers have lost 25-year old Geoff Schwartz for the season due to a hip injury. Schwartz played in 16 games (all starts) for the Panthers last year.  He has played in 32 games (19 starts) in his first two years with the Panthers.  This is a big blow for the Panthers, who had Schwartz penciled in as the starting right guard in 2011.

The Panthers will probably be without 25-year old QB Tony Pike for probably the whole 2011 season as he has underwent elbow surgery.  Pike played in 1 game as a rookie last year for the Panthers and he completed 6 of 12 passes (50%) for 47 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs (60.1 QB Rating).  The Panthers won’t miss Pike as they have Cam Newton, Jimmy Clausen and Derek Anderson ready to go at QB in 2011.

UPDATE:  (8/31/2011) – The Panthers have waived Tony Pike.

The Panthers have signed 32-year old long snapper Chris Massey.  Massey played in 16 games for the Rams last year.  He has now played in 135 games (1 start) in his first 9 years in the NFL.  He will compete for the starting long snapping job in the next couple of weeks.