The Panthers have signed 25-year old DT Ogemdi Nwagbuo and 26-year old DT Jerry Shirley (off their practice squad).  Nwagbuo played in 4 games for the Chargers earlier this year and he had 3 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  He has now played in 31 games in his first three years in the NFL and he has 41 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  Jason Shirley’s only NFL experience came back in 2008 with the Bengals.  He played in 3 games that season for the Bengals and he had 4 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.

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 Carolina Panthers have signed 25-year old OLB Antwan Applewhite.  Applewhite played in all 16 games for the Chargers last year and he had 48 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 passes defensed and 5 tackles for a loss.  He has now played in 30 games in his first two years in the NFL and he has 68 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 2 passes defensed.  The Panthers were lucky to find a LB of Antwan Applewhite’s caliber sitting at home on the couch.  They certainly need the help at linebacker, so I really like this signing for them.

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 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 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.

The Panthers have signed 27-year old WR Legedu Naanee.  Naanee played in 10 games (9 starts) for the Chargers last year and he caught 23 passes for 371 yards (16.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 54 games (10 starts) in his first four years in the NFL and he has caught 63 passes for 746 yards (11.8 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  Naanee gives the Panthers a nice, big target down the field which will benefit the young QBs in 2011.

The Panthers have signed 28-year old QB Derek Anderson.  Anderson played in 12 games (9 starts) for the Cardinals last year and he completed 169 of 327 passes (51.7%) for 2,065 yards with 7 TD passes and 10 INTs (65.9 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for 25 yards (5.0 ypc) last year.  Anderson has now played in 51 games (43 starts) in his first five years in the NFL and he has completed 756 of 1,436 passes (52.6%) for 9,148 yards with 53 TD passes and 55 INTs (68.8 QB Rating).  Anderson has also carried the ball 76 times for 205 yards (2.7 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  He has been to 1 Pro Bowl in his career and he certainly looks the part as he is a big guy with the rocket arm.  But, it’s above the shoulders where Anderson is lacking and that is darn hard to correct.  He has a 18-25 (41.9%) record as a starting QB.  The Panthers would have been better to bring in an older player with a better track record to tutor Cam Newton and Jimmy Clausen in 2011.

The Panthers have signed 27-year old linebacker Omar Gaither.  Gaither played in 14 games for the Eagles last year and he had 36 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss.  Gaither has now played in 67 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 289 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, 18 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  This was a solid signing for the Panthers as Gaither is a pretty solid linebacker.