The Carolina Panthers are fresh off one of the more confusing season openers across the NFL. On one hand, the offense proved they could consistently move the ball, as they dropped 37 points on the Chicago Bears. The problem is that the defense didn’t hold up its end of the bargain, as it allowed the Bears to score 59 points on the other side of the field.
The NFC South is wide open (all four teams in the division lost on Sunday), but the Panthers are going to have to figure things out on defense if they want to return to the playoffs. With that in mind, the team immediately made a big move on defense in the wake of this game, as they signed former Miami Dolphins starting linebacker Tyrel Dodson to their active roster from their practice squad.
Despite starting all 16 games he played in for the Dolphins last season, Dodson was curiously released ahead of the team’s final roster cuts. It wasn’t as if Dodson was ineffective last year, as he racked up 129 tackles, five sacks, three pass breakups, one interception, and one forced fumble, but a new coaching staff seemed to feel he wasn’t necessary to their plans.
Unsurprisingly, Dodson quickly generated quite a bit of interest once he hit the open market, with the Panthers managing to scoop him up. However, the front office signed Dodson to the team’s practice squad, so Dodson didn’t play in the team’s aforementioned loss to the Bears.
After allowing Chicago to hang 59 points on it, Carolina clearly needs to switch things up on defense. That could result in some snaps coming Dodson’s way, as he was signed from the Panthers’ practice squad to their active roster just over 24 hours after the team’s ugly defensive performance went into the books.
Linebacker Tyrel Dodson signed to the Panthers’ active roster,” Adam Schefter of ESPN reported in a post on X.
Panthers Could Turn to Tyrel Dodson in Week 2 After Ugly Loss
Devin Lloyd and Bobby Okereke are the Panthers’ current starting inside linebackers, but neither guy managed to make the sort of impact the team was hoping for. The Bears ran for six touchdowns against this group, with Carolina’s two anchors in the run game struggling to slow down the likes of D’Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, and Caleb Williams.
Dodson has a wealth of experience doing a little bit of everything at the linebacker position, so even if he doesn’t directly replace one of these guys in the starting lineup, he could be used as a bit of a Swiss Army knife moving forward. Whether or not Dodson will actually play in Week 2 is unknown, but this is a big move that indicates changes could be coming on defense for the Panthers. We will see if this unit can turn in a better showing when they return to action in Week 2 for a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.
Panthers Make Roster Move Involving Former Dolphins Starting LB After Bears Loss