Carolina Panthers sign former Florida State tight end
Training camp is underway throughout the NFL as the majority of teams made their preseason debuts over the weekend. Injuries are already piling up throughout the league.
The Carolina Panthers have had four tight ends miss time recently due to a variety of issues. In a move to fortify the position, the team signed former Florida State tight end Ryan Izzo.
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Izzo spent time with four franchises in 2021 but he failed to record a statistic during his only regular-season appearance with the Tennessee Titans. He also spent time on the practice squad with the Houston Texans, New York Giants, and Seattle Seahawks last season.
The Titans elected to waive Izzo in June and he's been looking for a new opportunity ever since. In recent weeks, he worked out for the New Orleans Saints and Houston Texans while trying to earn a deal.
Second string tight end Ian Thomas is set to miss a week or longer due to a rib injury. Colin Thompson is dealing with a calf injury while Stephen Sullivan has missed practices for a personal matter. Rookie Josh Babicz was banged up during practice last week. Izzo joins Tommy Tremble and Jared Scott as the healthy tight ends on the roster.
Izzo was originally drafted in the Seventh Round back in 2018 by the New England Patriots. Izzo played for the Patriots for three years, starting a career-high 12 games in 2020 before going on Injured Reserve. He has compiled 19 catches for 313 yards and one touchdown in 19 appearances with 16 starts.
The 6-foot-5, 255-pound tight end hasn't caught a pass during a regular season game since 2020.
Prior to his time in the NFL, Izzo spent four years in Tallahassee at Florida State. He totaled 54 catches for 761 yards and six touchdowns during his college career.
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Stick with NoleGameday for more coverage of Florida State football throughout fall camp.
