NFL free agency: Panthers announce 3 veteran DBs will try out during rookie minicamp

The Panthers rookie minicamp is an opportunity for the franchise to look at young talent. The team is also kicking the tires on some veterans looking for work.

Oct 30, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Miami Dolphins cornerback Keion Crossen (27) tackles as Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds (8) tries to make a catch during the second half at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Junfu Han-Imagn Images | Junfu Han-Imagn Images

It’s been far too long since this franchise has enjoyed a winning campaign, much less any playoff success. The last time the Carolina Panthers came away victorious in a postseason game was a blowout victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 NFC Championship Game.

Yes, Dave Canales’s club won four of its final nine games in his debut season as head coach in 2024, but that doesn’t erase a stretch of seven consecutive sub-.500 seasons. There is a sense of optimism in Charlotte thanks to general manager Dan Morgan’s aggressive approach in free agency, and a 2025 NFL draft—highlighted by first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan—that added talent to both sides of the ball.

The Panthers’ 2025 rookie minicamp began on Thursday, but players took the field on Friday and will again on Saturday. That includes three veterans looking to make comebacks.

The #Panthers announced vet DBs Keion Crossen, AJ Moore and Brady Breeze will try out for the team this weekend.

Worth pointing out that Cresson and Moore were standout ST players in Houston in 2020. Moore was a ST captain that year.

Texans ST coordinator in 2020? Tracy Smith.

— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) May 9, 2025

Well-traveled Keion Crossen may be the best known of the three defensive backs. A seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2018, he was a member of that franchise’s last Super Bowl title team. A year later, he was traded to the Houston Texans. After two years with the club, he was dealt to the New York Giants in 2021. He became a free agent in 2022, and inked a three-year deal with the Miami Dolphins in 2022.

Crossen played in 16 games for the ‘Fins, making a pair of starts. He totalked 25 stops and four passes defensed, and added seven special teams tackles. He also finished with three stops in a playoff loss to the Bills. He would miss the 2023 season with a shoulder injury, and Miami cut him during the 2024 offseason. He has not played in a game since 2022.

Likewise, there’s defender A.J. Moore, who last played for the Titans in 2022. After four seasons with the Texans, he signed with rival Tennessee. He suffered an ankle injury in Week 1 and missed the rest of ’22. He was re-signed by the Titans in 2023, but eventually was released. Brady Breeze also saw his last NFL action in 2022, playing two games with the Lions.

As for the aforementioned reference to Panthers’ special teams coach Tracy Smith, a look back at the 2020 Texans shows that Crossen finished with 34 defensive stops, as well as a club-high 12 special teams tackles. Moore totaled four special teams stops, and 31 defensive tackles.

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