6 Panthers Players We're Surprised Made It Through Final Cuts

The Carolina Panthers announced their 53-man roster last night, so these players will (for now) be the ones to face the Chicago Bears in Week 1. To put it mildly, there were some surprises in the final announcement.

LB Bobby Okereke

New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) leaves the field after losing | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week, Bobby Okereke was a free agent. Now, he's on the 53-man roster for the Panthers. He signed late, didn't practice or play, and still made the roster. It's a huge shock, although the Panthers needed a linebacker badly (and clearly knew it). They opted to cut Trevin Wallace outright in favor of Okereke, which is astonishing.

TE Darren Waller

Like Okereke, the Panthers just hadn't seen Darren Waller play. He did practice some, which Okereke did not. Still, it's a little surprising that he made the roster. As a vested veteran, the Panthers had some options, but they chose to keep him on the roster anyway. He deserved a spot, but it's still surprising that it played out this way. The Panthers had a deep (but underwhelming) tight end room, and Waller made the cut.

QB Haynes King

Carolina Panthers quarterback Haynes King (16) warms up before a preseason game | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Much like the two listed before, Haynes King deserved a roster spot, but it's still surprising that he got one. He played the Hall of Fame Game and that's it, and he got hurt so he didn't practice, either. One game was apparently more than enough to convince the Panthers that he deserved a spot. We saw the talent, but it hardly works out like that for a UDFA in the NFL.

WR John Metchie

According to most insiders, John Metchie III was the WR on the outside looking in. We thought he looked good on offense and was decent on special teams, but we still thought it would be hard to keep him over Ja'seem Reed and Jimmy Horn Jr. Well, the Panthers didn't keep Reed, leaving a spot for Metchie, Bryce Young's former teammate, to revitalize his career.

OL Chandler Zavala

It speaks to the unfortunate lack of real depth up front, but the Panthers kept Chandler Zavala. Everyone saw how abysmal the offensive line performed without Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, but the Panthers decided that they just didn't have anyone better than Zavala, so he's safe on the roster for now.

RB AJ Dillon

Given Trevor Etienne's injury (he opens the season on IR), this isn't a huge surprise, since AJ Dillon was the best running back of the bunch. However, what is surprising is that it gives the Panthers a really tough decision when Etienne returns, presumably after four weeks. What do the Panthers do then? And how are they planning to use Dillon in the meantime?

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