What Carolina Panthers coach Dave Canales said about roster cut-down day

Canales hopes that the players who are getting cut are able to take away positives from their time with the Panthers.

Aug 16, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on from the sideline during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

By Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. eastern time all 32 NFL teams need to trim their rosters from 90 players down to 53 for the regular season. That means nearly 1,200 players will find themselves out of a job over the next day and a half, amounting to a devastating blow to their lifetime dreams. Some will land on practice squads, but many more will not.

Ruining any person's dream isn't easy, even if they know the deal as part of one of the most competitive businesses in the world. Already most teams have announced several cuts, but the Carolina Panthers are one of the few around the league not to make a move as of yet.

Here's what head coach Dave Canales said going into a tough couple of days for his staff, according to Kassidy Hill at the team website.

Dave Canales on roster cuts

"It's just the challenge to chase your dream; the challenge to never give up, never say never, and to continue to work... And while we know we can't have everybody do that here with us, you know, our goal as a staff is to help these guys to have a football life in one way, shape or form, and I hope that the players feel that they got the care, they got the coaching, they were challenged, they were encouraged, they were held accountable for different things to be able to help them in the future."

Jul 24, 2025; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales speaks to the media after practice at training camp. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

It's difficult to say with any certainty, but there are at least a few players who appear to have bombed their way through the preseason and therefore off of the roster. Third-string quarterback Jack Plummer, defensive end A'Shawn Robinson and kicker Matthew Wright are among them.

The biggest question facing Canales and GM Dan Morgan is what to do at wide receiver, where they have a surprise surplus of talented players for the first time in franchise history. In the past they have only carried six receivers, but there's a good case to carry seven - assuming one isn't David Moore.

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