The Panthers have been playing with a short deck all season thanks to a slew of injuries. This week, veteran defensive tackle Kawann Short suffered another season-ending shoulder injury and has been placed on injured reserve. That opened up a spot on the active roster, which will be filled by wide receiver Keith Kirkwood, who has been activated.
Kirkwood spent the first two seasons of his career with the Saints, where he posted 13 catches, 209 yards and two touchdowns during the 2018 campaign. He only played 17 snaps last year due to injury.
While it’s unlikely Kirkwood will make a big impact on Carolina’s offense, he does offer more depth at an important position. He should also be plenty familiar with offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s concepts from their time together in New Orleans.
We project Kirkwood to be the team’s fifth wide receiver behind Robby Anderson, D.J. Moore, Curtis Samuel and Seth Roberts.
The team also promoted defensive tackle Woodrow Hamilton and defensive end Austin Larkin from the practice squad.
