The Panthers have to cut their roster down from 80 to 53 players by tomorrow at 4:00 eastern time. Coach Matt Rhule told reporters on Thursday that some cuts may be coming today, though. While there’s nothing official, this tweet by undrafted rookie wide receiver Omar Bayless could be an indication that he’s going to be one of them.
ONE DAY. Everything will all make sense in the end. I promise u. Story’s unfolding, it’s all a part of the journey 🖤 Thank you God pic.twitter.com/iYtkNIwmNs
— Omar Bayless (@omar_bayless) September 4, 2020
Bayless doesn’t spell anything out here, but this is a pretty typical inspirational kind of tweet players usually share when they either get cut or suffer a serious injury.
While he had a strong start to training camp, Bayless has been out for a few weeks due to swelling in his knee which required surgery. Carolina placed him on injured reserve August 26. His recovery time is supposed to be only a couple of weeks. However, every rep was critical this offseason due to having no preseason games and Bayless’ absence at practice could definitely cost him a roster spot.
Originally we were projecting Bayless would take the team’s seventh and last wide receiver spot. Now, it’s looking more like they will only carry six.
There’s always a chance the Panthers will bring Bayless back, though. His size and catch radius make him a unique receiving option. Greg Olsen used to be the team’s best red zone target. Now that he’s in Seattle, Carolina needs somebody to fill that void.
Ian Thomas hasn’t proven he can be a reliable receiver yet and the other wideouts on the roster are all relatively small compared to Bayless. The fact that Teddy Bridgewater has been talking up Chris Manhertz as a potential red zone target says a lot about his total lack of options.
Even if there’s no room for him on the 53, Bayless would be an excellent candidate for the practice squad.
