On Sunday, the Panthers claimed three players; tight end Marcus Freeman from Baltimore, quarterback Matt Moore from Dallas and tackle Frank Omiyale from Atlanta.
Freeman, a rookie out of Notre Dame, is known mostly for his blocking ability. He started 11 out of 44 games in his collegiate career.
Matt Moore was a highly-coveted undrafted rookie free agent this past spring. Although he had a decent preseason with the Cowboys, (21-of-29 passes for 182 yards and one touchdown), Moore couldn't stick on the Cowboys' roster. Scouts liken him to a young Jake Delhomme; a lot of moxie and leadership qualities, but surpasses Delhomme's arm strength.
Falcon's coach Bobby Petrino decided the Frank Omiyale wasn't their type of offensive lineman. Petrino prefers beefeaters to technicians, which make Omiyale expendable. The Panthers viewed him as an upgrade to Rashard Butler, which led to them claiming Omiyale and waiving Butler.
In addition to waiving 2006 third-round pick Rashard Butler, the Panthers also released OL Will Montgomery and placed TE Michael Gaines on injured reserve on Sunday. Gaines injury is minor, and it's believed that the team is negotiating an injury settlement with the former 7th round pick who never lived up to his potential.
Monday brought more roster movement, as the Panthers tried to fortify their secondary by signing S Marquand Manuel and CB Dante Wesley.
Manual spent 2006 with the Green Bay Packers, starting all 16 games and totaling a career-high 103 tackles. Wesley, a former Panthers fourth-round draft pick, was traded from the Chicago to the New England early during training camp but never caught on and was released during final cuts. To make way for the signings, the Panthers released WR Chris Horn and CB Curtis Deloatch.
Later on Monday, the Panthers established their practice squad, signing WR Jason Carter, DT Gary Gibson, WR Chris Hannon, FB Billy Latsko, T Rueben Riley, TE Chad Upshaw and S C. J. Wilson.
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