Barno (knee) is not participating in voluntary workouts Tuesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Barno finished out the 2023 campaign on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury Week 16 against the Packers. Although it's not clear what specifically the injury was or how much longer it may affect him, it appears to still be a big enough issue that the Virginia Tech product is not taking part in drills. Luckily, for the Barno and the Panthers, training camp is still about three months away.
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Panthers' Shaq Thompson: Back on field
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Thompson (lower leg) is participating during voluntary workouts Tuesday, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Thompson fractured his fibula Week 2 against the Saints, which sidelined the veteran linebacker for the remainder of the 2023 campaign. His ability to take part in drills Tuesday would suggest the 30-year-old has moved past the injury and is fully healthy as the Panthers begin early preparation for the upcoming season.
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Panthers' D.J. Wonnum: Still sidelined
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Wonnum (quadriceps) is missing voluntary workouts Tuesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Wonnum is still on the mend after surgery to repair his quadriceps, which he injured during Week 16 of last season. The South Carolina product inked a deal with the Panthers in March, so although it seems the franchise is not worried about his injury, it's not clear yet when he'll be ready to participate in the team's offseason programs.
Brown has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Panthers, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Per Schefter, Brown's four-year extension with Carolina is for $96 million and includes $63.165 million guaranteed. The 2020 first-rounder is coming off a 2023 regular season in which he racked up 103 tackles -- an NFL record for a defensive lineman -- to go along with 2.0 sacks and an interception in 17 games. By extending Brown, the Panthers retain a major piece in the middle of their defense for the next several years, a key move for a unit that no longer includes Brian Burns following his trade to the Giants in March.
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Panthers' Tae Davis: Back in Carolina
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Davis agreed to terms on a contract with the Panthers on Friday.
Davis will re-sign with Carolina, where he contributed as a key special-teams player across eight games last season. He also suited up for eight contests with the Falcons in 2023, taking all but one of his snaps on special teams.
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Bills' DeShawn Williams: Lands in Buffalo
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The Bills signed Williams to a one-year contract Thursday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Williams suited up for 16 regular-season games with the Panthers last season, a span in which he racked up 33 tackles (13 solo) and one sack. He stands to bolster Buffalo's defensive line as a depth piece for the 2024 season.
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Panthers' Sam Franklin: Returns to Carolina
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The Panthers re-signed Franklin to a one-year contract Wednesday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Franklin suited up for all 17 regular-season games with Carolina last season, finishing with 30 tackles (20 solo) and three passes defensed, including an interception which he returned for a 99-yard touchdown in Week 4 against the Vikings. He also played 310 snaps on special teams.
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Texans' CJ Henderson: Headed to Houston
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Henderson signed a one-year contract with the Texans on Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Henderson hasn't made the expected impact tied to his first-round draft capital, but he was a decent contributor in the Panthers' secondary for the last two seasons. He's likely to fill a similar depth role with the Texans, potentially taking the field in nickel or dime formations.
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Vikings' Kamu Grugier-Hill: Finds work with Minnesota
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Grugier-Hill agreed to a contract with the Vikings on Wednesday, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Grugier-Hill played for the Panthers last season, recording 56 combined tackles, one sack and one interception on 392 defensive snaps in 17 regular-season games. He'll likely be a depth option for Minnesota's linebacker corps in 2024.
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Vikings' Shaquill Griffin: Finds new home
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Griffin signed a contract with the Vikings on Tuesday, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.
Griffin finished his 2023 campaign with Carolina after being waived by the Texans in November. The veteran corner appeared in a total of 13 games between the two teams, making 39 tackles and defending four passes, including his first interception since 2020. A Pro Bowler in 2019, Griffin will bolster Minnesota's depth in the secondary.
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Bengals' Vonn Bell: Returns to Cincy
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Bell signed a one-year contract with the Bengals on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Bell played three seasons with Cincinnati before a one-year stay in Carolina, which saw him record 69 combined tackles and an interception in 2023 across 13 contests. The 29-year-old was released by the Panthers on Wednesday and agreed to take the minimum salary with the Bengals, as he's still getting $6 million guaranteed from his former team.
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Steelers' Donte Jackson: Going to Pittsburgh in trade
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The Steelers are set to acquire Jackson from the Panthers in the Diontae Johnson trade, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Jackson was on his way out of Carolina one way or another due to an elevated cap number. In Pittsburgh, he gives the Steelers an experienced corner to pair with 2023 second-rounder Joey Porter. The 55th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Jackson started 76 games across six seasons for the Panthers, picking off 14 passes.
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Commanders' Jeremy Chinn: Set to ink deal with Washington
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The Commanders and Chinn have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
The deal is worth up to $5.1 million, according to Jordan Schultz of BleacherReport.com. After playing at least 91 percent of the defensive snaps in each of his first three seasons, Chinn's role on defense was significantly scaled back in 2023. He saw action on just 39 percent of the defensive snaps in the 12 games in which he was healthy. Washington is a good change of scenery for Chinn, who will now get to work with defensive guru coach Dan Quinn and DC Joe Whitt.
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Commanders' Frankie Luvu: Joining Washington
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The Commanders plan to sign Luvu to a three-year, $36 million contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Luvu is coming off a career year in 2023 in which he recorded 125 tackles (66 solo), including 5.5 sacks. Now he's set to bolster a Commanders defense that ranked 27th against the run in 2023.
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Giants' Brian Burns: Traded to Giants, signing huge deal
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The Giants are acquiring Burns in a trade with the Panthers and signing him to a five-year contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The initial report has it as a $150 million contract, with the Giants sending second-and fifth-round picks to Carolina for the right to make Burns one of the highest-paid non-QBs in league history. The 2019 first-round pick has been both durable and consistent, recording at least 7.5 sacks every season while missing just three games. He's never had the kind of dominant campaign that other defenders with similar contracts have all produced, but it's possible that lies ahead with Burns heading into his age-26 campaign. It's also possible the contract numbers initially reported are inflated with incentives or other money that's unlikely to actually end up in his pocket. Either way, the Giants now have the fastest pair of edge rushers in the league with Burns (4.53 40) joining 2022 fifth overall pick Kayvon Thibodeaux (4.58), who had 11.5 sacks in 2023.
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Vonn Bell: Getting let go
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Bell is slated to be released by the Panthers ahead of the start of the new league year Wednesday.
Bell signed a three-year contract with Carolina last spring, but after one season, he'll now be looking for a new home. The veteran safety appeared in 13 games last season, recording 69 tackles (42 solo), two passes defended and an interception. His exit is expected to save the team only $1 million in 2024 cap space, according to Greg Auman of Fox Sports.
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Panthers' Troy Hill: Coming back to Carolina
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The Panthers are slated to re-sign Hill to a one-year contract, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Hill appeared in 16 games for Carolina last season, making three starts. Now heading into his age-33 season, Hill figures to continue contributing as a key rotational piece in the Panthers' cornerback room for the 2024 season.
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Panthers' Brian Burns: Gets franchise tag
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The Panthers gave Burns a franchise tag Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The tag is for $24 million and likely will serve as a bridge to either a new contract or a trade. Burns has recorded at least 7.5 sacks each year since the Panthers drafted him 16th overall in 2019, and he's missed only three games in five pro seasons.
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Panthers' Donte Jackson: Likely done in Carolina
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Jackson is expected to be released or traded by the Panthers before March 16, when he is due a $4 million roster bonus, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Jackson played 16 games last year in his sixth season with Carolina, but it appears the veteran corner will not spend his seventh NFL campaign with the franchise. He ended 2023 with 59 combined tackles, five passes defended and no interceptions. His release would save the team $5.9 million in cap space this offseason.
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Panthers' Jeremy Chinn: Worst season of career
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Chinn finished the regular season with 30 tackles (18 solo), including one sack, and one pass defended in 12 games.
Chinn's production has declined across each of his four NFL seasons, with his 2023 output marking a steep drop-off from his prior years. Although Chinn missed a handful of games while dealing with a quadriceps injury, the once-integral member of Carolina's defense was more of an afterthought this term. As a result, it wouldn't be surprising to see the 2020 second-round pick land elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
