Carolina Panthers announce 4 roster moves, including putting Ian Thomas on IR

General manager Dan Morgan reshapes the roster to begin Week 12 for the Panthers.

Tim Weaver | 4 Hours Ago

SPARTANBURG, SC - AUGUST 08: Carolina Panthers tight end Ian Thomas (80) during the NFL Carolina Panthers training camp on August 8, 2023, at Wofford College campus in Spartanburg, S.C. / (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

It's been a long five years for the Carolina Panthers at the tight end position since franchise legend Greg Olsen left for Seattle at the tail-end of his career. The team has finally seen some flashes of promise this season in the form of rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders, who's come on strong the last few weeks after going through some growing pains early on. However, the overall results at this position are still lagging pretty bad, and today's news probably won't help.

The team just announced four roster moves to begin Week 12, with the biggest headline being that veteran tight end Ian Thomas is headed to injured reserve with a calf injury. Thomas had already sat out the first month of the regular season with a calf issue. This move puts him on the sidelines for at least another four games. All together Thomas has posted three catches for seven yards. Thomas is playing out the final year of his contract for Carolina.

The Panthers also signed cornerback Caleb Farley off the practice squad to the active roster. Farley was out of elevations for the season and had shown promise at the nickel spot, which is where he's most-likely to play down the stretch.

Taking Farley's place on the practice squad will be defensive tackle Sam Roberts, a former sixth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots. He had appeared in 12 games over the last two seasons but only earned one start.

The Panthers also opened the 21-day practice window for outside linebacker Amare Barno, a sixth-round pick by Carolina in 2022. Barno has totaled two sacks in 24 games but has seen more action on special teams than on defense. He has been out for almost 11 months after tearing his ACL against Green Bay last season.