The Carolina Panthers worked out punter Drue Chrisman alongside long snapper Turner Bernard on Monday. But it seems like they are happy with the punter they have on the roster currently.
On the following day, the organization announced the signing of punter Ryan Winslow to the active roster. Winslow was added on the Panthers practice squad in Week 6 because of a back injury to punter Joseph Charlton.
In his debut against the Minnesota Vikings, Winslow, who is 27 years of age, kicked six punts for a net average of 40.7 yards per attempt. Three of those punts fell beyond the Vikings 20-yard line.
Winslow will be taking the roster spot of four-year veteran pass catcher Brandon Zylstra. He has been diagnosed with a hamstring injury that occurred in the loss to Minnesota, even though he did return to play in the second half of the game. The Panthers have placed Zylstra on injured reserve (IR), which means he will be out at least three weeks. An important special teams player, Zylstra also had eight receptions for 139 yards and a touchdown through the first six games of the season.
In a corresponding move, the Panthers resigned rusher Reggie Bonnafon to take Winslow’s place on the practice squad. Bonnafon has appeared in 18 games, all for the Panthers, over his three-year career. He originally came to Carolina as an undrafted free agent in 2018, but was let go during the final cut stage of training camp.
The Panther have had to do some juggling over the past several days. They placed running back Christian McCaffrey on injured reserve Saturday afternoon, giving their star running back three more weeks to recover from his recent hamstring injury. The decision was made after the team’s medical staff met Saturday to discuss the best course of action to get him fully healthy. He’ll be eligible to return as soon as Week 9 against the Patriots.
Carolina also placed rookie guard Deonta Brown on injured reserve. He left Friday’s practice with a knee issue. The sixth-rounder from Alabama was active for the first time last week. To replace him on the roster, they signed guard Michael Jordan from the practice squad.
