Thursday night’s 19-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers marked the end of the 2025 preseason for the Carolina Panthers. And now that exhibition play is over, it’s time for the team to determine who they’ll be going to war with starting next week.

NFL teams will have until 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 26 to cut down their rosters to 53 players. The Panthers will have a little extra time to do so this year, seeing as though they were among the first up in Week 3 of the preseason.

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So as we wait for them to make their final adjustments, let’s come up with a forecast of our own.

Here are our projections for the Panthers’ initial 53-man roster . . .

Quarterbacks (2)

Jack Plummer may be one of head coach Dave Canales’ developmental projects and Bryce Perkins may have a pretty good story, but neither have done enough to make the Panthers carry three quarterbacks.

Running backs (3)

Between some impressive rushes in the preseason and his kick return prowess, Etienne was already in the lead for that No. 3 spot. But the fourth-rounder may have clinched it after his competitor, Raheem Blackshear, was left in a walking boot on Thursday night.

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Wide receivers (7)

Tremayne’s size (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) and ability to play special teams fit the bill of what this Carolina brass is looking for. Plus, being held out of the preseason finale due to “general body soreness” is probably a good sign—because “general body soreness” doesn’t seem like enough to keep a guy from winning a job.

Veteran David Moore might be the odd man out for now, as his history with Canales shouldn’t be able to trump Renfrow’s heralded separation skills and Horn’s dynamic speed.

Tight ends (3)

Tremble was activated from the physically unable to perform list on Thursday afternoon, just in time to keep him eligible for the Week 1 roster.

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Offensive linemen (9)

As opposed to 2024, when they kept 10 hog mollies, the Panthers could be fine with nine. The versatility of Christensen and Mays may go a long way for this room.

Defensive linemen (6)

Shy Tuttle wasn’t impressive in his first two years as a Panther and hasn’t done much this summer to inspire a ton of hope for his third. He gets beat to the punch by the fifth-rounder Jackson and the 2024 sixth-rounder Crumedy, who recorded three pressures in the first two preseason contests.

Outside linebackers (6)

Johnson can be deployed on special teams, and did flash at times on defense in 2024. The Panthers also might not want to give up on the third-rounder just yet, especially when they’re still trying to figure out their pass rush.

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Inside linebackers (5)

Barnes has started in 30 of his 68 career regular-season games. That experience should be valuable to a group that desperately needs it after the departure of Josey Jewell.

Cornerbacks (5)

The final spot here came down to Evans and undrafted rookie Michael Reid. The former’s NFL experience gives him the edge over the latter, who could still be stashed away on the practice squad.

Safeties (4)

Scott, to the chagrin of much of the Carolina faithful, might’ve won the starting job next to Moehrig. And if he has, having Ransom and Richardson as your depth ain’t too shabby.

Specialists (3)

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From charting Fitzgerald as the No. 2 kicker throughout the summer to giving him all the first cracks on the preseason field goal attempts, the Panthers might’ve been hoping the undrafted rookie would earn the job. And after going three-for-three on his 3-pointers, he has—beating out veteran journeyman Matthew Wright.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers initial 53-man roster projection following the 2025 preseason