Anthony Rizzuti, Panthers Wire
Wed, May 6, 2026 at 10:47 PM UTC
Panthers granted roster exemption through NFL’s IPP on Wednesday
The Carolina Panthers completed a roster adjustment on Wednesday.
Per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer, the team has designated linebacker Mapalo “Maz” Mwansa as their NFL International Player Program (IPP) exemption for the 2026 offseason. As a result, the 22-year-old English-born defender will not count against Carolina’s 90-man roster.
Mwansa—a member of Nottingham Caesars, a British American football club, and England’s national team for the 2024 European championships—signed with the Panthers in April of 2025 through the IPP. He would appear in all three of the Panthers’ preseason outings later that summer, recording 14 snaps on defense and 17 on special teams.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pounder was also in the news last Wednesday, as he was selected in the first round of the Canadian Football League’s 2026 Global Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
His IPP designation has cleared up a spot for the Panthers—who are currently carrying 74 players on their active roster, seven draft picks and 11 reported undrafted free-agent signees.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers granted roster exemption for LB Mapalo Mwansa on Wednesday