Undrafted free agents are draft eligible players who weren’t selected in the seven-round draft in April. As soon as the draft concludes, those players essentially become free agents and are free to sign what whichever team they choose and can reach a deal with. The Panthers currently have seven players on the roster who began their career as UDFAs. They are: wide receiver Adam Thielen (who technically began as a tryout player and signed a UDFA contract after rookie minicamp with the Vikings in 2013), running back Rico Dowdle who was first signed by the Cowboys in 2020, defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton who signed with the Chiefs in 2020, linebacker Christian Rozeboom who started with the Rams in 2020, and three Panthers grown UDFAs, longsnapper JJ Jansen, receiver Jalen Coker and safety Demani Richardson. All seven have been starters or major contributors on their respective teams.
