Dave Canales breaks down Panthers’ roster timedown timeline

The Carolina Panthers are making some tough choices regarding their roster, as the 2026 NFL season is set to begin. Panthers head coach Dave Canales says the roster will be trimmed in the days ahead. The goal is to make sure Carolina has the best possible group together for Week 1 of the season.

“They’ll be in waves. We’ll start tomorrow (Saturday) with some guys,” Canales said, per ESPN. “….the trickiest part with the practice squad is that you are limited to how many veteran players you can keep.”

Dave Canales on timeline for roster moves this weekend: pic.twitter.com/47Cqwt38O5

— John Ellis (@1PantherPlace) August 29, 2026

Carolina defeated the Houston Texans in a preseason game on Friday, 16-13. The Panthers now await the start of the regular season. Carolina’s first regular season game is against the Chicago Bears on September 13.

Carolina is now expected to make some tough decisions, regarding several key areas.

“(Quarterback is) another decision. You talk about (running back) AJ Dillon, who had a great camp. Do you keep three quarterbacks? Four running backs?” Canales said, per The Athletic. “How do you keep all these numbers — seven receivers, eight receivers that we’re talking about? The loaded tight end room of guys that we trust.

“So yeah, we got our work cut out for us in the next couple days.”

The Panthers had a successful 2025 season under Canales. Carolina won just eight games, but that was enough for the team to make the NFL Playoffs. That was a success for the Panthers who had been struggling before Canales took over the team.

Time will tell how these Panthers fare in 2026. Canales has coached the team since 2024. Carolina is still looking for its first Super Bowl title as a NFL franchise.

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