Panthers sign former 1st-round pick to active roster

The Carolina Panthers finalized a strategic roster change ahead of their Week 17 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, officially signing former first-round pick Isaiah Simmons from the practice squad to the active roster. The team announced the move on Saturday, which comes after Simmons had already been elevated for three straight games, exhausting the maximum number of standard elevations allowed under NFL rules.

Simmons, the No. 8 overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, is now set to finish the 2025 regular season on Carolina’s 53-man roster. The 27-year-old linebacker has appeared in three games for the Panthers this season, recording one tackle while playing almost exclusively on special teams. Out of his 51 total snaps, 50 have come in the kicking game, and he has played just one defensive snap. His role on special teams has been substantial, with a 68 percent snap share.

The roster spot for Simmons was created by placing inside linebacker Trevin Wallace on injured reserve. Wallace, a 2024 third-round pick out of Kentucky, underwent season-ending shoulder surgery earlier this week. In 12 games this season, he posted 61 tackles, two sacks, and four passes defended while earning a 54.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. As a rookie in 2024, he appeared in 13 games with eight starts, finishing with 64 tackles, one sack, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

With Wallace out, Claudin Cherelus is likely to continue starting alongside Christian Rozeboom at inside linebacker. Now in his third NFL season, Cherelus has already made a career-high three starts in 2025 and is positioned to remain a first-team contributor for the final two weeks of the regular season and any potential postseason action.

Simmons’ signing also means Carolina now has two top-10 picks from the 2020 NFL Draft on their active roster, joining defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who was selected seventh overall in the same class. Simmons was drafted one spot after Brown by the Arizona Cardinals and spent the first three seasons of his career there. His most productive years came in 2021 and 2022, when he recorded 105 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles in 2021, followed by 99 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions in 2022.

After being traded to the New York Giants in 2023, Simmons served in a rotational role over two seasons before signing with the Green Bay Packers in April 2025. He was released during final roster cuts in August and remained unsigned until joining the Panthers’ practice squad on November 25.

Carolina enters Sunday’s game with an 8–7 record and a one-game lead in the NFC South following a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A victory over Seattle, combined with Tampa Bay’s loss or tie against the Miami Dolphins, would clinch the division title. If not, the Panthers will face the Buccaneers in a winner-take-all regular-season finale. The team has not reached the playoffs since 2017 and has not won the NFC South in the past decade.

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