Veteran Carolina Panthers lineman retires suddenly after preseason practice
The Carolina Panthers’ summer-long roster churn took another turn on Tuesday, as longtime defensive lineman LaBryan Ray retired ahead of the team’s preseason opener in Canton, Ohio.
Read more Editorial: A censure isn’t enough. Congressman Chuck Edwards of NC should resign
Ray missed Tuesday’s practice with what head coach Dave Canales described as a “personal” matter. Later in the day, the Panthers listed Ray’s retirement among a handful of moves, which included a swap out of four wide receivers.
Ray, a former United States Football League (USFL) standout, originally signed with the Panthers in 2023. He played in 46 games (10 starts) over three seasons after making the team during defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s debut campaign in Carolina.
Ray produced 73 tackles and a sack as a rotational defensive lineman. Outside of Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Brown, Ray was the longest-tenured lineman on defense. He played in more games for Evero during his first three years as defensive coordinator than anyone else, including Brown and two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn.
“When you have a successful unit or a successful team, you’ve got to have guys like LaBryan,” Evero said in October. “Guys that do all the dirty work that people don’t notice but are so critical to success. And, you know, he gets in there, he plays the run game, he plays blocks, he’s physical, makes tackles. He hustles — he’s got a great, great play style about him. And there are so many times that he — you noticed the two tackles he made, obviously (against Miami) — but there’s so many significant things that he does in the game that really go unnoticed, that he’s made over the last couple of years with us.”
Ray, 28, was a member of the Alabama Crimson Tide when quarterback Bryce Young was maturing into a Heisman trophy-winning playmaker. After a stint in the USFL, he lived out his NFL dream in Charlotte.
“Adversity … is gonna come,” Ray told The Charlotte Observer last season. “It’s about how you respond and having belief in yourself — knowing that your team is also believing in you, coaches believe in you, too, so that gives you all the confidence that you (can) just go out there and play.”
Ray is a loss for continuity, especially with Turk Wharton (neck) sidelined on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Nose tackle Bobby Brown returned to practice Monday after nursing a hamstring injury throughout the first week of camp. He will join Derrick Brown in the starting lineup in 2026 with second-round pick Lee Hunter and second-year lineman Cam Jackson working into the main rotation. When Wharton returns, he will also have a role within that rotation.
Read more Crêpes, gelato and chocolate: Trendy dessert shop debuts at The Arboretum
Ray was competing with undrafted rookie Aaron Hall, second-year lineman Jared Harrison-Hunte, journeyman Elijah Garcia and recent signee Kyon Barrs for reps behind Derrick and Bobby Brown, Jackson and Hunter in practice. Garcia, the most experienced of the remaining depth group, played for Evero in Denver in 2022.
Hall, an undrafted rookie from Duke, had a strong spring, and he makes sense as a logical fit to replace Ray as a rotational defensive end. Harrison-Hunte, a 2025 holdover, could also emerge as an option, with Garcia likely to factor into the roster math before the cut deadline later this month.
The Panthers announced the additions of wide receivers Elijah Cooks and Roc Taylor on Tuesday after a workout. The team waived practice-squad holdover Ainias Smith and recently signed wideout Gabriel Benyard to make room.
Smith was waived with an injury designation, so he would revert to injured reserve if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
Cooks, 27, was an undrafted free-agent addition by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023. He has played for Jacksonville, Philadelphia and New Orleans since entering the league. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound wideout has produced three catches for 38 yards in 11 career NFL games. He also played for the Birmingham Stallions this past spring in the United Football League (UFL).
Taylor, 23, was originally signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers last offseason. He has yet to play in an NFL regular-season game. The 6-foot-2, 213-pound wideout played for the Colombus Aviators of the UFL in the spring.
Smith was with the Panthers throughout last season on the practice squad but never got elevated for a game. Benyard was among of a handful of additions last week following the first couple of practices of camp.
Read more Traffic stop ends with town’s mayor accused of drug trafficking, NC sheriff says
