CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — With injuries impacting their depth at wide receiver, the Carolina Panthers made a move to acquire wide receiver/returner Ihmir Smith-Marsette from the Kansas City Chiefs in a deal involving a swap of conditional 2025 seventh-round draft picks.
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Smith-Marsette is coming off a strong preseason where he was second in the league with 195 yards receiving on nine receptions. The 2021 fifth-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings averaged 21.7 yards per catch, including two 40-plus yard receptions while playing with Chiefs backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
With the NFL regular season fast approaching, the Panthers are dealing with injuries to three of their top five receivers. DJ Chark, Terrace Marshall Jr. and Laviska Shenault Jr. all sat out the preseason finale.
Smith-Marsette spent time with Minnesota and the Chicago Bears the past two seasons, catching five passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns in 2021. He had one catch for 15 yards last season.
He has returned five kickoffs for 100 yards.
The Panthers’ roster is at 80 players, meaning the team needs to make 27 moves to get down to 53 players by the 4 p.m. deadline today.
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