Injuries have once again forced the Carolina Panthers to adjust their roster with the additions of a quarterback and safety on Tuesday.
With Jimmy Clausen still recovering from a concussion, Brian St. Pierre suffering from soreness in his throwing shoulder and Tony Pike the only healthy quarterback on the roster, the Panthers signed Keith Null to the practice squad.
Carolina also signed safety Gerald Alexander to the active roster as a result of injuries to Marcus Hudson (ankle) and Jordan Pugh (hamstring).
Null (6-4, 220 pounds) started the last four games for the St. Louis Rams as a rookie in 2009 and completed 73-of-119 passes for 566 yards and three touchdowns with nine interceptions. Drafted in the sixth round (196th overall) from West Texas A&M by the Rams, he did not play in three games and served as the inactive third quarterback for nine others prior to becoming the starter when injuries sidelined Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller.
St. Louis waived Null, 25, in the final roster cutdown in September after he completed 17-of-37 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown with one interception during the preseason. He subsequently had two stints on the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad this season.
A two-year starter at West Texas A&M, Null set school records with 9,769 yards and 92 touchdowns on 793-of-1,174 passing. While with the Buffaloes, he teamed with injured Panthers wide receiver Charly Martin.
In his fourth NFL season, Alexander (6-2, 209 pounds) has played in 39 games with 30 starts for the Jaguars and Detroit Lions. He has posted 169 tackles, two sacks, four interceptions, 13 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery to go along with 11 special teams stops.
Alexander, 26, was waived by Jacksonville prior to the start of the 2010 campaign but was re-signed by the Jaguars on Sept. 27. He started three games at free safety and recorded 16 tackles and three passes defensed before being waived on Oct. 19.
Acquired by Jacksonville in a trade with Detroit during the 2009 offseason, Alexander played in 15 games with 10 starts for the Jaguars and produced 58 tackles and two interceptions while sharing the team lead with three forced fumbles.
Originally selected in the second round (61st overall) from Boise State by the Lions in 2007, Alexander started all 16 games as a rookie and compiled 82 tackles and two interceptions. He played in the first five games in 2008 but suffered a fractured vertebra and missed the remainder of the season.
To make room for Alexander, the Panthers waived wide receiver Devin Thomas. Claimed off waivers from the Washington Redskins on Oct. 11, he played in one game - returning three kickoffs for 63 yards versus the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday - and was inactive for four games.
Additionally, Carolina placed linebacker Sean Ware on practice squad injured reserve with a sports hernia. Since Nov. 1, the Panthers have made 22 roster transactions.
