CHARLOTTE — The Panthers added a couple of former All-Pros to the active roster, not the kind of thing you can always accomplish on New Year's Eve.
The team activated veteran return man Andre Roberts from injured reserve, and promoted cornerback Josh Norman from the practice squad (standard elevation), adding a combined 69 years to a young roster on Saturday.
The reinforcements come at some needed spots for Sunday's must-win game against the Buccaneers.
The Panthers are without cornerback Jaycee Horn, who had wrist surgery Tuesday, and has already been ruled out.
The Panthers have also been a little shaky on punt returns lately, and Roberts has the kind of big-play ability to make a difference.
The 34-year-old has been out since the opener with a knee injury. A three-time All-Pro pick, Roberts entered this season with 8,578 combined return yards, the most by any player since 2010.
They added him to the injury report (knee/illness) and listed him as questionable.
The 35-year-old Norman has been out of the league this year, and was signed to the practice squad Monday. He spent the 2021 season with the 49ers, starting 14 games and forcing a career-high seven fumbles.
Norman starred for the Panthers, of course, going from a fifth-round pick in 2012 to All-Pro status in 2015 under the tutelage of interim coach Steve Wilks. That means that he was also a key part of the 2014 playoff run (when the Panthers won their final four games to win the division at 7-8-1), as well as the 15-1 regular season in 2015 which led to a Super Bowl appearance.
The Panthers also promoted practice squad center Sam Tecklenburg to the active list this week (standard elevation), adding some depth since rookie backup Cade Mays (knee) was a late add to the injury report. He was listed as questionable
