CHARLOTTE – Wide receiver Kaelin Clay is back with the Panthers.
The Panthers on Tuesday claimed Clay off waivers from the Bills. To make room for Clay, the Panthers placed safety Demetrious Cox on injured reserve with an ankle injury that has sidelined him the last three games.
Back on roster cutdown day (September 2), the Bills traded with Carolina for Clay and a 2019 seventh-round draft choice, sending cornerback Kevon Seymour to the Panthers in exchange. Seymour has played in all seven games for the Panthers so far this season, playing a significant role on defense over the past month.
Clay was considered a longshot to make the roster when the Panthers signed him in April, but he made his case by pacing Carolina with 126 receiving yards in the preseason. Noted for his straight-line speed and shiftiness, Clay made the roster but made sense as a tradable commodity with speedster Damiere Byrd also on the roster. Byrd was placed on injured reserve October 3 with an arm injury.
Clay, selected in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Buccaneers, spent his rookie year with the Ravens and made a splash as a kick returner. Out of football in 2016, Clay recorded the first regular season reception of his career in Week 3 – his lone reception in four games with the Bills.
