CHARLOTTE – The Panthers have brought back defensive tackle Kyle Love, who was a rotational player for Carolina last season, and added safety Michael Griffin, a nine-year veteran and two-time Pro Bowler. Both signed one-year contracts.
Carolina had two roster spots available after placing defensive end Ryan Delaire on injured reserve with a knee injury and waiving safety Marcus Ball.
Love will fill in for rookie defensive tackle Vernon Butler, who is expected to miss time with a high ankle sprain suffered against the Vikings. Love played 15 games and started twice for Carolina in 2015, recording three sacks and 19 tackles. He was released in the final roster cutdown entering the 2016 season.
Griffin, a former first-round draft pick, spent his first nine NFL seasons with the Tennessee Titans before being released in February. He signed with the Vikings in March but was placed on injured reserve with a back injury as a part of the final roster cutdown earlier this month and was released with an injury settlement a few days later.
The 31-year-old was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft out of Texas and was a standout throughout his time in Tennessee, recording 912 tackles and 25 interceptions. He was a Pro Bowler in 2008 when he snagged a career-high seven interceptions and again in 2010 when he recorded a career-high 153 tackles, and he remained productive in recent years. Last season, he recorded 100 or more tackles for the sixth time in seven years.
