Confirmed Deal: Several reports this evening state that the Panthers have formally announced the addition of the Packers practice squad to the 53-man roster. However…

Messiah Swinson, who never caught a ball for Green Bay in the preseason, was snatched up by Carolina on Tuesday.

According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Carolina Panthers made a surprising move on Tuesday by signing former Green Bay Packers tight end Messiah Swinson off of the Packers’ practice squad to the Panthers’ 53-man roster. If you’re wondering who Swinson is, you’re not alone. The tight end was never higher than fifth on the Packers’ offseason depth chart, behind the three players who made Green Bay’s 53-man roster and veteran Tyler Davis, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve at cutdowns.

The 6’7” tight end originally signed with Green Bay as an undrafted free agent this April after playing for both Missouri and Arizona State during his college days. This preseason, Swinson just saw one target through the air and was unable to come down with that reception. During his whole college career, Swinson only managed to record 317 receiving yards over five seasons. Without having dug too deep into his film, I’m going to guess the near 260-pounder is more of a blocking tight end than a pass-catcher.

So one day before the Packers have to head out to South America to prepare for their Week 1 opener in Brazil, they’re down a tight end. Thankfully, none of the tight ends on their 53-man roster are featured on the injury report as of Tuesday. While Swinson was the lone tight end on Green Bay’s practice squad, the three the Packers are keeping on their 53-man roster should be enough to get them out of a game.

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Ex-Steelers WR Diontae Johnson Tries To Provide Clarity To Panthers Fans About His Controversial Past In Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin is a fan of saying the team wants “volunteers, not hostages.” Often called a players coach, many felt that Tomlin and the Steelers were all talk as they kept players who verbalized their unhappiness or displayed immature behaviors. Tomlin and the franchise have been criticized for allowing players with toxic behaviors to hang around.

This is especially true of the team’s wide receivers. From Antonio Brown’s early social media antics to JuJu Smith-Schuster dancing on opponents’ logos, the receivers have frustrated fans and the media. While the Steelers let both Brown and Smith-Schuster depart the team, they seemed to speed up their effort to improve attitudes after the 2023 season with Diontae Johnson. One thing is quite clear: teams are willing to put up with a lot more if the player in question has talent nearing Brown’s level. While Johnson was solid, he wasn’t the same caliber as Brown.