Omar

Bayless

Kirkwood, rushed to the hospital after taking a nasty cheap shot during Carolina’s training camp in early August, had signed a one-year deal with the Panthers after playing in one game in 2020. Carolina also released WR Omar Bayless on Tuesday. Carolina’s receivers (for now) are D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, Terrace Marshall, David Moore, Brandon Zylstra, and Shi Smith.

Rhule said that the team won’t be able to put a timetable on his recovery until the surgery. Bayless wasn’t guaranteed a roster spot and this injury is going to hurt his chances even more. A late breakout at Arkansas State, Bayless dropped a 93/1,655/17 receiving line as a senior after a quiet handful of seasons. Bayless doesn’t have special teams versatility so the valuable reps he’s missing with the offense while recovering might push him to the practice squad once he returns.

Bayless’ (6'1/212) production skyrocketed as a senior, exploding from 83/1,114/9 receiving through his first three years at Arkansas State to 93/1,655/17 in his last year alone. His 127.2 receiving yards per game in 2019 also led the nation ahead of LSU 2021 prospect Ja’Marr Chase’s (127.1), albeit against Sun Belt competition. While that elite production is nothing to scoff at, Bayless’ sluggish 40-time (4.62) and underwhelming 20-yard shuttle (4.5-second) from the Combine are traits that won’t allow him to evade NFL corners as he did in his own conference. It’s truly a wonder how long Bayless can make it with the Panthers considering he doesn’t offer special teams value.