With 53-man rosters being finalized ahead of the NFL regular season, there is still a lot of movement and shaking around the league. From waiver wire pickups to trades to practice squad signees, there is a ton of movement. The latest move for the Carolina Panthers was picking up a wide receiver fresh off winning a Super Bowl.
Ainias Smith signed with the Panthers on Wednesday after being released by the Philadelphia Eagles in their final cuts. Smith is in his second year in the NFL after being drafted by the Eagles in the fifth round of the 2024 draft.
Smith played in seven games during the regular season, but was not active when the Eagles went on to win Super Bowl 59. The most action Smith saw last season was in Week 18 against the New York Giants, with most of the Eagles’ starters resting for the playoffs. In that game, Smith had four receptions for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Now, in Carolina, Smith is looking for a place to jump-start his career.
Promising Preseason
Ainias Smith, in his second NFL season, continued to make strides in training camp and the preseason. The previous season, he was limited in training camp due to an ankle injury, but this year, he was a full participant from the beginning. Smith had an up-and-down training camp this year, but showed promise.
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Reuben Frank detailed how, even though Smith did make the receiver battle competitive, he may have just been the victim of a numbers game.
“Smith had an up-and-down training camp but showed enough positives that he seemed to have a realistic shot to stick on the 53-man roster until the Eagles acquired former second-round wide receiver John Metchie III from the Texans on Aug. 17,” Frank said. “That changed the roster dynamic and even with Johnny Wilson — last year’s sixth-round receiver — out for the year, there just wasn’t room for Smith.”
Smith still put together a solid preseason showing as both a receiver and a returner. Smith totaled six catches for 40 yards and two touchdowns, and a 46-yard punt return. In Carolina, Smith will try to compete in a suddenly less crowded wide receivers room.
More Opportunity in Carolina
Ainias Smith may have had the opportunity to rejoin the Eagles’ practice squad, but he instead chose to sign with the Panthers’ practice squad. With the Eagles trading for John Metchie III and the emergence of undrafted free agent Darius Cooper, Smith was the odd man out. However, the Panthers offer Smith a better chance to compete for a role.
Adam Thielen was traded to the Minnesota Vikings, and veteran receiver Hunter Renfrow didn’t make the final cut.
Smith now has more of an opportunity to work his way onto the Panthers’ roster and secure the final receiver spot. Renfrow also could see himself back in the mix, as Panther head coach Dave Canales didn’t close the door on a possible return. Darin Gantt of Panthers.com had Canales’ thoughts on Renfrow.
“We’re just talking about everything right now,” Canales said. “I just want to be a part of his future, of what he wants to do. I just told him that, like in whatever capacity that is, whether it’s the 53 or practice squad, that was just kind of the conversations.”
Still, Smith will be given a fighting chance to make a role for himself in Carolina, whether that is as a returner or receiver.
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