We’re counting down the days until the Panthers kick off the 2024 season.
We work our way through the countdown to the start of the Carolina Panthers regular season. There are 35 days to go, so today belongs to #35 in your program, defensive back Clayton Isbell.
This countdown piece was originally going to be about Isbell, but the Panthers threw a wrench in that by releasing Isbell, signing Kiondre Thomas, and giving him the same 35. This proactive writer had already written about Thomas before the Panthers decided to release him the day before it was his turn in the countdown.
Isbell joined the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent after the 2024 Draft. He was waived a little over a week ago, but the Panthers had sellers remorse or something and brought him right back. He spent six years in college between three different schools—Illionis State, Utah, and Coastal Carolina. His most notable achievement came in his senior season at Coastal Carolina. In that season’s opener, he picked off UCLA quarterbacks three times in a losing effort. Those were his only three interceptions of the season.
Isbell faces an uphill battle to make the roster. He’s a safety that ran a 4.82 at his pro day. He’s kind of stuck as a tweener box safety/linebacker combination; not fast enough to be a pure safety and not strong enough to be a pure linebacker. He also just turned 24 years old yesterday, so he’s almost over the hill already.