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Panthers Claim Offensive Lineman, Waive Former Fourth-Round Pick
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- Panthers Claim Offensive Lineman, Waive Former Fourth-Round Pick
The Carolina Panthers continue to churn the bottom of the roster.
After making the necessary moves to get down to 53 players on Sunday, the team had a few more things to take care of on Monday. With so many players getting released around the league, teams had a chance to claim any of them.
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The Panthers ended up claiming one player, interior offensive lineman Corey Bullock . In response, the team parted ways with former fourth-round pick Chandler Zavala , who had a disappointing summer.
Bullock In, Zavala Out: What it Means
The Panthers kept 10 offensive linemen on the initial roster, which was a bit surprising. Most teams usually make it work with only eight or nine linemen, and as mentioned above, Zavala wasn't exactly impressive.
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It seemed like Zavala would be bumped off if the team claimed somebody, and that's exactly what happened. Now, the team will slide Bullock into that backup guard role.
Bullock originally went undrafted in 2024 and latched on with the Baltimore Ravens . The offensive lineman dominated in his first preseason in the league, and he had been on the Ravens from then until this weekend.
In 2025, Bullock played in 16 games for the Ravens. The guard earned a solid 69.6 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus , albeit in a very small sample size. Bullock impressed in the 2026 preseason, as well, as he allowed just three pressures in 58 snaps.
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Bullock is also interesting because he has experience at guard, tackle, and center. He's also still just 24, so there's potential he can still develop into something more.
Meanwhile, Zavala will now look to find a new NFL team. The guard started 14 games for the Panthers over three seasons with mixed results. In 2025, Zavala earned a poor 43.5 overall grade in 212 snaps.
Zavala's struggles continued this preseason, as his performance against the Bills was especially bad. Zavala is still just 27, though, so he should still get a look from another team, considering there are plenty of offensive line-needy teams.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Aug 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
