CHARLOTTE — The Panthers continued to add to their practice squad Thursday by signing two more players, getting them to 15.
The team added quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Ainias Smith, leaving two spots on the practice squad open.
Hooker, a former third-round pick of the Lions out of Tennessee, gives the Panthers a third quarterback behind Bryce Young and Andy Dalton, after they parted ways with Jack Plummer and Bryce Perkins in initial cuts.
"Hendon Hooker is a guy that I loved in the process coming out of Tennessee, I had some great meetings with him," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said Wednesday. "He really impressed me as a man, and a really high character guy with a lot of talent. A beautiful motion, big strapping guy who can run. . . .
"I am very grateful that we get a player who's had professional training for a while now with certain protections and run game alerts and a lot of the different things that the offense that Detroit was able to build that I really admire, and to be able to bring a guy in who's had exposure. The talent and the character that I'm excited about, I'm glad he's going to be here."
Smith was a fifth-round pick of the Eagles in 2024 out of Texas A&M, who began the year on injured reserve but came back to play in seven games, with seven catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.
On Wednesday, they added the first 13 players to the practice squad, all of whom were here in training camp. They included linebacker Krys Barnes, cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, outside linebacker Boogie Basham, defensive end Jared Harrison-Hunte, offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston, linebacker Mapalo Mwansa, tight end Bryce Pierre, wide receiver Ja'seem Reed, cornerback Michael Reid, defensive tackle Sam Roberts, offensive tackle Michael Tarquin, safety Trevian Thomas, and offensive lineman Brandon Walton.
Mwansa does not count toward the normal 16-player limit, an exemption since he's part of the league's International Player Pathway program.
Last year, 13 of the 16 players on the practice squad in Week 1 were active for at least one game with the team.
Check out some of the top shots from Panthers practice on Wednesday.
