Panthers sign 10 to practice squad

CHARLOTTE - Safety Robert Lester and wide receiver Tavarres King are among 10 players rejoining the Panthers as members of their practice squad.

Both were on the Panthers' 53-man roster for parts of last season. Lester, as an undrafted rookie in 2013, spent the first two games on the team's practice squad before joining the active roster and playing in 12 games with four starts. King, selected by the Denver Broncos in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft, was claimed off waivers by the Panthers midway through last season. He was inactive for each of the final 10 games of the regular season.

In addition, Carolina signed four rookies to the practice squad - cornerback Carrington Byndom, linebacker Adarius Glanton, wide receiver Marcus Lucas and running back Darrin Reaves.

Lester and former Appalachian State linebacker D.J. Smith, the most experienced player on the practice squad, were eligible thanks to new rules announced earlier in the month. In addition to an expansion of the practice squad from eight to 10 players, each team is now allowed to sign a maximum of two players to the practice squad who have earned no more than two accrued seasons of free agency credit. Previously, no player with one or more accrued seasons was eligible for the practice squad unless the player spent fewer than nine games on the 46-player gameday roster in each accrued season.