CHARLOTTE – Thirty-six tryout players put their best foot forward over the weekend at the Panthers' rookie minicamp.
Monday, eight of them got their foot further in the door.
The Panthers signed eight of the participants to their 90-man roster, giving them the opportunity to move forward with the team as offseason workouts continue. The team inked defensive tackle Linden Gaydosh, wide receivers Brenton Bersin, Taulib Ikharo (pictured) and R.J. Webb, tight end Logan Brock, center Brian Folkerts, linebacker Ben Jacobs and defensive end Louis Nzegwu.
Carolina signed a ninth tryout player Wednesday, adding punter Jordan Gay to the roster.
Also on Monday, the Panthers waived a pair of veterans – defensive end Thomas Keiser and offensive lineman Zack Williams – as well as undrafted rookie free agents Damario Jeffery and Trey Diller.
"Thank you fans for all the love and support over the past two seasons," Keiser said via his Twitter account. "You were great to play for."
Keiser and Williams both were rookies in 2011. Keiser moved up from the practice squad midseason as an undrafted rookie and recorded four sacks and an interception in eight games. He was limited by an elbow injury last season and played in just four games before being placed on injured reserve.
Williams, a sixth-round draft pick, could never gain any traction thanks to a pair of major knee injuries, appearing in just one game. He suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during training camp as a rookie and sustained the same injury to his right knee in pregame warmups last season at San Diego.
Gaydosh, a 6-3, 314-pounder, was the No. 1 overall pick in the Canadian Football League draft earlier this month. Bersin, a Charlotte native who played collegiately at Wofford College, attended training camp with Carolina in 2012. Webb is a South Carolina native who played at Furman.
