After the Carolina Panthers reduced their preseason roster to the regular-season limit of 53 players by Tuesday’s deadline, linebacker Chandler Wooten had made the team.

The same thing for defensive end Terrell Lewis with the Chicago Bears.

But on Wednesday, both players were on the NFL waiver wire.

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What happened?

Between the initial roster deadline on Tuesday afternoon and the waiver-claim deadline of 11 a.m. CDT Wednesday, the Panthers claimed three players who had been let go by other teams in the roster reduction. The Bears picked up two.

That meant three players had to be let go by Carolina and two by Chicago to keep their rosters at 53 players. Among those cuts were Wooten and Lewis.

Wooten began the 2022 NFL season on the Panthers’ practice squad as an undrafted rookie from Auburn. He wound up getting on the field for 145 special-teams plays in nine games.

Lewis is a former third-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams from Alabama. He played in 30 games across three seasons with the Rams. Lewis signed with Chicago on Dec. 24 after being let go by Los Angeles, but he didn’t get into a game with the Bears before the 2022 campaign ended.

Chicago parted ways with Lewis even though he recorded three sacks, including two strip-sacks, in the preseason, and the Bears recorded the fewest sacks in the NFL in 2022.

Wooten and Lewis were waived. They can be claimed by other teams until 3 p.m. CDT Thursday. If they aren’t claimed, they become free agents at that time.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.