Panthers release former Alabama prep star, Tide lineman

Panthers release former Alabama prep star, Tide lineman

Guard Deonte Brown battled back from a knee injury to play 29 offensive snaps in the Carolina Panthers’ final game of the 2021 season.

But Brown has not played in a regular-season contest since that 41-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Jan. 9, 2022, and on Tuesday, Carolina announced it had released Brown from its practice squad.

An All-State selection at Austin High School in Decatur in 2014 and 2015, Brown joined the Panthers in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft from Alabama’s undefeated CFP national-championship team.

After Brown made his debut with five special-teams plays in a 21-18 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 10, 2021, he sustained a knee injury in practice the next week that landed him on injured reserve.

Brown returned for one offensive snap and three special-teams plays in a 29-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 12, 2021, before he got his opportunity to work at guard in the season finale.

At the end of the preseason in 2022 and 2023, Brown was waived by the Panthers as they reduced their preseason roster to the regular-season limit of 53 active players. In each instance, Carolina quickly re-signed Brown for its practice squad.

But he did not play in an NFL regular-season game in either season.

Also on Tuesday, the Panthers waived guard Calvin Throckmorton, who had started seven games for Carolina this season.

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