CHARLOTTE -- The Carolina Panthers filled out their roster prior to the start of practice this morning by adding cornerback Curtis Deloatch.
The 26-year-old cover man played in six games last year before blowing out his left knee (torn ACL) against Indianapolis. Prior to that, he had played with the New York Giants and New Orleans. With the Giants, he played under Panthers secondary coach Tim Lewis, who was defensive coordinator there.
Always known as a speed guy, Deloatch will have to fight for a roster spot with players such as Dante Wesley, Ricardo Colclough and others.
The Panthers now have 89 players on the roster, and most of them are expected on the field when they open what's expected to be three weeks' worth of organized team activities (OTAs) today at Bank of America Stadium.
First-round pick Jonathan Stewart couldn't practice because of a league rule that keeps players from colleges on the quarter system from participating until their class graduates. Of course, Stewart's toe surgery was going to keep him off the field until training camp anyway, so the rule didn't matter in his case. Oregon teammate Geoff Schwartz, one of their seventh-round picks, can work since he finished his degree.
The Panthers hope to get some of the injured players who missed minicamp earlier this month back on the field (including first-round tackle Jeff Otah), and they expect quarterback Jake Delhomme to gradually increase his workload. Delhomme, coming off reconstructive elbow surgery last fall, did some limited throwing but might take a few snaps over the next three weeks before his expected return during training camp.
