Panthers place TE Ian Thomas (calf) on IR

The Carolina Panthers placed Ian Thomas on injured reserve Saturday and signed fellow tight end Feleipe Franks to the 53-man roster. Thomas will miss the team's next four weeks due to a calf injury. He has been sidelined by the injury since early in training camp. He previously had been ruled out for Carolina's season opener against the host New Orleans Saints. Thomas, 28, had five catches for 56 yards in 12 games (five starts) last season. He has 116 receptions for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns in 94 career games (52 starts) with the Panthers. Carolina signed both Franks and defensive tackle Jayden Peevy to the active roster from the practice squad. Franks, 26, is a converted tight end after playing the quarterback position at Florida. He threw an interception in his lone pass attempt in the NFL while playing for the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. Also on Saturday, the Panthers promoted running back Mike Boone and cornerback Lonnie Johnson from the practice squad. --Field Level Media