The Carolina Panthers rearranged their defensive line depth Monday, signing veteran defensive end Henry Anderson and releasing second-year defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon.
Anderson, 6-foot-6 and 301 pounds, contributed as a run stopper for six seasons with the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets. He totaled 167 combined tackles and 44 quarterback hits.
He then spent most of last season on the New England Patriots Patriots’ injured reserve list after tearing his pectoral muscle in Week 4. Unfortunately, that wasn’t his only recent battle with injury.
Late last month, Anderson was the recipient of a nasty hit from former Panthers safety Kenny Robinson during the teams’ joint practices. During 53-man roster cuts, Robinson was waived, signed to the practice squad and cut from the practice squad because of his role in two fights during those practices.
To make room for Anderson, the Panthers released Nixon, who showed flashes of promise before sustaining a season-ending injury last season. Nixon, a former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, suffered a knee injury in practice last October, causing him to land on injured reserve. The former fifth-round draft pick should attract some interest from teams looking to bolster the interior of their defensive line.
