Homecomings and Playing Former Teams for Patriots, Panthers

The New England Patriots host the Carolina Panthers tonight in the preseason opener for both teams. Some players on both squads have more familiarity with tonight’s opponents than others. Several members of each team were once signed with the other. In addition, two Carolina players will celebrate homecomings of sorts tonight in their game at Gillette Stadium.

New England’s roster two players who spent time with Carolina. The Panthers have three former Patriots on their roster. And four players are returning to New England, where they played either high school or college football tonight.

Former Panthers on New England

Both placekicker Joey Slye and offensive guard Michael Jordan spent time under contract with the Panthers.

Slye served as Carolina’s placekicker his first two seasons in the NFL (2020-2021). He converted 54 of 68 field goal attempts (79.4%) with a long of 56 yards. Slye made 64 of 71 extra-point attempts (90.1%). His 226 points are the third most for any kicker in Carolina Panthers franchise history. Slye is competing with Chad Ryland for the Patriots’ placekicker job in 2024.

Michael Jordan appeared in 11 games for Carolina in 2021, starting 10 at left guard. He played in all 17 games in 2022 but was no longer starting. After a year on the Green Bay Packers practice squad, Jordan signed with the New England Patriots this offseason.

Former Patriots on Carolina

The Panthers roster consists of three players who spent time with the New England Patriots.

Jacob Hollister played two seasons for New England Patriots (2017-2018) and won a championship as part of the Super Bowl 53 champions. He played in 23 games, amassing eight receptions for 94 yards. He has since had stints with the Seahawks, Jaguars, Vikings, Raiders, and now Panthers.

LaBryan Ray signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama in 2022. He spent his first NFL season on New England’s practice squad, never appearing in a game. After playing in the USFL the following year, he joined the Panthers. Ray appeared in all 17 games for Carolina at defensive tackle a year ago.

Nick Thurman spent the 2020 and 2021 seasons on the New England Patriots practice squad. They elevated him for seven games in 2021. He remained in New England through training camp in 2022 but was part of the final cuts. He signed with the Atlanta Falcons for that season, before joining the Carolina Panthers last year.

Homecomings for Four Players

Carolina Panthers safety Nick Scott began his career at Brookline High School in Brookline, Mass. Scott finished his scholastic career at Norfolk High School in Virginia before going on to play collegiately at Penn State.

Three of Scott’s Carolina teammates played collegiately in New England. All three are NFL rookies.

Jalen Coker signed with Carolina as an undrafted free agent after a productive college career at Holy Cross. Patriots Football Now posted a profile of Jalen Coker as he prepared to head to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He was projected to be a Day 3 pick and could stick with Carolina’s roster.

Bryant University edge defender Kenny Dyson was present at the New England Patriots local pro day for draft prospects back in April. Coker was present at that audition as well. Dyson received first-team All-Conference honors his final two seasons at Bryant.

Finally, UConn’s Jackson Mitchell rounds out the group of New England collegiate players coming to Foxboro on Thursday night. Like Coker and Dyson, Mitchell went undrafted in 2024 before signing with the Panthers. The linebacker, lie Dyson, is a Connecticut native.

Whether players are lining up against former teammates or returning to the region of their college football days, everyone on both the New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers will look to make a strong impression as preseason football gets underway at Gillette.