Carolina Panthers release tight end Ryan Izzo

The Carolina Panthers released former Florida State tight end Ryan Izzo on Wednesday afternoon, per Ari Meirov of Pro Football Focus. The move was expected, since Izzo’s signing was likely just a temporary move for training camp.

The franchise added two tight ends last Thursday night on August 11th, signing Ryan Izzo and Nate Becker. Izzo was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The former Florida State product spent time with the Texans, Giants, Seahawks, and Titans, before joining the Panthers. Izzo has hauled in 19 catches in his NFL career for 313 receiving yards and a touchdown.

Becker spent pieces of the last three seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He only made an appearance in one regular season game. He played his college football with the Miami Redhawks.

The Panthers made the additions because their tight end depth chart is severely lacking and that’s an understatement. Starter Ian Thomas had to miss time recently with a rib injury he suffered. Colin Thompson had to miss time with a calf injury. Josh Babicz suffered an injury about a week ago. And then to top it all off, Stephen Sullivan has had to miss time dealing with a personal issue.

Izzo was likely just brought on the team as a temporary replacement, while some of their other tight ends got healthy. Now, his short-lived tenure (less than a week) with the Panthers’ franchise is over.

As a high school prospect, Ryan Izzo was rated as a three-star recruit in the 2014 cycle, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings. During his four years with the Florida State Seminoles, he hauled in 54 total catches for 761 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Prior to the 2017 season, he was named to the John Mackey Award watch list, given to the nation’s best tight end.

The Carolina Panthers‘ next preseason game is against the New England Patriots. That one is slated for Friday, August 19th and kickoff is slated for 7:00 PM EST.