Panthers' Deven Thompkins: Expected to operate as top returner
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Thompkins will serve as the Panthers' top return man during Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official website reports.
With Raheem Blackshear (chest) unavailable, Thompkins' role is set to increase. Thompkins totaled 327 kick-return and 234 punt-return yards for the Buccaneers last season, and he had 46 kick-return and 15 punt-return yards in place of Blackshear last week.
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Panthers' Deven Thompkins: Records short reception in loss
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Thompkins played 11 of the Panthers' 71 snaps on offense and hauled in his lone target for a seven-yard reception in Sunday's 22-16 loss to the Eagles.
Thompkins also contributed in the return game for the first time all season, bringing back two kickoffs for 46 yards and one punt for 15 yards. The increased involvement on special teams came after Raheem Blackshear (chest) exited early with an injury that could affect his availability for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, but the Panthers could choose to use the newly signed Velus Jones as their return man over Thompkins if Blackshear isn't available. Meanwhile, Thompkins' role on offense will likely remain muted with fellow receivers Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker (quadricep) and David Moore comfortably ahead of him on the depth chart.
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Panthers' Deven Thompkins: Catches three passes vs. Chiefs
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Thompkins caught all three of his targets for 13 yards in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Chiefs.
Thompkins had his best game of the season in Sunday's narrow loss, catching his first three passes of the year for 13 yards, which ranked fourth among Carolina's wide receivers. The Utah State product has appeared in just three games this season, also having recorded one carry for minus-2 yards. He's expected to continue serving as a depth piece in the Panthers' wide receiver room as the season progresses.
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Panthers' Deven Thompkins: Signed to Panthers' active roster
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Carolina signed Thompkins from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Thompkins will fill the spot on the Panthers' 53-man roster that was vacated by Miles Sanders, who was placed on injured reserve Saturday due to an ankle injury. Thompkins has played 14 snaps on offense across two regular-season games and rushed for minus-2 yards on one carry in Week 9 against the Saints.
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Panthers' Deven Thompkins: Elevated for Week 10
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The Panthers elevated Thompkins from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
Thompkins will be elevated for a second straight game and will be on the Panthers' active roster for Sunday's game against the Giants. Thompkins played eight snaps on offense in Week 8 against the Saints and turned his lone carry into minus-2 yards.
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Deven Thompkins: Reverts to practice squad
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Thompkins reverted to the Panthers' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.
The wide receiver was elevated for Sunday's 23-22 win over the Saints and played on eight of 53 offensive snaps, recording one carry for minus-2 yards. David Moore (46 snaps), Xavier Legette (44 snaps), Jalen Coker (24 snaps) and Jonathan Mingo (15 snaps) all played more than Thompkins in the first game since Carolina traded Diontae Johnson and with Adam Thielen (hamstring) still on injured reserve. Thompkins caught 22 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown across 2022 and 2023 with Tampa Bay.
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Deven Thompkins: Gets another opportunity
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Thompkins (hamstring) signed with the Panthers' practice squad Monday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
Thompkins joined Carolina in July after being waived by Tampa Bay. However, he suffered a hamstring injury that ultimately led to him receiving an injury settlement with the team and being let go. Now healthy, the Utah State product will receive a second chance with the Panthers and bolster the organizational depth at wide receiver.
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Panthers' Deven Thompkins: Reverts to IR
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Thompkins (hamstring) reverted to the Panthers' injured reserve list Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Thompkins signed with Carolina in July but was waived/injured Sunday due to a lingering hamstring issue. He's since cleared waivers and will miss the entire 2024 season unless he and the Panthers reach an injury settlement.
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Deven Thompkins: Waived by Carolina
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Thompkins (hamstring) was waived/injured by the Panthers on Sunday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
The wide receiver can be claimed by another team until Monday morning. If he goes unclaimed, he will revert to injured reserve and would need to reach an injury settlement with Carolina to play this season. Thompkins signed with the Panthers in late July after getting waived with an injury settlement by the Buccaneers in June.
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Panthers' Deven Thompkins: Inks deal with Carolina
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Thompkins (hamstring) signed with the Panthers on Thursday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
The Buccaneers waived Thompkins with an injury settlement in early June, and now that he's past his hamstring issue, the third-year wide receiver has decided to follow his former offensive coordinator, Dave Canales, to Carolina. Thompkins has served primarily as a return man during his time in the NFL, so he'll likely be competing with Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Raheem Blackshear for the the Panthers' top kick and punt returner spots as the offseason progresses.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Placed on injured reserve
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Thompkins (hamstring) reverted to IR on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Thompkins will now likely miss the 2024 campaign with his shift to injured reserve. However, if he can reach an injury settlement with the Buccaneers, he'd be free to find an opportunity elsewhere once he can prove himself healthy.
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Deven Thompkins: Waived with injury designation
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The Buccaneers waived Thompkins (undisclosed) with an injury designation Thursday, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Thompkins was re-signed to a one-year deal with Tampa Bay in March after appearing in all 17 of its regular-season contests and two postseason games in 2023, but he's now dealing with an apparent injury that could sideline him for the season. If the wide receiver clears waivers, he'll likely revert to the Buccaneers' injured reserve ahead of the 2024 campaign.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Multiple roles in wild-card win
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Thompkins secured his only target for four yards, rushed once for 10 yards, returned one kickoff for 27 yards and ran back two punts for 24 yards in the Buccaneers' 32-9 wild-card win over the Eagles on Monday night.
Thompkins was active in the return game as usual, but he also was able to enjoy some sporadic offensive participation. The second-year speedster did record a career-high 17 receptions in the regular season, but his primary value is almost certainly going to come as a returner in Sunday's divisional-round road matchup versus the Lions.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: One reception in Week 18 win
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Thompkins brought in his only target for one yard in the Buccaneers' 9-0 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Thompkins didn't see any return opportunities for a change, but he was able to record a catch for the second straight game to close out the regular season. The second-year speedster wrapped up the 2023 campaign with new career highs in receptions (17), receiving yards (83) and targets (25) while also scoring his first NFL touchdown. However, Thompkins' primary value heading into the postseason is on special teams, as he finished the regular season with 561 total return yards.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: One touch from scrimmage in win
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Thompkins rushed once for minus-one yard and returned one punt for 13 yards in the Buccaneers' 34-20 win over the Packers on Sunday.
Thompkins failed to draw a target for the second straight game and went without a catch for the fourth time in the last five contests overall. The Utah State product did see his snaps from scrimmage climb back into double digits (11), but with Trey Palmer and David Moore clearly ahead of him in the pecking order, there's no realistic path for Thompkins to make any meaningful offensive contributions for the time being.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Limited to returns in win
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Thompkins did not draw a target but returned one kickoff for 29 yards and two punts for 26 yards in the Buccaneers' 29-25 win over the Falcons on Sunday.
Thompkins failed to draw so much as one look in the passing attack for the second time in three games, and he went without a catch for the third time in the last four. He did continue to put together a strong body of work as a punt returner, however, pushing his average in that capacity to 9.2 yards on 21 opportunities. Heading into a Week 15 road battle versus the Packers, Thompkins' fantasy value continues to be limited to very deep leagues that also count return yardage.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Limited to return duties again
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Thompkins was not targeted over nine snaps but returned three kickoffs for 54 yards and ran back three punts for 22 yards in the Buccaneers' 39-37 loss to the Texans on Sunday.
Thompkins was once again way behind No. 3 wideout Trey Palmer (48 snaps) in terms of playing time and logged just one more snap than fellow reserve Rakim Jarrett, although the latter joined Thompkins in going without a target. The diminutive Thompkins does have 13 receptions on the campaign, but he's now gone without a target in back-to-back games and only carries fantasy value in deep formats that count return yards.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Three grabs in Week 7 loss
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Thompkins brought in all three targets for 14 yards, returned two kickoffs for 50 yards and ran back one punt for three yards in the Buccaneers' 16-13 loss to the Falcons on Sunday.
Thompkins' involvement in the offense ticked back up slightly after he'd posted just two receptions for minus-2 yards Week 6, and he also continued to offer solid production as a kick returner. He logged two more plays from scrimmage (19) than fellow complementary receiver Rakim Jarrett (17), and the former has been the more consistent of the two by far through the first six games.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Minimal role on offense in loss
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Thompkins brought two of four targets for minus-2 yards, rushed once for five yards and ran back three kickoffs for 55 yards in the Buccaneers' 20-6 loss to the Lions on Sunday.
Thompkins' statistical and playing time downturn was a big disappointment after he'd generated a 4-45-1 line and rushed once for 11 yards across 42 snaps against the Saints in Week 4. It would have been logical to assume the speedy second-year wideout could have enjoyed an even bigger role coming out of the Week 5 bye, but Thompkins' 14 snaps Sunday were significantly behind fellow complementary receiver Trey Palmer's 37. It's difficult to ascertain whether Thompkins' sparse usage Sunday was merely an outlier, but he'll presumably have a good chance for at least a slight uptick in work during a Week 7 home divisional clash against the Falcons.
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Buccaneers' Deven Thompkins: Thrives with extra opportunity
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Thompkins secured all four of his targets for 45 yards and a touchdown, rushed once for 11 yards and returned one punt for seven yards in the Buccaneers' 26-9 win over the Saints on Sunday.
The speedy second-year wideout made good on some extra attention from Baker Mayfield that was brought about by Mike Evans' early exit due to a hamstring injury. Thompkins recorded his first NFL touchdown on a five-yard grab with 3:44 remaining, which gave the Bucs some valuable breathing room. He has already exceeded his modest rookie-season totals of five receptions and 32 yards through just four games in 2023, and if Evans is still sidelined following Tampa Bay's Week 5 bye, Thompkins should be in line for extended opportunity Oct. 15 against Detroit.
