Panthers add cornerback, and a defensive assistant

The team also hired former Illinois linebacker Dele Harding as a defensive assistant.

Harding worked with the Saints staff this summer as part of the Bill Walsh NFL Diversity Coaching Fellowship, after previously working with the Cowboys in 2025 as a quarterbacks fellowship coach.

In 2024, he worked at Illinois as the assistant running backs coach, and has also worked as a defensive assistant at the University of Houston in 2023 and with the Houston Texans in 2022.

As a linebacker for Illinois from 2016-19, he was a two-time team captain and was voted the team’s defensive MVP in 2019. He earned first-team All-Big Ten after ranking second in the nation and first in the conference with 153 tackles.