Carolina Panthers: The Panthers have added veteran depth to their defensive line, by signing unrestricted free agent end Kavika Pittman, who was released by the Denver Broncos for salary cap reasons early in the offseason.

Pittman, 28, will be used in the defensive end rotation behind starters Julius Peppers and Mike Rucker and the Panthers coaches hope that he can recapture some of the upfield pass rush ability he flashed earlier in his career.

The seven-year veteran signed a one-year, $680,000 contract. It included a signing bonus of $25,000 and a base salary of $655,000, the league minimum for a player of his tenure. Because of a rule implemented last year, which grants a team a salary cap discount when it signs a longtime veteran to a minimum salary deal, Pittman will count $475,000 against Carolina's 2003 cap total.

Since his release, Pittman had drawn some interest from other teams, and wanted to finish a deal before training camp.

The former Dallas Cowboys starter was looking for an opportunity to resurrect a career that has flagged the past two seasons. Signed by the Broncos as an unrestricted free agent in 2000, he registered seven sacks in his first season in Denver, but has just one sack in the two years since then, despite starting 29 games in that period.

In 2002, he started 15 games and failed to collect a single sack.

A second-round choice in the 1996 draft, the former McNeese State standout played four seasons for the Cowboys before departing as a free agent. His career resume includes 191 tackles, 18 sacks, four forced fumbles and 19 passes defensed in 106 games.

Carolina also signed seventh-round draft choice Walter Young, a wide receiver from the University of Illinois, to a three-year contract.