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Still desperate to bolster their problematic secondary, even as they begin preparations for the regular-season opener, the Carolina Panthers on Sunday evening added two veterans who were released on Saturday when teams reduced their rosters to the 53-player limit.

Carolina reached contract agreements with safety Marquand Manuel and cornerback Dante Wesley on what are believed to be one-year deals. Financial details were not immediately available, but both players officially signed contracts with the Panthers on Monday morning and joined the team as it begins practices for next Sunday's road game against the St. Louis Rams.

"Marquand is a guy we feel fits into what we're looking for," Panthers general manager Marty Hurney said. "He's played safety at a high level in this league."

Also on Monday, the Panthers released cornerback Curtis Deloatch and receiver Chris Horn.

Manuel, 28, was released by the Green Bay Packers. Wesley, also 28, was cut by New England.

In a flurry of roster moves on Sunday, the Panthers also claimed three players -- quarterback Matt Moore (Dallas), offensive tackle Frank Omiyale (Atlanta), and tight end Marcus Freeman (Baltimore) -- off waivers. Carolina placed tight end Michael Gaines (shoulder) on injured reserve, officially ending his 2007 season, and waived offensive tackle Rashad Butler and guard Will Montgomery.

Manuel

Wesley

Carolina has experienced difficulty at safety, and the situation was compounded when 10-year veteran Mike Minter, the leading tackler in franchise history, abruptly retired two weeks into training camp. Minter, who was battling chronic knee problems, had previously announced that 2007 would be his final NFL season.

The Panthers acquired third-year veteran Chris Harris, whose resume includes 20 career starts, from the Chicago Bears for a fifth-round draft choice in early August and he has been working as the starter at strong safety. But the free safety position has been unsettled. Second-year pro Nate Salley missed much of camp with a knee injury, and journeyman Deke Cooper, who is noted more for his special teams prowess, has been working at free safety.

During the preseason, the Panthers' deficiencies at safety became painfully obvious.

It will not be surprising if Manuel, who started all 16 games for the Packers in 2006, claims the strong safety job once he assimilates the Carolina defensive scheme. That would allow Harris to move to his more natural free safety position.

A five-year veteran, Manuel fell out of favor in Green Bay and in training camp lost his starting job to former undrafted free agent Atari Bigby. The former University of Florida standout had signed a five-year, $10 million contract with the Packers in the spring of 2006 as an unrestricted free agent from Seattle. He posted a career-high 81 tackles in 2006 but had problems in pass coverage.

For his career, Manuel has 202 tackles, one interception and eight passes defensed. He began his career with the Cincinnati Bengals as a sixth-round pick in the 2002 draft and has appeared in 75 games.

Wesley played four seasons with the Panthers (2002-05), then signed with the Bears as a free agent in 2006. He was traded to the Patriots last month for an undisclosed conditional draft choice but could not earn a spot on the New England roster.

"We didn't want to lose Dante when he left for Chicago," Hurney said. "He's an excellent special teams player and a good corner. We just thought as the fourth corner he was the ideal fit for us."

Adding the five-year veteran Wesley should provide Carolina solid flexibility and depth in the secondary, because he can play both safety and cornerback and is a solid special teams performer. The former Arkansas-Pine Bluff standout is a physically imposing player, at 6-feet-1, 210 pounds, but he has never quite lived up to his full potential.

In 71 games, Wesley has 80 tackles, one sack, 12 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and two recoveries. He also has 40-plus tackles on special teams coverage units for his career, including 13 tackles for Chicago in 2006.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.