Dillon secured the third running back spot on Carolina's 53-man roster, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Dillon had been in a preseason battle with Trevor Etienne (ankle) for the third spot on the depth chart, but Etienne was placed on injured reserve Sunday with a designation to return, ruling Etienne out for the first four games of the regular season at minimum. Dillon is behind Chuba Hubbard (hamstring) and Jonathon Brooks (soreness) in the backfield pecking order, but Dillon would have a clear path to playing time early in the season if either of the top two running backs missed any game action.