The Panthers’ cornerback situation took another hit Thursday night, and head coach Dave Canales didn’t rule out outside help if the right move is there.
Rookie Will Lee III, who had been filling in admirably with Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson already sidelined, exited in the second quarter of Carolina’s 27-19 loss after suffering a hamstring injury. The play came on a 53-yard Christian Watson catch, when Lee went down while chasing the Packers receiver and was later carted to the locker room.
After the game, Canales said Lee’s injury was "pretty good," and he also pointed to the way Green Bay found openings in longer-yardage situations.
"Kinda battled out there and gave everything he [Lee] had on that one to affect the play," Canales stated. "But besides that, early on, they were having a lot of success in some third-and-longer types of situations.
I'd love to see us get off the field in those moments-because we did a great job of first and second down, owning the run game and minimizing them. It really should've been an advantage for our defense in those modes."
Jordan Love made the Panthers pay, finishing 30 of 41 for 288 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. He also helped Green Bay convert 56.3 percent of its third downs, going 9-for-16.
Carolina was already stretched thin in the secondary before Lee went out. The Panthers started practice squad player Marco Wilson for Akaylen Evans, who was placed on injured reserve earlier in the day. Wilson had not logged a regular-season defensive snap since 2024 before Thursday, though Canales said he held his own.
Asked afterward whether Carolina might look at the trade market for corner help, Canales left that door open but made clear that general manager Dan Morgan and executive vice president of football operations Brandt Tilis would be the ones handling that discussion.
"We'd always be open to different things if it makes sense," he replied. "With our current and full roster and salary cap situation and all that-that's probably a better question for Dan, for Brandt.
"But at the same time, we got guys like Corey Thornton waiting around, itching for an opportunity. He's gonna get that opportunity real soon.
I'm excited for those guys to step in. I've been really proud of the guys-Akayleb, now Marco, Chau [Smith-Wade] stepping in.
I'm really proud of the way the guys have stepped in and really represented for their teammates."
The cap math is part of the challenge. Per Over The Cap, Carolina has just over $530,000 in space, the second-lowest figure in the league, which could make a meaningful addition tough to pull off.
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