The Carolina Panthers’ defensive turnaround against the Atlanta Falcons may have come with a price.
After getting back on track by holding Atlanta to three points and forcing five turnovers, Carolina opened Week 3 with several key defenders on the first injury report of the week. Devin Lloyd, Jaelan Phillips, Nick Scott and Claudin Cherelus all sat out practice, while Darren Waller also did not participate for rest. Jalen Coker was limited with an ankle issue, and Bobby Brown III and Patrick Jones II were both full participants.
Lloyd’s calf injury stands out because he finished the game, and the same goes for Phillips, who didn’t appear to leave Sunday’s matchup with an injury. Nick Scott is the more concerning name after leaving the game and not returning. Lathan Ransom handled that spot in his absence and held up well, which could give him a chance to keep carving out a bigger role.
There was better news up front. Brown and Jones being full participants points toward both being on track to play Sunday, which would give Carolina more depth and more bodies to throw at the Browns offense.
On the offensive side, the report was pretty much business as usual. Waller had his normal rest day, and Coker continued to work through the ankle injury he picked up in Week 1.
Cleveland’s first report was much lighter. Teven Jenkins was the only Brown who did not practice, and the expected starting right guard still hasn’t played this season. For now, it doesn’t look like that changes this week.
The rest of Cleveland’s notable names were limited: Tytus Howard with a knee injury, Mason Graham with a groin issue, Grant Delpit with a shoulder injury, Tyson Campbell with ankle and hip injuries, and Quincy Williams with a knee injury. That leaves the Browns looking close to full strength when they meet Carolina.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Have A Kenny Pickett Decision That Could Matter
Quarterback injuries around the league have already started to reshape how teams think about their depth, and that can create a ripple effect for Carolina. Kenny Pickett, who has starting experience and was once a first-round pick, suddenly looks like the kind of quarterback other clubs could circle if they need a steady option behind center early in the season.
Chicago and Washington are among the teams dealing with uncertainty after setbacks to Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels, and that kind of scramble often opens a market for available passers. For the Panthers, Pickett is now more than just an extra arm on the roster, because his value could become part of a larger conversation if teams start looking for insurance, even though no transaction has been reported. [Read more 🡒]
Xavier Legette Just Faced A Tough Reality In Carolina
Xavier Legette has reached a point familiar to plenty of young receivers in the NFL: the rsum looks solid enough on paper, but the path forward suddenly feels anything but secure. The Carolina Panthers wideout, a first-round pick in 2024, has put together 86 catches for 924 yards and seven touchdowns across 33 games, yet his standing in the offense has slipped as other receivers have moved ahead of him on the depth chart.
Legette acknowledged on a recent podcast that the 2026 season could be a pivotal one for his future in Carolina, a sign the conversation around him has shifted from development to proving ground. His playing time tailed off late in 2025, even though he still flashed the kind of ability that made him such an intriguing pick in the first place, including a 55-yard catch in a recent game that drew praise from head coach Dave Canales. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Open Against A Browns QB Drama That Could Get Louder
Deshaun Watson is expected to be under center when the Browns open against the Panthers in Cleveland, but the backdrop to that matchup is already doing a lot of the talking. Browns beat reporter Mary Kay Cabot noted that if Watson had lost the previous game against Tampa Bay, Shedeur Sanders would have been named the starter, a detail that adds real intrigue to a game Carolina will be watching closely even before kickoff.
The Browns now have a short week ahead of their next game, which could factor into how they handle the position moving forward. For the Panthers, it means preparing for a Cleveland team with an unsettled quarterback situation hanging over it, and possibly one more headline waiting to surface after this one. [Read more 🡒]