The Panthers are getting a little healthier at the right time, and that starts up front.
Brady Christensen is listed as questionable for Sunday’s Week 10 matchup with the New Orleans Saints after nearly making it back last week. Carolina held him out then to make sure he was fully ready, and now the versatile lineman has a chance to return and help patch one of the many, many problem spots on the offensive line.
Damien Lewis also appears set to play. The guard was a full participant in practice on Wednesday and Friday, with a limited session on Thursday in between. He has missed the Panthers’ last two games, but the week’s practice pattern points toward him being good to go Sunday.
Carolina has three more players tagged as questionable: outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, cornerback Will Lee, and wide receiver Xavier Legette. The Panthers could use all three, even if only in limited roles.
The injury report also includes a pair of doubtful players in cornerback Mike Jackson and running back Jonathon Brooks. Linebacker Bobby Okereke has been ruled out.
On the roster side, Carolina made several practice squad moves. The team signed linebacker Claudin Cherelus back to the practice squad after waiving him in September with an injury designation.
This is Cherelus’s fourth season with the Panthers after he entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2023. He has played in 35 games with six starts and has 61 tackles.
The Panthers also waived wide receiver David Moore and then brought him back on the practice squad. Moore has been with Carolina since 2024 and has provided veteran insurance more than production. This season, he has appeared in six games, caught one pass for 27 yards, and handled four punt returns and eight kickoff returns.
Carolina added another defensive lineman as well, signing Cam Horsley to the practice squad. Horsley came into the league last year with the Tennessee Titans as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Boston College. He made the 53-man roster and played in one game, logging 14 defensive snaps without recording a stat.
The Panthers also have Ihmir Smith-Marsette on the practice squad, and he comes with a familiar name for Carolina fans. He joined the team in 2023, when he played in all 17 games as the primary punt returner and added 11 kickoff returns.
That season, he also posted eight catches for 51 yards and eight carries for 74 yards. He left for the New York Jets in 2024, did not appear in any games in 2025, and the Panthers added him to the practice squad in September 2026.
He now has an injury designation.
In Other News...
Panthers Have An Ickey Ekwonu Problem They Can't Ignore
Ikem Ekwonus absence has become one of the quieter but more important questions hanging over Carolinas season. The Panthers starting left tackle is still working back from the torn patellar tendon he suffered in a playoff game in January, and he has yet to play this year, leaving the team to sort through both the short-term hole on the edge and the longer-term picture at a premium position.
The bigger issue is what comes next. Carolina picked up Ekwonus fifth-year option, but the contract situation could put him on the market after this season, and a player with his pedigree is the kind of lineman other teams will monitor closely if his recovery continues to trend in the right direction. The Panthers and Ekwonu reportedly want to keep the partnership going, which makes the coming months about more than just health - they may help determine whether a foundational piece stays in Carolina or becomes one of the more intriguing names available. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Protection Problem Is About To Get Even Harder
Bryce Youngs progress this season has given the Panthers something to build around, but the protection in front of him has become a real concern. Carolinas offensive line has already had trouble holding up, and left tackle Rasheed Walker has been part of the problem as the unit has allowed too many sacks and pressures while the team has stumbled to a 3-5 record and a three-game losing streak.
The timing could hardly be worse. With a difficult stretch ahead against opponents that can get after the quarterback, the Panthers are staring at a test that could put even more strain on an offense trying to find stability. If the line cannot clean things up quickly, the pressure on Young and the rest of the offense is only going to grow. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Are Still Alive But This Stretch Will Decide Everything
Bryce Youngs latest outing showed why the Panthers still have reason to believe, even after three straight losses. He threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns in the defeat to Denver, but Carolina could not overcome the kind of self-inflicted mistakes that have made this skid so costly, with turnovers and penalties again undercutting a performance that had enough offense to keep things interesting.
Even at 3-5, the Panthers are still tied for first in the NFC South, which is why the next few weeks loom so large. Games against New Orleans, Baltimore and Tampa Bay will go a long way toward sorting out whether Carolina can turn this uneven start into something more meaningful, or whether the division race slips away before the season reaches its stretch run. [Read more 🡒]