The Panthers have spent the first month of the season patching together a roster that keeps taking hits, but there’s finally a little light at the end of the tunnel.
Carolina entered its Week 5 bye with a battered lineup and, at last, some signs that help could be on the way. Dave Canales said Trevor Etienne should be ready to practice after the bye, while Taylor Moton and Tershawn Wharton are getting closer but still need medical clearance. The Panthers also made several roster moves Tuesday and have two open spots on the 53-man roster.
That’s welcome news for a team that has barely had time to catch its breath. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are already on injured reserve, and Xavier Legette joined them there.
Jalen Coker missed the Detroit game, Damien Lewis was out, and Carolina was already without Moton and Wharton. Then Monroe Freeling got hurt Sunday night, adding yet another name to the list.
And still, the Panthers keep finding a way.
Carolina beat Detroit 32-26 on Sunday Night Football with a lineup that looked nothing like the one anyone expected when the season began. Corey Bullock filled in for Lewis and, after a shaky start, settled in well enough.
Will Lee III has been forced into a much bigger cornerback role than anyone probably imagined this early in the year. Week after week, somebody new has been handed the job and told, “You're up.”
So far, that approach has kept working. The Panthers are 2-2, and they’ve already logged a 34-3 win at Atlanta and the win over the Lions despite all the missing pieces. But there’s only so long a team can keep asking that many replacements to carry the load.
Moton stands out as the biggest name to watch. Carolina has been trying to survive up front without him, and Freeling’s injury only makes that situation more pressing. If Moton can clear after the bye, that would be a major boost for an offensive line that has had to keep reshuffling.
Wharton would help, too, and so would Etienne. Etienne may not change the offense all by himself with Chuba Hubbard playing the way he is, but at this point, any healthy body matters.
The Panthers don’t need these guys to come back and rescue the season. They’ve already shown they can hang in there without them.
What they need now is a break, and the schedule finally gives them one. When the bye arrived, it looked too early - four games in and already time off.
After the way this injury report has looked, it doesn’t feel too early anymore. It feels necessary.
Carolina still hasn’t fully defined what it is, and that much remains true after four weeks. But it has shown one thing clearly: even with the injuries piling up, it can survive.
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Panthers Win Has Dan Campbell Sending A Message To Detroit
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Detroits struggles have become hard to ignore, with the defense sitting last in the league in passing yards allowed and total yards surrendered per game. Campbells message was less about panic than accountability, and it came with a firm line about standards. The Lions can keep searching for answers, but they are not going to excuse mediocrity while trying to find them. [Read more 🡒]