The Carolina Panthers are entering Week 5 with a couple of reinforcements.
As announced on Wednesday morning, the team has designated two players to return to practice from injured reserve—tight end Ian Thomas and cornerback Dane Jackson. Thomas and Jackson have yet to play this season due to calf and hamstring injuries, respectively.
Head coach Dave Canales spoke about the possibility of at least a few players rejoining the team at practice from injured reserve earlier this week.
“Yeah, expecting Dane [Jackson], Jaden [Crumedy], Ian Thomas to get out there, be back on the practice field,” Canales told reporters on Monday. “Get a new set of eyes on these guys. We talk about competition all the time, and I love what it brings to our group—just being able to get out there, play fast, guys who are excited to get back to football.
“But again—they gotta be out there, they gotta handle the load. Still, with all that timing, they haven’t been on the field with us running our plays and all that. So this is a great opportunity for those guys to get rolling and for us to get a look at them.”
Thomas and Jackson now have 21 days to be activated to the main roster.
