Monday was a rather sobering day for the Carolina Panthers, who will be forced to deal with a couple of more difficult injuries.
First, the team learned that they’ll have to finish the 2024 campaign without captain and longtime linebacker Shaq Thompson—who tore his Achilles tendon in yesterday’s 34-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. They also found out about a setback to their other starting inside ‘backer, as Josey Jewell could be down for a couple of weeks due to hamstring and groin issues.
But some much-needed reinforcements could soon be on the way
After filling the media in on Thompson and Jewell this afternoon, head coach Dave Canales was asked about this week’s availability of the players who began the season on injured reserve.
“Yeah, expecting Dane [Jackson], Jaden [Crumedy], Ian Thomas to get out there, be back on the practice field,” Canales replied. “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.”
With four weeks now in the books, players who began the campaign on injured reserve are eligible to return to practice. Once they are officially back on the practice field, the Panthers will have 21 days to return them to the active roster.
If they are not added to the active roster within that 21-day window, they are no longer eligible to play for the remainder of the season.
Along with Jackson, Crumedy, Thomas, other notable Panthers who are on the shelf include rookie running back and second-round pick Jonathon Brooks as well as outside linebackers D.J. Wonnum and Amaré Barno.
