With four players essentially eliminated from availability before practice began today with Curtis Samuel working his way back slowly from a medical condition – Rivera said that he has been cleared to do certain workouts this week; Greg Olsen still recovering from a broken bone in his foot – he was present at two practices this week with no boot and not in uniform; both Trai Turner and Da’Norris Searcy are still in the concussion protocol – there were really only two questions marks, Donte Jackson and Damiere Byrd, for Week 3.
And they’ll likely remain that way until Sunday.
“[Donte Jackson] moved around really well,” said Rivera today. “We’ll see how he is tomorrow after some treatment this afternoon and tomorrow morning and we’ll get a good feel for it. Damiere moved around, not as much as you’d like to, but we’ll see how he is in the morning before we draw any conclusions as far as those guys are concerned.”
While the cornerback Jackson has maintained that he would be available for the Bengals all week, the Panthers will be cautious with a soft tissue injury, especially with the bye coming next week – however, they’d love to have Jackson’s speed on the field to deal with Bengals WR John Ross, who ran a 4.22 40-yard dash ahead of the 2017 draft.
While Searcy has not been at practice all week, Turner has worked on the side with coaches as he works his way through the protocol.
“Trai did a lot of good work today, as did Greg Olsen,” said Rivera. “[Searcy] is in the protocol and we’ll go through it with the doctors – obviously, there is concern, and we’ll do what’s in the best interest of the player’s health moreso than anything else.”
Check out the entire injury report below:
Player | Injury | Game Status | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Curtis Samuel | Medical Illness | Out | |
Greg Olsen | Foot | Out | |
Da'Norris Searcy | Concussion | Out | |
Trai Turner | Concussion | Out | |
Damiere Byrd | Knee | Questionable | Limited practice all week |
Donte Jackson | Groin | Questionable | Limited practice Friday after not practicing Wed. or Thur. |