With Dennis Daley doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, Greg Little’s return from the concussion protocol couldn’t have come at a better time. While Daley, who has started four of the last five games at left tackle, missed practice all week, the Panthers’ second-round pick took a lot of reps and Ron Rivera feels confident in the rookie’s conditioning after missing the past six weeks.
“For the most part, I feel confident that if he had to play 60 plays, he could play 60 plays,” said Rivera. “He looks good so far.”
The Panthers also had other players take reps at left tackle should Little either suffer an injury or need some rest, but it appears that Little is in line to get the start at left tackle, where he started in Week 4 against Houston.
While Rivera indicated that he felt good about Donte Jackson, who took all the reps set up for him on Friday and carries the questionable label going into Sunday, he feels confident in the backups should a secondary that will already be without Cockrell have to move forward without Jackson.
“I like the guys that we have, I think Cole Luke showed us his abilities last Sunday, so we still have a nice comfort zone because of Cole Luke, but Ross will be missed,” said Rivera about Luke, who can play corner, nickel and safety. “He plays hard, he plays physical – he made a couple of nice physical tackles and he didn’t seem to be intimidated by anybody. He lined up against Davante Adams, he lined up against [Allen Lazard]. It didn’t matter, he just lined up and played and I really appreciated that.”
Rivera also indicated that newly signed running back Mike Davis, claimed off of waivers on Monday, would not be active on Sunday as he acclimates to the new system; there is a chance that Donte Moncrief, also claimed off of waivers but a week earlier, has a chance to be active along with Corn Elder, who spent the past two seasons in Carolina and was re-signed on Monday from the Giants’ practice squad.
Here is the full injury report:
| Player | Injury | Game Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donte Jackson | Hip | Questionable | |
| Dennis Daley | Groin | Doubtful | |
| Ross Cockrell | Quad | Out |
