The Carolina Panthers moved practice from their practice fields inside the stadium today as conditions from Hurricane Michael have brought heavy rain, wind and flooding to the Charlotte area – the choice was made early this morning to move the session onto the big field because of it’s drainage capabilities compared to the practice fields. While talk will continue to grow about an indoor practice facility and Ron Rivera said after practice that it would be ‘really helpful’ to the team to have a facility to protect them from inclement weather, the main focus today should be on the players who returned to a full practice.
Cameron Artis-Payne, Marquis Haynes, Ryan Kalil, Julius Peppers and Kawann Short all participated fully, but it was the full participation of tight end Greg Olsen just over a month after re-fracturing the fifth metatarsal in his foot that will draw most fans’ attention – while Rivera said that Olsen moved around well out there and Cam Newton said yesterday that “the band is back” Rivera was quick to warn folks about overexcitement, saying that the soft, wet field would be a good test for Olsen and they would see how it felt in the morning.
Like every injury, how it responds after a full day of practice is incredibly important.
While the Panthers got many players back, the linebackers group looked a little light as Jared Norris continues to fight a turf toe injury and Andre Smith having reaggravated the same hamstring injury that kept him out for much of training camp and two preseason games – both players missed practice. Wide receiver Damiere Byrd, who missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a knee injury, sat out practice today with a sore ankle – the Panthers are hopeful he can return. Last week against the Giants was the first time all season they had their full complement of wide receivers available, and they kept all six active against New York.
“I know after practice, it was pretty sore,” Rivera said. “Today, he came in and it really was stiff – hopefully, it’s just a short time and we can get him back out there.”
Check out the full injury report below:
| Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Artis-Payne | Not Injury Related | Full | Missed Wednesday, but he was back today |
| Marquis Haynes | Not Injury Related | Full | Missed Wednesday, but he was back today |
| Jared Norris | Toe | None | |
| Julius Peppers | Rest | Full | |
| Ryan Kalil | Neck | Full | |
| Kawann Short | Ankle | Full | |
| Andre Smith | Hamstring | None | |
| Greg Olsen | Foot | Full | |
| Damiere Byrd | Ankle | None |
