One step forward, two steps back.
That’s the alternate title for Thursday’s injury report ahead of Week 4 as the team welcomed back Bruce Irvin, but were without cornerback Donte Jackson, guard Trai Turner, defensive tackles Kawann Short and Gerald McCoy in addition to Cam Newton, who has already been ruled out – although McCoy, who was listed with a knee, was said to be more of a rest day for the veteran rather than an injury issue.
“Gerald is a veteran thing that we’re just resting him,” Rivera said after practice. “Just trying to get him through until Friday.”
Rivera is excited to get Irvin back in the mix as a pass rusher after the veteran has missed the first three weeks of the season with a lingering hamstring injury because of the additional skills that he can bring to the outside linebacker group that has seen a lot of rookies Brian Burns and Christian Miller – while Miller and Burns combined for three sacks last week in Arizona, Irvin brings something extra to the pass rush.
“Bruce is an edgy player,” said Eric Washington. “That’s never a bad thing for a defensive player; he kind of brings that edge, that attitude – he’s emotional, he wears everything on his sleeve, he talks to the opponent, he talks to his teammates and you know he’s there. Plus, he backs it up.”
“He’s going to walk it and he’s going to talk it.”
If Kawann Short isn’t able to go for the second week in a row, the Panthers will continue to utilize Kyle Love, Vernon Butler and Dontari Poe for additional snaps along the interior of the defensive line. While Donte Jackson was downgraded from limited on Wednesday to a non-participant in Thursday’s practice, he was all smiles in the locker room and may be a gametime decision on Sunday – if he’s not able to go, Ross Cockrell may be the next man up on the outside.
“We call [Cockrell] ‘Pro’ because he, to me, embodies the best attributes of a professional football player,” said Eric Washington. “Ross can play outside, we’ve had him at the safety position and then we’ve had him at the buffalo position. We feel comfortable with him in a number of areas that he can contribute and, most importantly, execute.”
If Turner isn’t playing on Sunday – and it looks as if it’s trending that way – look for Daryl Williams to start at right guard.
Check out the full report here:
| Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cam Newton | Foot | None | Newton was ruled out on Monday |
| Bruce Irvin | Hamstring | Limited | Ron Rivera said Thursday he expects Irvin to play Sunday |
| Donte Jackson | Groin | None | |
| Shaq Thompson | Knee | Full | |
| Marquis Haynes | Elbow | Limited | |
| Greg Olsen | Back | Limited | |
| Rashaan Gaulden | Groin | Full | |
| Gerald McCoy | Knee | None | Rivera said it was more of a rest/maintenance day for the veteran |
| Trai Turner | Ankle | None | If he's unable to go, expect to see Daryl Williams at right guard |
| Kawann Short | Shoulder | None | Short was not in attendance at practice Thursday |
