With veteran edge rusher Bruce Irvin still sidelined with the hamstring tweak that was ailing him last week, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the 31-year old sit out Week 1 completely – although Ron Rivera isn’t ready to rule out Irvin, if he has to miss this Sunday’s game or has to play limited snaps, the Panthers are prepared with both first-round draft pick Brian Burns and second-year rusher Marquis Haynes set to step up and take more reps.
Burns and Haynes each had four sacks during the preseason, the third-most sacks in the NFL and the second-most by a Panthers player in a single preseason since the year 2000.
“The way those young guys played, it was good to watch them during the preseason – we played those guys a lot and we think they’re going to have to help contribute this year,” ” said Ron Rivera. “I think those guys will do a good job no matter what position you put them in.”
“I’ve just been working hard everyday,” said the 2018 fourth-rounder Haynes. “Like the coaches always tell us, you’ve got to be ready when your number’s called – when it’s called, you’ve got to go out there and perform. So I’ve just been practicing, preparing myself to just keep on going and when I get out there, I’ve just got to give it all I’ve got.”
Also absent from practice was second-round draft pick Greg Little, who exited the third preseason game with a concussion and has not practiced since – the rookie remains in the protocol and should he not be able to suit up on Sunday, the Panthers would likely look to Dennis Daley and Brandon Greene as their top tackle depth. Daley has practiced throughout the preseason and training camp at every position along the offensive line except for center.
“It was one of those things that was a little precautionary, so we just pulled him out,” said Rivera about Trai Turner’s groin injury. “I anticipate tomorrow [to see] him running around.”
Other than Irvin and Little, the Panthers injury report is relatively clean, with the most important name on the roster, Cam Newton, not only healthy and participating in full in practice, but ‘feeling like a rookie again’ – while he may chalk it up to being vegan strong, it’s likely the shoulder procedure that he had in January that cleared out scar tissue that has the 30-year old QB in high spirits entering the Panthers opening game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Check out the full – albeit short – injury report here:
| Player | Injury | Practice Participation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Irvin | Hamstring | None | Did not want to discuss his injury in the locker room after practice on Wednesday |
| Trai Turner | Groin | Limited | |
| Greg Little | Concussion | None | Is still in the protocol after suffering a concussion in New England |
