Carolina Panthers LB Shaq Thompson, OT Daryl Williams return

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera smiled when someone asked about injuries Wednesday. Because they play on Monday, the Panthers don’t have to release an injury report until Thursday.

But a couple of rookies dealing with knee sprains returned in different capacities. Outside linebacker and first-round pick Shaq Thompson, who sprained his MCL at Seattle on Oct. 18, worked with trainers on the side. Rivera said Thompson could do more during Thursday’s practice.

Offensive tackle Daryl Williams, who hasn’t played since spraining his MCL in Week 1, went through both individual and team drills.

“Daryl did a lot. Daryl worked with the offensive unit against the defense. So that was good to see. He moved around very nicely,” Rivera said. “Right now it’s probably just getting confident and comfortable with that (knee). Hopefully it’s only a matter of time until he’s ready to roll.”

Williams, who nailed down a backup role with a strong training camp, said he felt good Wednesday but needs to improve his conditioning after being out for more than a month.

Four starters sat out Wednesday: center Ryan Kalil (ankle), right tackle Mike Remmers (elbow), defensive tackle Dwan Edwards (ankle) and defensive end Mario Addison (shoulder).

Edwards and Addison are expected to miss Monday’s game against the Colts and could be sidelined longer. Edwards sustained a high ankle sprain on a cut block by Seattle right tackle Garry Gilliam and was sidelined for last week’s win against Philadelphia.

High ankle sprains generally require a four- to six-week recovery process. Edwards said he’s taking it week to week.

“Luckily we’ve got a lot of the swelling out. We’ll continue to get the swelling out and then (deal with) my pain tolerance,” he said. “It’s kind of where we’re at now.”

This story was originally published October 28, 2015 at 6:48 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers LB Shaq Thompson, OT Daryl Williams return."