Injuries shuffle Carolina Panthers’ lineup for Sunday’s game against Giants

Carolina Panthers safety Roman Harper was asked Wednesday how newly acquired cornerback Robert McClain would fit in the secondary.

Before he could offer a breakdown of McClain’s skill set and how it relates to the Panthers’ scheme, Harper joked that he’s still working on the basics.

“I need to get his name down first. Robert McClain, right?” Harper said. “I just met him so he’s a cool dude, quiet guy. He seems very quick and agile. And he catches punts. I learned that today as well.

“I’m expecting some nice things from him if he’s got to go in and make plays for us. That’s what I’m expecting him to do.”

The Panthers (13-0) are welcoming new players and transitioning others to more prominent roles following several injuries in last week’s 38-0 victory over Atlanta.

Carolina lost leading receiver Kelvin Benjamin to a season-ending knee injury at training camp and played three games without middle linebacker Luke Kuechly when the Pro Bowler sustained a concussion in Week 1. But heading into Sunday’s game against the New York Giants (6-7), the team’s depth will be tested like at no other point this season.

The latest on the Panthers’ injured list:

▪  Running back Jonathan Stewart will miss his first game this season after spraining his left foot against the Falcons. Panthers coach Ron Rivera said Fozzy Whittaker or fullback Mike Tolbert would start in Stewart’s place, and that rookie Cameron Artis-Payne also will see action.

▪  Cornerback Charles Tillman practiced Wednesday for the first time since spraining his right knee against Tennessee, and Rivera was cautiously optimistic about Tillman’s chances to play against the Giants.

▪  Tight end Greg Olsen sat out with a knee injury, but plans to increase his workload as the week progresses.

▪  Special teams regulars David Mayo (hamstring) and Colin Jones (groin) were out Wednesday. Mayo is expected to miss at least two weeks, and Jones says he’s day-to-day.

“Sometimes there’s just those days where it seems like for whatever reason you get a couple guys nicked and a couple things don’t go your way,” Olsen said of the Panthers’ rash of injuries last weekend. “But it’s the NFL. There’s guys throughout the league if you check injury reports, guys are beat up. Guys are banged-up. Guys are playing injured. Guys are not playing. It’s not unique to any one particular team.”

Rivera said the team would take a cautious approach with Stewart, who missed half of the 2012 and 2013 seasons with various leg or ankle injuries.

Stewart already has established a career high with 242 carries during his first season not sharing the workload with DeAngelo Williams, who was cut during the offseason. Stewart is 11 yards shy of the second 1,000-yard season of his career.

Team doctor Robert Anderson, a renowned foot and ankle specialist, advised a week off for Stewart. Rivera said Stewart would not necessarily be sidelined for multiple games.

“We’re going to be smart about it,” Rivera said. “(Anderson) is not necessarily concerned but he does think the foot needs to be rested.”

Whittaker rushed eight times for 34 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown, against the Falcons when Stewart sat out the second half. Artis-Payne, a fifth-round pick from Auburn, has been inactive the past six weeks and hasn’t played since the Philadelphia game on Oct. 25.

Artis-Payne is a big back whose running style more closely resembles Stewart than Whittaker. Quarterback Cam Newton said Artis-Payne has been waiting for his opportunity.

“One thing I can say about him, he’s been getting better with the understanding of the offense,” Newton said. “A rookie (knows) that this league is all about production and being able to produce when your number’s called.”

Tillman, 34, has missed the past four games after sustaining ligament damage in his right knee. And although Wednesday was a light practice Rivera thought Tillman looked good, albeit a bit rusty.

“You could tell the conditioning wasn’t where it needed to be. But he moved around good,” Rivera said. “We’ll see how he his (Thursday) morning. Hopefully there’ll be no residual and we’ll keep going from there.”

Olsen worked out on the side Wednesday and is hopeful he can keep his consecutive games streak alive Sunday in the Meadowlands. Olsen hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season of 2007, a stretch spanning 139 games that is the second-longest among active tight ends behind Jason Witten’s streak of 200 games.

“It’s been a long time,” Olsen said. “But we’ll worry about that when we get there.”

Olsen knows the Panthers are trying to manage a balancing act between winning and securing home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs while avoiding injuries. He said players can’t worry about getting hurt, and it’s up to the coaching staff to decide on whether to rest starters.

“There’s two goals at hand. You want to keep everyone healthy. You also want to win the conference and get that No. 1 spot,” Olsen said. “We still have a lot to play for. To us that No. 1 seed of home field throughout, that’s important to us. We don’t want to travel anywhere. We want to play in front of our crowd. We feel like we’re good here.”

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 2:51 PM with the headline "Injuries shuffle Carolina Panthers’ lineup for Sunday’s game against Giants."