Panthers pulling a pass rusher off injured list

Panthers defensive end Ryan Delaire said this week he's ready to go after a two-month layoff following arthroscopic knee surgery.

The second-year edge rusher might get a chance to show off his fresh legs during the Panthers' 10-day, two-game trip to the West Coast.

The Panthers designated Delaire to return from injured reserve, an expected move after Delaire returned to practice Monday. The Panthers have three weeks to decide whether to bring Delaire back to the active roster.

But with team sacks leader Mario Addison expected to miss 1-2 weeks with a right foot injury, Delaire could be activated before Sunday's game at Oakland.

The NFL tweaked its IR rules before this season. Since 2012 teams have been able to choose one player to return from IR, but had to designate him at the time of his injury.

But now Delaire has been designated, the Panthers won't be able to use their get-off-IR card on another player this season.

This story was originally published November 22, 2016 at 6:34 PM with the headline "Panthers pulling a pass rusher off injured list."