Panthers get good news on Trai Turner just before wild-card game in New Orleans

Trai Turner may get to play in the wild-card game in his hometown after all.

Carolina’s Pro-Bowl guard, a New Orleans native, was cleared from the league’s NFL concussion protocol a day before the Panthers play the Saints in the NFC wild-card game in the Superdome.

Team spokesman Steven Drummond announced the news Saturday morning.

Turner, a third-round draft pick in 2014 and one of the anchors on the Panthers’ line, reported concussion symptoms following Carolina’s Week 14 win against Minnesota and remained in the protocol through the rest of the regular season. Backup Amini Silatolu played in Turner’s place.

The Panthers did not confirm whether Turner would start Sunday (although in all likelihood, he will), as he was reported as “questionable” on their final injury report for the week. The active roster for the game will be released approximately 90 minutes before kickoff.

Left tackle Matt Kalil and backup Derek Anderson were also questionable for Sunday’s game with illnesses. That bug seems to have spread slightly in the locker room, as linebacker David Mayo and cornerback Kevon Seymour became late additions to the injury report with illnesses.

This story was originally published January 6, 2018 at 1:03 PM with the headline "Panthers get good news on Trai Turner just before wild-card game in New Orleans."