Key Panthers on injury report before Pittsburgh trip, but is there cause for concern?

Despite the names of a few key players popping up on the Panthers’ Tuesday injury report, there isn’t reason for much concern, head coach Ron Rivera said.

Center Ryan Kalil did not practice for a second consecutive day as he rehabilitates an ankle injury. But Rivera seemed optimistic that he will be able to play on Thursday night at Pittsburgh.

“We feel pretty comfortable,” said Rivera on Tuesday afternoon. “He did some stuff with the trainers and he’s feeling pretty good.”

Kalil is a plug-and-play veteran who, especially on a short week, wouldn’t necessarily need to get practice snaps in order to be ready for Thursday night’s game in Pittsburgh.

“We talk about guys who don’t need to practice as much, and he’s most certainly one of those type of guys,” said Rivera.

Against prolific Steelers receivers Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, as well as against dynamic, powerful running back James Conner, the health of Carolina’s defensive backfield will be important.

Safety Eric Reid played the back half of Sunday’s win against Tampa Bay with a sprained right shoulder. Coaches asked if Reid needed to leave the game and he declined, but he has been limited in this week’s light practices.

Reid said Tuesday that he “liked his chances” of playing on Thursday night.

“I’ll tell you, he’s a very mentally tough young man,” said Rivera. “For him to be playing the way that he did, not wanting to come out of certain situations on Sunday, that really speaks to how mentally tough he is. And it wouldn’t surprise me one bit.

“He’s doing everything he can in terms of treatment, in terms of coming in early and staying late and getting treatment. That’s also something impressive about him. He’s a pro when it comes to taking care of his body.”

Receiver Torrey Smith (knee) did not practice and has not since injuring his knee against Philadelphia in Week 7.

Defensive end Mario Addison (shoulder), cornerback Captain Munnerlyn (chest), tight end Greg Olsen (foot) and quarterback Cam Newton (shoulder) were all limited for a second consecutive practice, which is mostly precautionary because of the short week of practice before Thursday’s game.

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 4:02 PM.