Panthers K Joey Slye expected to play, Saints WR Michael Thomas ruled out for Sunday
The Carolina Panthers on Friday placed starting cornerback Rasul Douglas on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. He will be unavailable for Sunday’s game in New Orleans.
The team removed kicker Joey Slye and offensive lineman Trent Scott from the reserve/COVID-19 list. Both were expected at the team’s practice Friday, their first time in the team’s facility all week.
Having the team’s starting kicker available for Sunday is good news for Carolina.
“Obviously, Joey is a big part of this team,” head coach Matt Rhule said. “The Saints have outstanding special teams and having Joey there will be a big boost for us.”
Slye has made 16-of-18 field goal attempts this season and 10-of-12 PATs.
The Panthers have had three backup kickers — Casey Bednarski, Taylor Bertolet and Austin Parker — in COVID-19 testing all week in case Slye was unavailable. Those workouts are still scheduled to take place Saturday.
The game against the Saints is still on for 1 p.m. Sunday on FOX.
The Panthers have now placed five players on the league’s COVID-19 list since last Friday. Offensive linemen Tyler Larsen and Michael Schofield remain on the list.
The league’s COVID-19 list is for players who have tested positive for COVID-19 or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive. Being in close contact with someone includes being within six feet of them for more than 10 minutes or having direct physical contact with an infected individual during practice.
Douglas is one of the Panthers’ best offseason acquisitions after being claimed off waivers from the Eagles just a week prior to the first game of the season. The team has dealt with injuries at cornerback, with third-year corner Donte Jackson dealing with turf toe and a foot injury, and Eli Apple coming off injured reserve in Week 4 (dealt with foot, ankle and hamstring injuries in training camp) and sustaining a hamstring strain in his first game back.
Both Apple (hamstring) and Jackson (toe) are questionable for Sunday’s game.
Rookie Troy Pride Jr. has played for Jackson throughout the season and will likely see playing time with Douglas out, in addition to Apple and nickle corner Corn Elder. Douglas has 27 tackles and six passes defended this year.
“We have Troy (Pride Jr.), who we have a lot of confidence in, and Corn (Elder), Stanley (Thomas-Oliver). And then Donte (Jackson) and Eli (Apple), we’re hopeful that those guys both can play and play well,” Rhule said.
The Panthers’ secondary was already down a player after safety Juston Burris (ribs) was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. Undrafted rookie Sam Franklin is expected to play significant time in his place.
Other injury updates: The Saints will be without their top two wide receivers with both Emmanuel Sanders (COVID-19 list) and Michael Thomas (hamstring/ankle) out for Sunday’s game. The Panthers’ injured secondary will get a bit of a break.
Wide receiver Curtis Samuel (knee) and starting right guard John Miller (ankle) are also questionable for Sunday’s game. Samuel missed last week’s game with the injury and Miller would be a big loss for an offensive line that has lost multiple players to the COVID-19 list. Rhule is “hopeful” that Miller will play.
This story was originally published October 23, 2020 at 12:16 PM.
