Depth still a concern for Panthers as they approach Week 17 game against the Saints
Depth continues to be a major concern for the Carolina Panthers heading into their Week 17 game against the New Orleans Saints.
The Panthers added three additional players to their reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday, bringing their total number to 13.
Safety Kenny Robinson, defensive end Darryl Johnson and running back Reggie Bonnafon were all placed on the list, joining star edge rushers Brian Burns and Haason Reddick and linebacker Shaq Thompson.
The Panthers did, however, activate cornerback Rashaan Melvin from the reserve/COVID list.
That the Panthers added two additional players is a concern. Though the three players added to the list Thursday haven’t played much season, the Panthers are slowly running out of bodies. They currently have 45 players on the active roster — 22 on offense and 20 on defense.
At practice Thursday, there were only five defensive linemen doing drill work.
“That’s always hard,” Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow said. “But with this league, you’re going to have injuries every week. We’re all used to it. We’ll play with who we have and hopefully play well.”
The full list of players still on the list include, Burns, Thompson, Reddick, Bonnafon, Robinson, Johnson, center Sam Tecklenberg, defensive end Marquis Haynes, quarterback P.J. Walker, wide receiver Brandon Zylstra, defensive tackle Phil Hoskins and defensive end Daviyon Nixon and center Matt Paradis.
Paradis and Nixon are on injured reserve.
Burns and Thompson, who tested positive on Monday, have the best chance to return based on the NFL’s updated protocols.
But that’s still uncertain as neither tested negative as of Thursday.
The Panthers had been fortunate, up until this point, to avoid any COVID outbreaks. But as cases rise across the country with the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, so have positive tests among NFL players.
Multiple games had to be postponed and rescheduled in recent weeks because there were not enough bodies on teams with outbreaks. The Saints were down more than 20 players in their loss to the Miami Dolphins last Monday.
The Panthers conducted all their meetings virtually Monday after six players tested positive, and they’ve held subsequent meetings in the practice bubble, which is considered outside.
The lack of bodies also means some players may have to play multiple positions. Snow said the concern, though, is giving them too much.
“Obviously, you’ve got guys like (Jeremy) Chinn who can play different spots, Yetur (Gross-Matos), Frankie (Luvu), can do different things,” Snow said. “We’ve asked them to do a few different things, but nothing out of the ordinary that they’re not used to doing.”
Other notes
▪ Neither cornerback Stephon Gilmore, nor left tackle Cameron Erving practiced Thursday. Both are dealing with injuries and will likely miss Sunday’s game.
That means C.J. Henderson will likely start in Gilmore’s corner spot, while rookie Brady Christensen will likely start at left tackle again.
▪ The Panthers signed practice squad tight end Stephen Sullivan to the 53-man roster, and signed quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and cornerback Tae Hayes to the practice squad.
Ta’amu was an XFL star who played college football at Ole Miss.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 4:47 PM.
