Panthers owner David Tepper attends practice. Here’s who else was on the field Friday
There were a few notable appearances made in the public portion of Carolina Panthers practice on Friday — the final one before the 0-4 team takes on the surging Detroit Lions on Sunday at 1 p.m.
That included David Tepper.
The Panthers’ owner, who typically isn’t at the open media portion of practice, was on the practice field near Bank of America Stadium Friday morning. So were assistant general manager Dan Morgan and general manager Scott Fitterer. The Panthers’ front office has been in the public consciousness this past week after NFL Network reported that the team is actively looking for a receiver to help furnish some explosiveness for the offense.
Here are some other important attendance notes from practice Friday.
Donte Jackson questionable for Lions game
Starting cornerback Donte Jackson was a full participant in practice Friday. This is news because he was limited in practice earlier this week after suffering a shoulder injury that kept him out of the second half of Carolina’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The veteran defensive back, per head coach Frank Reich, will be listed as “questionable” against the Detroit Lions.
Xavier Woods is out
Starting safety Xavier Woods will miss a second consecutive week. Reich said he’ll be inactive Sunday, adding to a pretty banged up defense that is already missing top defensive back Jaycee Horn and team leader linebacker Shaq Thompson, with Frankie Luvu —who’s been playing through a hip injury — at less than 100 percent.
Sam Franklin Jr. played admirably in Woods’ stead against the Vikings. His day included a 99-yard pick-six.
Reich said that the secondary has played exemplary football despite the unfortunate attrition.
“We’ve said from the beginning that we really like our depth as a secondary,” Reich said. “It’s been put to the test a little bit. With Sam stepping up and making the plays that he’s made, it just breeds confidence back there. I think the communication back there has been good. So we’ll continue to build on that.”
Will Austin Corbett be ready for Detroit Lions?
Austin Corbett began practicing this week, a triumphant moment for the team’s veteran right guard who missed the offseason and spent the first four weeks of the 2023 campaign on the physically unable to perform list.
This said, he will not play Sunday. He told reporters Wednesday that he’s approaching the next few weeks like his own “training camp” to get his body up to speed. The plan is to evaluate his progress during the bye in Week 7.
Tight end Stephen Sullivan, fresh off the IR, also began practicing this week but will not make his 2023 debut against the Lions.
