Carolina Panthers DT Star Lotulelei says he’ll be ‘good enough’ to play Sunday

Panthers defensive tackle Star Lotulelei could see his first game action since January’s playoff win against Arizona this week when Carolina hosts the Houston Texans.

Lotulelei missed most of training camp and all the exhibitions when he suffered a stress reaction in his surgically repaired foot. He practiced in a limited capacity for the first time since early August and felt confident in his ability to contribute this week.

Lotulelei said sitting out last week’s game at Jacksonville helped get him ready for this week.

“Now coming back I don’t think it’ll be at 100 percent but it’ll be good enough to get out there,” he said.

Lotulelei was guarded about his health on Wednesday, but he was clear in his confidence in his conditioning. At 310 pounds, the former first-round pick said he kept his weight down in the past month by working on the exercise bike and lifting in the weight room.

But for all the conditioning and practice this week, there’s still no replicating the game speed Lotulelei could face this week.

“Our offensive guys do a great job but in there it’s going against the real thing,” Lotulelei said. “Going live there’s no real preparing yourself for it unless you’ve been doing it.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Carolina Panthers DT Star Lotulelei says he’ll be ‘good enough’ to play Sunday."