Panthers holding out hope for DE Jared Allen – but maybe not this week

Defensive end Jared Allen still has a long way to come before the Carolina Panthers coaches are confident enough to put him on the field Sunday.

Allen broke a small bone in his foot during last week’s 31-24 victory over Seattle. It’s unclear the extent of the injury, but Carolina is holding out hope that he could play again this postseason.

But Allen wasn’t on the practice field Wednesday and may not practice Thursday. Panthers coach Ron Rivera continues to list him as doubtful for Sunday’s game against Arizona.

“He’s actually progressed very nicely but we’ll see how he is in the morning and how he handles everything,” Rivera said. “Again, I’ve listed him as doubtful and that’s probably where he’s going to be tomorrow morning.”

There are two fears in putting Allen on the field Sunday. He could sustain further injury to his foot, and in turn that would leave the Panthers with just three defensive ends active for the game in Charles Johnson, Kony Ealy and Mario Addison.

The Panthers will likely decide by Friday whether Allen will be active. If he can’t play, the Panthers will could make Ryan Delaire active or bring Wes Horton up from the practice squad, which would require a roster move.

Running back Jonathan Stewart (ankle) did not practice Wednesday but Rivera said he should play Sunday. Defensive tackle Dwan Edwards sat out of practice with a veteran’s day off.

Running back Fozzy Whittaker returned to the practice field after missing the past three games with a high ankle sprain. Whittaker said the plan is for him to play Sunday.

“I’m not going to shoot the gun too early but I feel like I’m moving pretty well right now,” Whittaker said.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 7:04 PM with the headline "Panthers holding out hope for DE Jared Allen – but maybe not this week."