Jaelan Phillips is out, but his injury isn’t the only puzzle Panthers have to solve
It might have been better for the team’s competitive advantage to keep up the mirage that Jaelan Phillips might play.
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But the hamstring injury to the star outside linebacker is severe enough that Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales didn’t entertain such gamesmanship.
“We’re going to push it and evaluate him, but this is something we’re going to have to be smart with,” Canales said of Phillips. “Two weeks off with the first injury, and then he was able to finish the game, which was kind of incredible. … But the MRIs, the findings, this is something we’re going to have to treat more intensively.”
Canales soon clarified that Phillips will be out for Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers: “I know there are advantages to game plans, but this is something that we need to address and take care of.”
With Phillips officially out — it’s unclear if he’ll be ready by the Panthers’ Thursday Night Football game against the Packers in Week 8 — the Panthers are missing more than a run-of-the-mill defensive starter. The 27-year-old who the Panthers signed to a four-year, $120 million contract this free agency has lived up to his billing as a premier pass rusher; he has 2.5 sacks through five games but has also added 18 total pressures in the pass rush — 24th among all edge rushers, according to Pro Football Focus. Phillips has also been stout against the run and a vocal leader his teammates praise.
What’s also a result of Phillips being out?
The Panthers have another injury puzzle facing the team.
Add it to the stack.
The absence of Phillips comes at the same time as reserve outside linebacker and special teams ace Thomas Incoom is also “week to week” with a calf injury. Incoom exited the Eagles in the first half and didn’t return, and as a result the Panthers needed to do a whole bunch of roster magic to fill his role on special teams. In each of the four special teams units Incoom contributes on — kick return, kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage — the Panthers needed to replace him with four different players, Canales said.
Canales was asked if the Panthers will elevate anyone from the practice squad with Phillips and Incoom out, and he indicated that Nick Hampton would.
“It’s the reason why we brought him back (to the practice squad),” Canales said of Hampton. “He was having a great camp before he had his injury (undisclosed), so we’re able to be able to see Nick this week. And then some of the other guys we’ve been working with, they obviously gotta be ready if we go that direction. But Nick will get an opp.”
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There are three other injury-related considerations on Carolina’s collective mind:
The Panthers opened up the 21-day practice window of inside linebacker and special teams contributor Bam Martin Scott. He has been on the injured reserve through the first six weeks of the season and can now be activated to the 53-man roster at any time. His activation would require a corresponding move in the form of a cut/waive/release of one of the current players. If Martin-Scott can go this week, he could help fill the special teams void left by Incoom.
The interior offensive lineman was placed on the team’s injured reserve before the season began due to a hamstring injury and is now waiting for his 21-day practice window to be activated. When asked Wednesday, Canales was vague about Christensen’s situation: “We’re just evaluating it, and you gotta figure out roster spots as well,” before adding that he has faith in the team’s current slate of IOLs.
One wrinkle that could play into all this: NFL roster rules stipulate that teams can only activate eight players off the injured reserve over the course of the season. They’ve already activated two players off IR with Trevor Etienne and Martin-Scott, and have several others they hope to: running back Jonathon Brooks, cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, wide receiver Xavier Legette. That’s six of eight already accounted for — and they’re only a quarter of the way through the season.
If Christensen were to return, that limits their flexibility to use the injured reserve. It’s also worth noting the Panthers have already waived someone off the injured reserve with an injury settlement — Claudin Cherelus a few weeks ago — to avoid further limitations. It’s possible, perhaps likely, that once Cherelus gets healthy, he’d re-sign with the Panthers, rejoining the squad without forcing the team to use one of its eight precious IR-elevation moves.
The Panthers released their unofficial depth chart Tuesday afternoon and had Freeling backing up newly returned veteran Taylor Moton at right tackle and Rasheed Walker at left tackle. That’s as good an indication as any that Freeling will start on the bench Sunday against the Bucs. He was a full participant on Wednesday, however, according to the Panthers’ injury report but wore a massive knee brace.
The full Panthers injury report: OLB Thomas Incoom (calf, did not participate), OLB Jaelan Phillips (hamstring, DNP), TE Darren Waller (rest, DNP), OT Taylor Moton (rest, DNP), LB Devin Lloyd (rest, DNP), RB Chuba Hubbard (rest, DNP), RB AJ Dillon (ankle, full participant), OT Monroe Freeling (knee, full participant), LB Bam Martin-Scott (hamstring, full participant), QB Bryce Young (knee, full participant).
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