Excitement is brewing for the Carolina Panthers. As training camp begins, the Panthers have formally agreed to a contract with No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young and are ready to start fresh under new head coach Frank Reich. All of Carolina’s players must pass a physical before beginning camp — which Panthers are dealing with injury questions as the team gets ready for its first practice?
Carolina Panthers Injury Update
The Panthers Could Have a Guard Issue
Austin Corbett was excellent in his first season with the Panthers, but the veteran guard is unlikely to be ready for Week 1 after suffering a torn ACL in the club’s season finale. Since he was injured so late in the year, Corbett was never expected to be available for the start of the season, as Reich confirmed earlier this summer.
Carolina has already placed Corbett on the active/PUP list. Odds are, he’ll stick there through training camp before being moved to the reserve/PUP list before the regular season. At that point, Corbett would be required to miss at least the first four games of the year before being activated.
With Corbett sidelined, fourth-round rookie Chandler Zavala was expected to help fill in at guard. But he’s since been placed on the PUP list while he recovers from a pectoral injury suffered earlier this summer.
Reich suggested in June that Zavala wasn’t dealing with a long-term injury. However, Zavala could lose ground to veteran Justin McCray in a training camp battle if he’s forced to miss time.
Brian Burns on Track for Training Camp
The Panthers’ best defensive player wasn’t on the field during minicamp. Brian Burns was still recovering from April surgery when Carolina convened earlier this summer, but he was on the field helping other defenders through drills.
Burns doesn’t appear to be in danger of missing any time. In June, Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network reported that Burns should be ready for training camp. Instead, the most pressing issue surrounding Burns is his contract.
Burns, whose 38 sacks since 2019 rank 11th in the NFL, is scheduled to play the 2023 campaign on his fifth-year option but could secure an extension worth $25 million annually. Earlier this year, Burns said he didn’t mind if negotiations stretched into training camp.
“I don’t have a preference,” Burns said. “Really, I’m blessed to be in that (conversation) for an opportunity to have that (sort of a deal). Right now, I’m enjoying the process and enjoying everything that comes with it.”
Injuries in the Panthers’ Secondary
The Panthers have several injuries to monitor in their defensive backfield, but luckily for the club, none appear all that serious.
Cornerback Donte Jackson is still recovering from the Achilles tear that ended his season, but Reich said in June that he should be ready for training camp. Jackson said his status was “still to be determined” but suggested he was prepared to follow the team’s plan with his recovery.
Fellow corner Jaycee Horn suffered a foot injury during OTAs and couldn’t participate in Carolina’s minicamp. Still, he didn’t require surgery and is expected to be available for camp. Horn’s injury did not involve the same foot he broke in 2021.
Meanwhile, free agent addition Vonn Bell “tweaked his hamstring” during the Panthers’ minicamp but should be healthy by camp, as Reich suggested that Bell’s injury was not severe. Bell will team with holdover safety Xavier Woods in the back end of Carolina’s secondary.