Injury Update

A report today from the Associated Press doesn’t exactly spell out great news for the Carolina Panthers.  There is a big game coming up and we needed something like…oh, I don’t know…GOOD NEWS today.  I sure do hope what we’re hearing now changes before Sunday.

"CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers placed kick returner Ryne Robinson on injured reserve Wednesday after he failed to make progress from a preseason knee injury.The Panthers signed former Wake Forest receiver Kenneth Moore to take his roster spot.Robinson sprained his left knee in training camp July 31. After missing all the preseason, he practiced on a limited basis the past several weeks but has not been active for a game.The move means Mark Jones will continue to return punts and rookie running back Jonathan Stewart will likely remain the kickoff returner.Moore, a Charlotte native, was Detroit’s fifth-round draft pick last spring. He was among the Lions’ final cuts before being signed to their practice squad.Meanwhile, receiver D.J. Hackett (knee) missed practice and is expected to sit out Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay. That means Dwayne Jarrett will become the No. 3 receiver behind Steve Smith and Muhsin Muhammad.The Panthers were also without starting offensive lineman Jordan Gross (concussion), Ryan Kalil (ankle) and Jeff Otah (ankle) at practice Wednesday."

Let’s hope that Otah and Gross can come back.  They are going to critical in this matchup with Tampa Bay this week.

Hackett hasn’t been a major factor in the passing game but having him there for depth sure can’t hurt anything.  In a game of this magnitude, it will be important that Jarrett shows up ready to play and contribute.

Placing Robinson on injured reserve, while a serious loss to the team, is not the most damaging thing right now.  Mark Jones has been serviceable on punt returns and Jonathan Stewart has done fairly well on kickoff returns.