Carolina Panthers Week 1 injury report reveals ‘questionable’ protection

Four Carolina Panthers appear on the injury report for Week 1 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera and the medical staff face some serious questions between now and when kickoff arrives on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. With four different players currently a part of the injury report, only one has been officially labeled as out.

Entering 2018, one of the main concerns was finding a suitable replacement for All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell who exited during free agency. Initially it appeared Amini Silatolu was the immediate replacement but injuries up front have shuffled the offensive line so much since that no one really knows what to expect on Sunday.

During the course of preseason play and training camp, three starters have been sidelined with knee injuries and one was placed on Injured Reserve (IR) with a backup that was also expected to see some time. Silatolu, Daryl Williams and Matt Kalil (IR) were the starting left guard, right tackle and left tackle, respectively, in addition to backup Jeremiah Sirles landing on IR with Kalil.

The remaining two have been limited participants in practice this week and according to the official injury report are questionable for the home opener. A lot of factors play into determining if the risk is worth a potential reward this early in the year, especially with depth already a concern up front.

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Play Silatolu and Williams at less than 100-percent and protecting quarterback Cam Newton may becomes an issue along with the potential for further injury. Rivera and the medical staff are likely to err on the side of caution but if one or both have fully recovered, it would be a boost for a unit in the midst of a tumultuous preseason.

Joining both Williams and Silatolu on the report are wide receiver Curtis Samuel, who has been ruled out and tight end Chris Manhertz, questionable. Samuel underwent a medical procedure to correct an irregular heartbeat earlier in the week and has not practiced.

Manhertz continues to recover from offseason foot surgery after suffering an injury during minicamp but could be available. All four are listed as questionable, defined as, “not certain to play” and each will require further examination closer to game time.

Tune in on Sunday (9/9) to see which Panthers players take the field when the Cowboys visit Bank of America Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25pm ET.