Team needs to be cautious with wideout Curtis Samuel

Curtis Samuel is recovering slowly but surely and shouldn’t be rushed back.

Carolina Panthers, please be careful. That’s all I ask. So far, the team has done a great job in making sure wideout Curtis Samuel is healthy as they try to preserve him for the rest of the season. With Samuel being bitten by the injury bug, Panther Nation was given an update in regards to Samuel’s progress on Monday.

Speaking to the media, head coach Ron Rivera gave us an update on the former Ohio State product’s health. It does not sound like he is going to be on the field anytime soon. However, the outlook for Curtis Samuel is more promising than it was just a few weeks ago.

"“It’s great to see Curtis out there, and he looked like he was having a lot of fun,” said Rivera. “He went through a little bit of a health scare, and it got straightened out. For him to be able to be out there now was pretty exciting. I’m happy to have him out there again.”"

Again, this sounds a lot more like Samuel is just trying to get up to speed again. The fact that he is out there with the rest of Panthers is encouraging however. Many though last year was going to be his big year. However, with injuries hampering him among other things, it just never materialized. It seems as if Samuel is suffering the same fate again this year.

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Rivera indicated that they will take things slow with Samuel. That quite frankly is the right move. Make sure he is fully ready before putting him in game action again. Don’t force him out there and make his injury even worse. We have seen flashes of what he can do and the speedy wideout certainly has the talent to succeed.

"“We’ll continue to watch him, see how his conditioning is,” said Rivera. “Obviously with his skill set, his speed, his ability to get downfield makes him a valuable part of (the offense). And we’ll get Damiere back as well. Adding two speed players to what we do as far as the offense could be a very good thing for us this week.”"

Last year, I would have suggested that maybe the Carolina Panthers rush him back from a situation like this. After all, they had no weapons last year. This year, they have the depth where if they suffer an injury or two at the position, they will be okay. Of course, you never like to see an injury no matter what the circumstance is. You also never like to see an injury caused by a case of a player coming back too soon.

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They do not need to rush Samuel back. nor should they. In my opinion, Curtis Samuel is a player that they should handle with care moving forward. Make sure he is fully healthy before putting him in a game again and pay attention if he looks “off” while on the field. The team could certainty use him, but they have enough depth to fill the hole his absence leaves. That is why the Panthers should take the safe approach moving forward and think long-term instead of right now.

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