Torrey Smith only player on injury report for Panthers

The Panthers wideout is set to miss another game.

As usual, the injury report came out on Friday for the Carolina Panthers. Perhaps a bit unusual was the fact that there was only one player on it. Wide receiver Torrey Smith was the lone party making this his fourth consecutive week that he will miss game action.

Per an official release from Panthers.com head coach Ron Rivera has stated that Smith is progressing, but is still a little bit away from game action. There is even some talk that he could return next week when the Panthers face a tough battle against the Seattle Seahawks. With an emerging defense and a secondary that can hold their own, Carolina might need Smith to be ready.

"“Each day he seemed to progress a little bit more – out running with the trainers, doing some cuts and quick moves,” Rivera said. “Each day he’s done more and more, and today it was good to see it out there. It looks like he’s getting close to opening it up some. We’re pretty excited about getting him back soon.”"

Obviously, I hope that Smith gets back out on the field sooner rather than later. However, there has not been a lack of production in his absence. Rookie D. J. Moore has really stepped up and become a key playmaker for the Panthers. Combine that with the work of Curtis Samuel and Devin Funchess and the team has done a nice job of picking up Smith’s slack. I wouldn’t expect that to change anytime soon.

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It will be interesting to see what Smith can provide the team once he returns. Obviously, he has not performed the way the team or the fans thought he would. If there is one positive to that , it is that we have seen other players really embrace the roles they have been given. Once Smith returns, it will give the Panthers another weapon to add to the offense. Something that works in Smith’s favor is the fact that he does not have to be the number one receiver. He can serve as a decoy for the other playmakers, a role that would serve him well. For his sake, I hope he can come back and be a productive member of the team.

For now though, it appears that he will be sitting on the sidelines. This probably isn’t what the Panthers had in mind when they signed him, but now they just have to focus on dealing with it. This could give more opportunities for guys like Samuel and Moore to show that they can be consistent productive receivers. If they can do that with Smith coming back, the Panthers wide receivers will be firing on all cylinders come playoff time.

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