Panthers News: Frank Reich, Yetur Gross-Matos, Bryce Young and Austin Corbett
By Dean Jones
Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines as fans get set for the NFL's first-ever Black Friday contest this afternoon?
Black Friday was once designated for crazed shoppers looking for the deal of a lifetime after their Thanksgiving Day festivities conclude. Now, the NFL is getting in on the act with its first-ever game between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins, which was the brainchild of Amazon and should attract huge ratings along the way.
That's inconsequential to the Carolina Panthers, who'll embark on their final preparations for Week 12 at the Tennessee Titans later today. Until then, the stories causing conversation include Frank Reich keeping cards close to his chest, Austin Corbett's mentality, another defensive player set to return, and the potential for Bryce Young suffering from mental fatigue.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Carolina Panthers designate Yetur Gross-Matos to return
The good news keeps coming for Ejiro Evero's defense. Yetur Gross-Matos is the latest Carolina Panthers player designated to return from injured/reserve, which is another boost to a pass-rushing unit struggling to generate pressure aside from Brian Burns.
Gross-Matos has been much-maligned throughout his Panthers career. However, the former second-round selection was much improved in 2023 before going down, so his presence on the edge is going to help enormously.
Whether Gross-Matos will be able to impact matters in Week 12 is another matter. The Panthers listed the Penn State product as a limited participant on Thursday, so it'll be interesting to see what sort of injury tag he's given when the final report is revealed tomorrow afternoon.