Forget everything you think you know about getting hit with the injury bug, because Carolina is rewriting the book on it. These guys are seriously the most dinged-up squad in the entire NFL right now, yet somehow, they’re sitting at a 2-2 record to kick off the season. It’s wild, honestly, and makes you wonder what kind of magic they’re pulling off down there to keep things even.
Getting The Band Back Together… Kinda
Finally, some good news, right? After an absolutely brutal start to the year, it looks like some key players are actually seeing the field again. Young wide receiver Jalen Coker, who missed their last game, is back in action. And get this: running back Trevor Etienne, who hasn’t even sniffed a game this season, fully participated in practice and is now questionable for Sunday. Same deal for stalwart right tackle Taylor Moton, who’s missed all of 2026 with blood clots but was a full participant in practice and is questionable. Then there’s veteran guard Damien Lewis, who sat out last game but practiced in full on Friday and is questionable. Even veteran defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, hoping to make his season debut, is questionable with a neck injury. The bye week definitely helped some other guys too, with outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips and tight ends Tommy Tremble and Darren Waller all getting some much-needed rest. But don’t get too hyped, because right tackle Monroe Freeling is still doubtful, and running back AJ Dillon is straight-up out for Sunday. So, “good news” is a relative term when you’re this banged up.
Practice Squad Merry-Go-Round
The front office down in Carolina has been doing some serious shuffling to cope with all these injuries. They just signed defensive tackle Keith Cooper to their practice squad this week. Cooper was an undrafted guy in 2025, played one game with Cleveland as a rookie, and then saw action in three games earlier this season for Miami, notching one tackle before getting released. He logged 29 defensive snaps and 16 on special teams for the Dolphins, so he’s at least got some recent NFL reps under his belt. To make room, they released outside linebacker Cam Gill from the practice squad. Gill has been in and out of Carolina since 2024, but he was a Buccaneers player from 2020-2023, appearing in 40 games with 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He played 10 games for Carolina in 2024, put up 22 tackles, and logged 221 defensive snaps and 172 on special teams that year. He didn’t play in the NFL last year and has been bouncing around their practice squad in 2026. They also cut defensive tackle Anthony Goodlow, who they just signed to the practice squad on September 1st. He spent most of 2024 on the Cardinals’ practice squad without playing a game and had three tackles in three games last year. Talk about a revolving door!
What’s next for these guys? They’re clearly battling through it, and keeping that .500 record while dealing with this many injuries is a feat in itself. You gotta wonder how long they can keep this up, but for now, they’re just trying to get some of their starters back on the field and survive another week.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Cat Scratch Reader.
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