Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II was cleared from concussion protocol and has no injury designation for Sunday.
He will return to play against the Panthers after missing the Week 7 game against the Saints, which came four days after being diagnosed with a concussion.
Surtain returned to practice this week as a full participant all three days.
“I’m feeling good,” Surtain said Friday, via Susanna Weir of the team website. “Everything feels back to normal. Ready to get back out there for the guys, for sure.”
The Broncos list safety P.J. Locke (thumb) as doubtful after missing the past two days of practice. He was limited Wednesday.
Offensive tackle Alex Palczewski (ankle) is questionable after three limited practices. He did not play against the Saints last week.
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey (knee) improved to a full participant on Friday and has no injury designation.
Bryce Young will be back at quarterback for the Panthers on Sunday, but he’ll be short on targets.
The Panthers ruled wide receivers Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen out for their game against the Broncos. Johnson has a rib injury while Thielen will remain on injured reserve with his hamstring injury through the weekend.
Andy Dalton missed practice for the third straight day with the right thumb injury he suffered in a Tuesday car accident and has been listed as doubtful. That suggests Jack Plummer will be elevated from the practice squad to serve as Young’s backup.
Cornerback Dane Jackson (hamstring) and running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) are also listed as doubtful while safety Nick Scott (hamstring), safety Jordan Fuller (hamstring), linebacker D.J. Wonnum (quad), and safety Jammie Robinson (knee) have been ruled out.
Defensive end A’Shawn Robinson (knee), linebacker Claudin Cherelus (hamstring), linebacker Josey Jewell (hamstring, groin), right tackle Taylor Moton (groin), tackle Yosh Nijman (knee), tight end Tommy Tremble (knee), linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (shoulder), defensive tackle Jaden Crumedy (ankle), and safety Sam Franklin (personal, foot) are listed as questionable.
Panthers quarterback Andy Dalton sprained his right thumb in a car wreck Tuesday. He remained out of practice Thursday.
Bryce Young will start Sunday, but the Panthers are hoping Dalton will be available to backup the second-year quarterback.
Coach Dave Canales said Wednesday that Dalton will try to practice this week, so it remains to be seen whether Dalton will be able to throw the ball.
The Panthers had six changes to their long practice report.
They added kicker Eddy Pineiro, who didn’t practice, with a personal absence. Defensive end A’Shawn Robinson (knee) returned to practice with limited work, and safety Jammie Robinson (knee) ad outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum (quad) went from limited to not practicing.
Safety Sam Franklin Jr. (personal/foot) went from not practicing Wednesday to a full participant Thursday, and linebacker Jon Rhattigan (knee) from limited work Wednesday to full participation.
Cornerback Dane Jackson (hamstring), wide receiver Diontae Johnson (rib) and safety Nick Scott (hamstring) remained out of practice.
The Panthers opened the week with no plans of making a change at quarterback, but this Sunday is now set to feature the return of 2023 first overall pick Bryce Young.
Andy Dalton sprained his thumb in a Tuesday car accident and head coach Dave Canales announced that Young is in line to start against the Broncos during a Wednesday press conference. Young has made two brief relief appearances since being benched after Week Two and there didn’t seem to be much appetite for giving him another whirl, but they have little choice now.
On Wednesday, Canales said that Young has been “an absolute stud through this whole process” and that the second-year player has remained “engaged” while waiting for another opportunity. Young said that he continued preparing like a starter, so that this week’s developments won’t cause him to change anything about how he approaches the job.
“My job is always, no matter what, it would be the same level of preparation,” Young said, via the team’s website. “You always have to prepare like you’re going to play no matter where it is. So, it doesn’t change my approach or anything. For me, I never was out of it. That’s just out of respect for the game and respect for the team, and knowing just how the league is. There’s never a, take a step back or phone it in for a week. I have too much love for a game to do that.”
A road game against the Broncos’ third-ranked defense isn’t the easiest way to jump back into the lineup, but it’s the chance that Young has and we’ll see if he makes the most of it this weekend.
The Panthers went into this week planning to start Andy Dalton at quarterback against the Lions, but a Tuesday car accident changed those plans.
Head coach Dave Canales told reporters at a Wednesday press conference that Dalton sprained his thumb in the accident, which is why he did not take part in practice earlier in the day. As a result of the injury, the Panthers plan to start Bryce Young this Sunday.
It will be Young’s first start since the first overall pick of the 2023 draft was benched heading into Week Three. The shift comes three days after the Panthers resisted pulling Dalton in favor of Young during a 40-7 loss to the Commanders and two days after Canales said he didn’t want to engage in hypotheticals about whether the team still has confidence in Young.
Dalton will try to practice later in the week and could serve as the backup this weekend.
