The Rams officially have one of their key defenders back on the roster.
Los Angeles has activated safety Quentin Lake off of injured reserve, the team announced on Tuesday.
Lake has been sidelined since suffering an elbow injury in the club’s Nov. 16 win over Seattle. Lake did not play in the Week 13 loss to Carolina.
In his fourth pro season, Lake registered 61 total tackles with 10 passes defensed, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, a sack, and an interception in 10 regular-season games.
As a corresponding move, the Rams have placed linebacker Shaun Dolan on injured reserve.
Additionally, L.A. released safety Nate Valcarcel off of the practice squad and signed linebacker Ben Niemann to the practice squad.
Panthers defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton missed the final four games of the regular season with a hamstring injury, but Tuesday’s injury report brought good news about his chances of playing against the Rams this weekend.
Wharton was listed as a full participant in the team’s first on-field work of the week. Wharton started all nine games he played this season and had 36 tackles and two sacks in those appearances.
Defensive lineman Bobby Brown (concussion) was a limited participant after being injured in Week 18. Cornerback Robert Rochell (concussion) was also listed as limited.
Linebacker Claudin Cherelus (calf, ankle) joined Wharton as a full participant. Guards Robert Hunt (biceps) and Chandler Zavala (calf) were also full participants as they work their way back from injured reserve.
The Panthers designated Robert Hunt for return from injured reserve last month and they have another guard who could potentially return to the lineup in the postseason.
The team announced that they have designated Chandler Zavala for return on Tuesday. Zavala went on the list on November 29 due to a calf injury,
Zavala also missed time on injured reserve with a knee injury earlier in the season. He returned to start three games before suffering the calf injury.
Damien Lewis and Austin Corbett started at guard for the Panthers in Week 18.
The Panthers currently have an open roster spot for either Hunt or Zavala, but would need to make another move to create space for both players ahead of Saturday’s game against the Rams.
The Panthers made a few changes to their roster ahead of Saturday’s playoff opener against the Rams.
Wide receiver David Moore has been activated from injured reserve. Moore has been out since injuring his elbow in Week Four.
Moore had one catch for five yards and one carry for 12 yards before his injury.
The Panthers waived wide receiver Hunter Renfrow in a corresponding move. Renfrow had 15 catches for 89 yards in the first six weeks of the season, but has been inactive for the last 11 games.
The Panthers also waived safety Demani Richardson. They could use his roster spot to activate guard Robert Hunt from injured reserve before facing the Rams.
The Panthers are 10.5-point underdogs against the Rams in Saturday’s playoff opener, and Carolina coach Dave Canales says that’s not on his mind.
Asked if he takes it as disrespect that his team is the weekend’s biggest underdog despite beating the Rams in the regular season, Canales said it doesn’t bother him.
“I don’t know how they come up with those numbers, but I’m sure they have algorithms,” Canales said. “We can’t worry about that. We’ve just got to worry about playing our best football.”
The Panthers are 8-9 and entering the playoffs off a loss in the regular-season finale, but Canales said he’s emphasizing to his team that it’s a whole new season.
“Every game is a championship opportunity,” Canales said. “Here it is, right in front of us.”
