The Panthers turned in another long injury report on Thursday, but there were more players participating in practice than there were on Wednesday.
Wide receiver DJ Chark (elbow) and right tackle Taylor Moton (knee) both took part in practice after sitting out to start the week. Both players were listed as limited while cornerback Troy Hill and tight end Hayden Hurst fully practiced after sitting out on Wednesday due to illness.
Safety Xavier Woods was added to the report as a limited participant with an abdomen injury. Safety Vonn Bell (quadricep), running back Raheem Blackshear (groin), edge rusher Brian Burns (elbow), guard Austin Corbett (knee), linebacker Frankie Luvu (hip), and linebacker Chandler Wooten (hamstring) were limited for the second straight day.
Wide receiver Laviska Shenault (ankle), edge rusher Justin Houston (hamstring), and linebacker Claudin Cherelus (knee) remained out of practice.
The Panthers got their first win of the 2023 season last Sunday and linebacker Frankie Luvu had a big hand in making it happen.
Luvu had 12 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and two passes defensed during the 15-13 victory. The 12 tackles are tied for the second-most Luvu has recorded in a game during his career and it is the most he has had in a game this season.
The NFL recognized Luvu’s effort by naming him the NFC defensive player of the week for Week Eight.
It’s the first time that Luvu has taken the award and the latest sign of Luvu’s transition from special teamer to key defensive player in Carolina.
The NFL trade deadline is at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 31, and PFT has you covered with news and analysis of every trade, potential trade, rumor of a trade and trade that won’t be happening.
Here’s what’s happening on the NFL trade front:
Josh Dobbs was traded from the Cardinals to the Vikings.
Chase Young was traded from the Commanders to the 49ers.
The Commanders traded defensive end Montez Sweat to the Bears for a 2024 second-round pick.
The Packers traded cornerback Rasul Douglas to the Bills.
The Vikings traded guard Ezra Cleveland to the Jaguars.
The Browns traded wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones to the Lions.
The Bears gave cornerback Jaylon Johnson permission to seek a trade, but he’ll stay in Chicago.
Amid talk that Derrick Henry could be traded, he said he’s happy to remain a Titan. The Titans reportedly told Henry they don’t plan to trade him.
There’s also been trade talk around DeAndre Hopkins.
With Will Levis expected to keep starting in Tennessee, Ryan Tannehill’s name could come up in trade talks.
San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan indicated he doesn’t think the 49ers need to do any work at the trade deadline.
Could Kyler Murray get traded to the Vikings after Kirk Cousins’ injury?
The Vikings don’t have many good options to find a new starting quarterback in the middle of the season.
The Panthers are unlikely to trade Brian Burns, as a result of his contractual demands.
The Vikings won’t move Danielle Hunter unless they’re blown away by a trade offer.
The Falcons offered a third-round pick for Montez Sweat.
The Commanders reportedly got calls about trading Jonathan Allen, but aren’t interested in moving him.
Raiders wide receiver Hunter Renfrow thinks he can help a team, whether that’s in Las Vegas or after he’s traded somewhere else.
The Giants have assured Saquon Barkley they aren’t trading him.
Things are pretty quiet on the trade front, but that could change in a hurry.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton said the team is not shopping anyone ahead of the deadline.
The Giants traded defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Seahawks for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh would like to bolster the team’s offensive line, but doesn’t think other teams are looking to trade offensive linemen.
The Eagles traded defensive lineman Kentavius Street and a 2025 seventh-round pick to the Falcons for a 2024 sixth-round pick.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said he doesn’t expect to make a trade ahead of the deadline.
Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht says he looks forward to wide receiver Mike Evans continuing his career with the team.
Raiders receiver Davante Adams has not requested a trade.
The first two months of Bryce Young’s NFL career featured a lot more losing than the quarterback was used to at Alabama, but he and the Panthers finally had something to celebrate on Sunday.
Young took the Panthers on a 15-play drive that ate up the final six-plus minutes of the game before Eddy Pineiro kicked a field goal as time expired for a 15-13 win. One of the plays on that drive was a fourth-down completion to Adam Thielen and Young said after the game that he loves “to have a chance to end the game on your terms and to try to go out and take the game.”
Making the most of that opportunity overwhelms a lot of what’s gone wrong through the first seven games of Young’s NFL career.
“Yeah, even though it felt like one win, again, it’s great,” Young said, via the team’s website. “Obviously, we didn’t have to start we wanted. But again, we also understand this is one win. In Week 8. And it’s great, we enjoy it, but it felt like that. We have stuff to clean up, stuff to build on. So we all know that we all understand it. It’s great. Again, these don’t come easy. It was a really good team. So, we definitely respect that, and we celebrate it. It’s good, and then we’re going to get ready to turn the page tomorrow.”
Getting win No. 1 would feel good under any circumstances, but it likely felt all the better after a week of hearing questions about whether the Panthers erred by taking Young ahead of Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud. Stringing together a few more victories would go a long way toward quieting that chatter over the rest of Young’s rookie season.
Eddy Pineiro kicked a chip-shot, game-winning field goal on the final play for the Panthers’ first win of the season. It wasn’t that easy.
It, in fact, took three kicks before Pineiro could jump on holder Johnny Hekker’s back for a pre-planned celebratory ride.
“I have seen it before when teams try to play with a kicker’s mind,” Hekker said, via Steve Reed of the Associated Press. “Hey, it’s hard to hit one game-winner, much less three. Kudos to him. He’s mentally tough, and he is a guy that works super hard. He has the ability to put every kick behind him and focus on that next kick.”
With three seconds left, Pineiro lined up for a 38-yarder. But Texans defensive back Tavierre Thomas jumped offsides and ran over Hekker as Pineiro missed the kick wide right. Thomas was cited for offsides, which was declined, and unnecessary roughness, a 10-yard penalty that moved the ball to the 10.
From 28 yards out, Pineiro made the kick, but officials blew it dead after Thomas again was offsides. Officials penalized Thomas for unsportsmanlike conduct which moved it 5 yards closer.
Pineiro’s 23-yard kick was good, and the network broadcast indicated there was a flag, but no penalty was announced and the game was ended.
“My coach told me to sell out and not let it go through the uprights,” Thomas said. “I didn’t try to hit the dude the first time. He was just right there and I fell over him. We were trying to get the kicker a little frazzled or whatever so he would miss the kick.”
As Football Zebras pointed out, referee John Hussey could have issued a warning to the Texans if the intentional unabated offsides fouls had continued. Rule 12-3-2 allows for officials to award the offensive team the score for a palpably unfair act if the intentional fouls continue after a warning.
A palpably unfair act has not been called in the NFL, according to Football Zebras.
The repeated fouls by Thomas did not rattle Pineiro, who received a game ball in the locker room.
“As soon as it started to play out like that, you just keep your cool,” Panthers coach Frank Reich said. “Eddy did a good job of keeping his cool and just was clutch like we knew he would be.”
Pineiro missed an extra point earlier in the game, making him happy for a chance to “redeem” himself. He did despite Thomas’ penalties and the Texans’ taunting.
“Those guys were like, ‘Oh you’re gonna miss it!,’” Pineiro said. “They’re just trying to get in your head and I just stayed focused, followed my technique and just did my normal prayer that I usually do before I kick, and that’s it.”
