Bryce Young was listed with a knee injury on the Panthers’ practice reports over the past four weeks. The quarterback was listed with an ankle injury Wednesday.
Young, though, was estimated as a full participant.
The Panthers did not practice Wednesday.
Outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips (hamstring), left guard Damien Lewis (knee), linebacker Bobby Okereke (foot) and rookie cornerback Will Lee III (hamstring) were listed as non-participants.
Phillips has missed the past two games, and Lewis missed last week’s game against the Packers.
Offensive linemen Corey Bullock (quad) and Torricelli Simpkins III (ankle) were limited.
Several players taken in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft have gotten their second contracts. The first two players picked that year still have not.
Halfway through their fourth seasons, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud continue to play under their rookie deals.
As to Stroud, a subpar third season complicated negotiations. A decision was made to proceed with his fourth season, without a second deal.
A Tuesday article from ESPN took a close look at the respective preseason positions of player and team. The key facts: (1) the Texans offered a contract with a new-money value in excess of $50 million; and (2) Stroud did not ask to be the highest-paid quarterback in the league. (Patrick Mahomes currently leads the way at $63.093 million.)
Although the Texans have slumped to 2-5 in 2026, Stroud’s play has improved significantly. A new deal — closer to the top of the market — becomes likely after the current season. It remains theoretically possible that the two sides could work something out sooner than that.
For the player, there’s always an urgency to shift the injury risk to the team. Especially when the player will be assuming 60 minutes of injury risk, 17 times over.
As to Young, we’ve recently caught wind of chatter that the Panthers are “far down the road” toward signing him to a second deal in excess of $50 million per year.
Both are under contract through 2027, with their fifth-year options already exercised. For both, the guaranteed salary in 2027 will be $25.904 million. The franchise tag becomes an option for 2028, absent new deals.
Most teams prefer to make a final decision before then. Up or out. New contract, or find a new quarterback.
Again, both Young and Stroud are eligible for new contracts at any time. Both teams seem to want to keep them around. The only questions at this are when the deals will be one, what the new-money value will be, and (most importantly) how the payments will be structured — especially as to guarantees.
Veteran offensive lineman Brady Christensen will be back at Panthers practice this week.
The team announced that they have designated Christensen for return from injured reserve on Tuesday. Christensen injured his hamstring during the summer and has yet to play this season.
The hamstring injury occurred as Christensen was working his way back from the torn Achilles he suffered during the 2025 season.
“He’s healthy, he’s strong, he’s fit, he’s ready to go,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said on Monday, via the team’s website. “But we’ve got to get some football under his belt here, so that’ll be a good addition to the group to evaluate where you can help us potentially.”
Christensen has played 59 games over the last five seasons. He has seen time at both guard and tackle.
Thursday Night Football continues to draw larger audiences, generally. Specifically, there will be some peaks and valleys.
In Week 7, Patriots-Bears racked up 19.86 million for Prime Video. In Week 8, the number for Panthers-Packers fell to 16.56 million.
While it was a 26-percent bump over the Chargers’ 37-10 blowout of the Vikings in Week 8 of the 2025 season (13.13 million), it also landed a full one million below the season-to-date average of 17.56 million for TNF.
This week, a Jaguars-Ravens game that looked very good on paper as of Sunday morning has become a much more questionable endeavor, given the injuries to Baltimore quarterbacks Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. It could be undrafted rookie Joe Fagnano under center for the Ravens.
Which won’t be good for business. But will be good for the Jaguars.
The Panthers dismissed a couple of defensive coaches last week and they are bringing back one of their former assistants to help out in the secondary this week.
Jonathan Jones of TheAthletic.com reports that the Panthers will hire DeAngelo Hall. The three-time Pro Bowl cornerback will work with the team’s cornerbacks.
Hall was an assistant defensive backs coach for Carolina on head coach Dave Canales’s first staff in 2024. He also held that position in 2023.
Hall played 14 seasons in the NFL and made Pro Bowls while with Atlanta and Washington.
The Panthers fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley after last Thursday’s loss to the Packers. Todd Wash is now the interim defensive coordinator.
UPDATE 8:54 a.m. ET: The Panthers have announced Hall’s return to the staff.
