The Broncos got a starting safety back on the practice field Thursday.
Talanoa Hufanga took part in practice as a limited participant. Hufanga has missed the last three games with an ankle injury and the Broncos will issue any injury designation for Sunday’s game against the Panthers on Friday.
Hufanga had 23 tackles, a sack, two interceptions, an interception return for a touchdown and a forced fumble in the first five weeks of the season.
Cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine (ankle), safety Brandon Jones (hamstring), and defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike (shoulder) remained out of practice. Defensive lineman Zach Allen (rest), wide receiver Pat Bryant (ankle), wide receiver Courtland Sutton (rest), and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle (chest) were all full participants.
Panthers Clips
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.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley less than 12 hours after Thursday night’s loss to the Packers, and Canales said on Friday afternoon that he wants his players to be confident in their defense.
“I take that responsibility very seriously as the head coach. I know it’s my responsibility to put the players in a position where they feel confident, they feel ready to go,” Canales said. “I just want to see the guys connected. I want to see them excited about going out there and executing the plan, playing fast, playing physical. The effort has been there. Those things are right, but I know we can make strides with being able to get everybody on the same page.”
Canales said he “took in a lot of information” before firing Evero and Cooley and discussed it with owner David Tepper and General Manager Dan Morgan. But he added that he made the decision himself.
“Ultimately, this is my decision. This falls squarely under the responsibilities of the head coach,” Canales said. “Ultimately it had to come from me.”
Todd Wash, who had been the Panthers’ defensive line coach, has been promoted to defensive coordinator. Canales said Wash is great at bringing players together.
“I’ve known him for a long time,” Canales said. “His connection with the players, he knows these guys, he knows their stories, he’s connected to their lives. He pushes them hard and trains them hard, and he does a great job of earning the right to be able to push guys because of the emotional equity that he pours in. I appreciate that and I’m excited about what happens with the whole group when they get connected and play together.”
The Falcons will be without running back Brian Robinson against the Buccaneers on Sunday.
Robinson has been ruled out for the second straight week with a hamstring injury. He had 53 carries for 211 yards and four touchdowns while working behind Bijan Robinson in the first six games of the season.
Khalil Herbert was elevated from the practice squad to serve as the backup running back last week and will likely be brought up again this weekend.
The Falcons also listed eight players as questionable for Sunday’s divisional matchup.
- Defensive back Billy Bowman (hamstring), linebacker Divine Deablo (forearm), defensive end Samson Ebukam (hamstring), defensive end Charles Snowden (back), cornerback Avieon Terrell (illness), and wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus (shoulder) were all limited participants in Friday’s practice. Wide receiver Beaux Collins (hip) and offensive tackle Cameron Williams (ankle) were full participants.
Panthers owner David Tepper had big expectations for his team in 2026. With a 3-4 record after seven games, the team is making some big changes.
The Panthers have announced the terminations of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero and defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley.
Moving forward, defensive line coach Todd Wash will serve as defensive coordinator and call the defensive plays.
Outside linebackers coach/run game specialist AC Carter will also coach the defensive line, and secondary coach Renaldo Hill will continue to oversee the defensive backs.
Evero, 45, had worked for the Panthers since 2023, arriving as a member of Frank Reich’s staff. Evero remained in place after the hiring of Dave Canales in 2024.
In 2022, Evero was the defensive coordinator of the Broncos. His first job as an NFL position coach came in 2017, when Rams coach Sean McVay hired Evero to serve as safeties coach on McVay’s initial staff. Evero was secondary coach and passing game coordinator for the Rams in 2021, which resulted in a Super Bowl win.
Through it all, the Panthers remain tied for first place with the Falcons in the NFC South.
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has been on the injury report since hurting his left knee during the team’s Week 3 loss to the Browns and he was asked if it was bothering him after Thursday night’s game in Green Bay.
Young was sacked six times, hit nine times, had passes batted down at the line and threw an interception while being pressured regularly in 27-19 loss to the Packers. The questions came because Young had little luck evading pressure which head coach Dave Canales said “maybe” was related to the knee issue, but Young waved that off when he spoke to reporters.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Young said, via the team’s website. “Everyone’s dealing with something at this point in the year. It’s football. Nothing like that is an excuse; go out there and play the game. I’m blessed to be able to do that. That’s all that matters.”
The quarterback wasn’t helped by the fact that the Panthers were forced to do more shuffling on the offensive line. Right tackle Taylor Moton went on injured reserve this week and left guard Damien Lewis was inactive, which led to Monroe Freeling and Corey Bullock starting up front. Bullock had to leave the game with a quad injury and Jake Curhan entered as the Panthers continued to patch things together on the fly in front of Young.
It didn’t work on Thursday and the Panthers will try and come up with something better when they try to snap their losing streak at home against the Broncos in Week 9.
