Carolina Panthers Injury Updates | Shark Bites

Panthers S Vonn Bell (shoulder) is off the final injury report for Sunday's game against the Saints. That means he's ready to return after missing Week 13 and leaving the previous game early. Bell has managed just two full games among his past seven thanks to a pair of injuries. You can find him at the bottom of DB3 territory in our Week 14 rankings, though.

Panthers S Vonn Bell (quad) apparently isn't ready to return just yet. He's doubtful for Sunday's game despite putting in limited practices all week. It'll be Bell's third straight missed game -- and another start for Sam Franklin in his place. Franklin made noise with a 99-yard INT return for a TD back in Week 4, but he has just one game all season with more than 2 solo tackles. He's not a worthwhile option for most IDP leagues. The Panthers might also miss CB Donte Jackson. He's officially questionable despite not appearing on the injury report until Friday, as a full participant.

Panthers Edge Brian Burns is questionable after injuring an elbow during the practice week. After seeing his time limited Thursday, Burns missed Friday's practice altogether. We'll see about his status over the weekend, but make sure you have another option available.

Panthers LB Frankie Luvu left Sunday's game in the fourth quarter with a hip injury and did not return. Fortunately, he now gets a Week 7 bye to recover. This is the same area that had Luvu on the injury report in weeks 4 and 5, but he played through it for each game. We'll watch for updates on Luvu's status.

The Panthers have ruled S Vonn Bell and S Xavier Woods out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins. Woods comes as no surprise, as he's dealing with a multi-week hamstring injury. Bell suffered a quad injury Thursday that kept him out of Friday's practice. Sam Franklin has been starting in Woods' spot and carries tackle upside into a matchup with speedy Miami. We'll see who fills in for Bell. IDP managers would love to get full playing time for Jeremy Chinn, but he played a season-low 30% of the snaps in Week 5, despite injuries at safety and LB. Fifth-round rookie Jammie Robinson is the other SS candidate. You can stash Chinn for now in case he gets the nod, or you could simply avoid the situation (beyond Franklin). We'll watch for more details.

Panthers S Xavier Woods suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday's loss to the Seahawks that's expected to keep him out 4-6 weeks, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Fifth-round rookie Jammie Robinson looks like the next man up in Woods' spot. Fellow reserve Sam Franklin is in his fourth season and has five career starts, though. And perhaps Jeremy Chinn gains some playing time. We'll see how this situation plays out. The Carolina defense is already missing CB Jaycee Horn (hamstring) and could also miss CB C.J. Henderson (ankle). LB Frankie Luvu (hip) is also a question mark for Week 4. We'll see about the whole unit through the practice week.

Panthers LB Frankie Luvu left Sunday's loss to the Seahawks with a hip injury and did not return. We'll see about his status heading into Week 4. With fellow starter Shaq Thompson already out, LB Kamu Grugier-Hill tallied 10 tackles to lead the team. He'll be worth a pickup for Week 4 in many IDP leagues -- especially if Luvu is expected to miss further time.

Panthers LB Shaq Thompson left Monday night's game against the Saints with an injury to his right shin. He's doubtful to return. We'll see about Thompson's status heading into Week 3.

Update: NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that HC Frank Reich said Thompson suffered a "significant" ankle injury. Thompson is expected to miss the rest of the season, though he'll have further tests Tuesday.

The Panthers are hiring Ejiro Evero as DC, according to multiple reports. In his 1st year as Broncos DC, Evero earned widespread praise. He piloted a unit that ranked 7th in yards allowed, 14th in points allowed and 10th in Football Outsiders' DVOA. Denver likely would have ranked even better but traded EDGE Bradley Chubb during the season and lost S Justin Simmons to injury for 5 games (among other injuries). Evero -- who has been on NFL staffs since 2007, except for 1 year spent at the D-III level -- impressed enough to draw head-coaching interviews this offseason. He'll take over a Panthers defense with some talented pieces. Chief among those are EDGE Brian Burns, S Jeremy Chinn, CB Jaycee Horn and DT Derrick Brown. Don't be surprised if the Carolina defense becomes more of a fantasy football factor in 2023.

Panthers S Jeremy Chinn (hamstring) is active for the 1st time since suffering his injury back in Week 4. We don't yet know just how much he'll play, but there's room for him to jump back into a full-time role with several other safeties missing. CB Jaycee Horn (foot) is also active.

The Panther have activated S Jeremy Chinn (hamstring). That doesn't necessarily mean he'll play Sunday against the Ravens. Interim HC Steve Wilks on Friday called Chinn a game-time decision. But this at least makes it possible for the safety to return to the lineup. Even if he plays Sunday, Chinn might find his role limited. Wilks called his return from injury a "work in progress." That said, the team is down S Juston Burris and will likely miss S Myles Hartsfield. So they might need to play Chinn full time -- or at least find added motivation to do so. Chinn will be a risk-reward option for IDP lineups, barring clear statements on his intended usage.

Panthers interim HC Steve Wilks called S Jeremy Chinn "a work in progress" in his return from a hamstring injury and deemed the safety a game-time decision for Sunday against the Ravens, according to NFL.com. That makes Chinn risky even if active, but we'll watch his status Sunday. If Chinn sits again, he won't be replaced by S Juston Burris (out: illness, concussion) and probably not by S Myles Hartsfield either (doubtful: ankle). Carolina has also ruled DT Matt Ioannidis (calf) out. CB Jaycee Horn (foot) is questionable but finished the week with 2 full practices.

The Panthers on Tuesday designated S Jeremy Chinn (hamstring) to return from IR, and he practiced with the team. Designating him to return opens a 21-day window for getting Chinn back on the active roster, so the team will still need to make that move before he can play Thursday night against the Falcons. Chinn also doesn't appear on the injury report this week because he's not yet back on the active roster. We'll watch to see whether he's ready for Thursday night.

Panthers LB Frankie Luvu (shoulder) is active for today's game against the Buccaneers. He missed the past 2 with the injury. CB Jaycee Horn (ribs) is inactive. CB Donte Jackson (ankle) is active.

The Panthers on Wednesday placed S Jeremy Chinn on IR with the the hamstring injury that knocked him out in the 1st quarter of Sunday's game. S Myles Hartsfield and S Sean Chandler each saw playing-time boosts against the Cardinals. Hartsfield played 95% of snaps, though, and looks like the better fill-in bet. The other starting safety, Xavier Woods, missed Wednesday's practice with his own hamstring injury. We'll see about his status later in the week.

Panthers S Jeremy Chinn left Sunday's loss to the Cardinals with a hamstring injury. We'll see about his status for Week 5 and beyond.

Panthers DT Derrick Brown left Friday night's preseason game with an oblique injury and will not return. We'll see how serious the issue is for a guy who should be Carolina's top DT.

Panthers S Jeremy Chinn is inactive for today's game against the Buccaneers. He sustained an ankle injury in Saturday's practice. DT Derrick Brown is active after arriving questionable with an elbow issue.

Panthers DE Brian Burns left Sunday's loss to the Patriots with right ankle injury. Burns initially left in the 1st quarter after QB Mac Jones tugged him down by the ankle following a Jones fumble. Burns returned from that but later left with an issue in the same ankle. Teammate Haason Reddick said after the game that Burns told him the ankle would be fine, according to ESPN's David Newton.

Panthers LB Shaq Thompson (foot) is active for today's game against the Falcons. He hasn't played since Week 4 because of the foot injury. CB Stephon Gilmore is also off the PUP and set to make his debut for what should be an improved Carolina defense.