Carolina Panthers: 5 players miss Wednesday practice

The Carolina Panthers had five players miss practice however the news wasn’t all bad.

The Carolina Panthers were back on the practice field for the first time this week as they begin preparation for their Week 3 opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals. The first practice of the week is usually the day with the most players missing practice and the Panthers had five players.

This group included right guard Trai Turner, tight end Greg Olsen, wide receiver Curtis Samuel, safety Da’Norris Searcy, and cornerback Donte Jackson.

However, the news wasn’t all bad as Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer provided an update on some of those players.

The biggest positives from Rodrigue tweet was that right guard Trai Turner was at practice and working on the sideline. As she notes, this is one of the steps in the concussion protocol.

Turner missed last week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons after being placed in the concussion protocol after the Dallas Cowboys’ game. The Panthers’ offensive line, including Turner’s replacement Tyler Larsen, played pretty well against the Falcons. However, there is no question Turner’s return will be a boost to this offense.

The other interesting note was that Greg Olsen was at practice as well working out with trainers on the side. The starting tight end suffered a fractured foot in the first half against the Cowboys. This was the same foot that cost him nine games last year.

However, the former Pro Bowler did not have surgery and was hoping to be available in a couple of weeks. The return of Olsen would be another big boost for this offense but the Panthers must be cautious with bringing Olsen back.

The fact that this is the second year in a row that Olsen has injured that foot, the last thing the team would like to see happen is he comes back too soon and finds himself re-injuring himself.

For the full injury report for the Carolina Panthers, click here.