Extreme optimism wasn’t enough to get Marquis Haynes Sr. ready for the beginning of the season.
As announced on Monday morning, the Carolina Panthers have placed the sixth-year outside linebacker on injured reserve due to a back injury. He will now miss at least the first four weeks of the 2023 campaign.
Haynes Sr. sustained his back injury during the very early stages of training camp. He did not participate in the bulk of summer practices and did not appear in any of the team’s three preseason outings.
Back on Aug. 22, the 29-year-old told reporters that he was feeling “better” and taking the recovery process day by day. In fact, he believed he’d be good to go for the Week 1 opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
“Oh, it’s very high,” Haynes Sr. said of his confidence in being available. “Like, I’m 1000 percent confident I’m gonna be ready.”
With Haynes Sr. joining tight end Stephen Sullivan on IR, the Panthers now have two open spots on their active roster.
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