The Carolina Panthers have confirmed this morning’s report that they’re activating cornerback Eli Apple from the injured reserve list. Defensive end Shareef Miller has been waived to make room for him on the 53-man roster.
The team has also activated running back Reggie Bonnafon and undrafted rookie linebacker Chris Orr from the practice squad.
Bonnafon was in the lineup last week against the Chargers even though he didn’t get much playing time behind Mike Davis.
Orr may only play if middle linebacker Tahir Whitehead can’t go. He has been added to the injury report and is listed as questionable due to a thigh issue. Whitehead not being in the lineup could turn out to be a plus for the Panthers, though.
While there are potential issues with having the regular defensive playcaller out, Whitehead has been a liability in coverage and Arizona runs its offense in such a way that having three linebackers on the field at once is just asking for trouble. At the moment, the top two on the team are Shaq Thompson and rookie Jeremy Chinn. It might be worth seeing what Orr can do, but those two should get the lions’ share of the linebacker snaps.
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