The Carolina Panthers have activated defensive back Juston Burris from the injured reserve list ahead of Sunday’s division matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Burris started the first six games of the season but suffered a rib injury in the loss to the Chicago Bears. He had been on IR since.
Getting Burris back is a welcome development for a young defense that needs all the help it can get. It also presents an interesting question for defensive coordinator Phil Snow. Undrafted rookie safety/linebacker Sam Franklin took Burris’ place in the lineup the last three games and has flashed some genuine potential. Burris will likely start, but Franklin may demand more snaps in the future. We may learn a lot about how they feel about Franklin based on how much he plays Week 10.
Also, with Christian McCaffrey ruled out this week and Reggie Bonnafon going on injured reserve yesterday, the team needed more depth at running back. So, they have promoted rookie Rodney Smith from the practice squad. Smith played his college ball at Minnesota and posted some impressive rushing numbers in 2016 and 2019. He will be the third running back on the depth chart behind Trenton Cannon and Mike Davis.
The Panthers also re-signed kicker Taylor Bertolet to their practice squad.
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