The Carolina Panthers’ atrocious luck with injuries this season continues, especially around the line of scrimmage. Three starting defensive linemen did not participate in today’s practice and one is done for the year.
Here is your first look at the team’s Week 6 injury report.
| Player | Injury | Wed | Thu | Fri | Status |
| DE Brian Burns | Concussion | DNP | |||
| DT Kawann Short | Shoulder | DNP | |||
| DE Yetur Gross-Matos | Ankle | DNP | |||
| CB Donte Jackson | Toe | Limited | |||
| CB Eli Apple | Hamstring | Limited | |||
| DT Zach Kerr | Toe | Limited | |||
| WR Curtis Samuel | Knee | Limited | |||
| WR/KR Pharoh Cooper | Neck | Full |
Short’s shoulder injury will require surgery, so his 2020 season is over. Hopefully KK’s luck changes. However, it’s starting to look like his NFL career is going to be dominated by injury issues as it winds down. He missed 14 games last season and has played less than 200 defensive snaps since the start of 2019.
This setback for Gross-Matos is also pretty disheartening. After a difficult start to the season, the second-round pick had come on strong the last couple of games, racking up multiple pressures.
Burns’ injury is of course the scariest. As this franchise learned the hard way with Luke Kuechly, concussions can be far more damaging long-term than just forcing a key player out for a couple of weeks. Burns will be a foundational defensive piece for the Matt Rhule era, but only if he can stay healthy.
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