The Carolina Panthers have placed a grand total of 11 players on injured reserve this season, with eight coming on the defensive side of the ball. And among those eight are three of the team’s top four outside linebackers—Marquis Haynes Sr., Yetur Gross-Matos and, most recently, Justin Houston.
So, we may be seeing some relatively fresh faces this afternoon against the Indianapolis Colts, including third-round pick DJ Johnson. Johnson, who will get the starting nod for Houston, has seen his playing time increase over the past two weeks—as he recorded 24 defensive snaps in Week 6 and 29 in Week 7.
Plus, as expected, Luiji Vilain will be active for the team’s Week 9 outing. The second-year backer was signed off the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad and onto the Panthers’ active roster back on Oct. 24.
Carolina, additionally, elevated fellow outside linebacker Eku Leota. The undrafted rookie made his NFL debut in last week’s win over the Houston Texans, appearing in six snaps on defense and eight on special teams.
Also as expected, the defense will be without safety Vonn Bell—who was listed as doubtful with a quadriceps injury. Alex Cook, per Darin Gantt of Panthers.com, will likely start in his place.
Here is the complete list of inactives for the Panthers on the day:
- S Vonn Bell
- G Nash Jensen
- OT Ricky Lee
- CB David Long Jr.
- WR Laviska Shenault Jr.
- OL Brett Toth
And here’s who is out for the visiting Colts:
- C Jack Anderson
- CB Juju Brents
- LB Zaire Franklin
- OT Braden Smith
- CB Ameer Speed
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