The Carolina Panthers have dealt with an insane number of injuries in 2026. Several key starters like Jaycee Horn, Mike Jackson, Ikem Ekwonu, and Taylor Moton, among others, have missed or will miss extended time.
The offensive and defensive lines have been particularly hard-hit by injuries. Being without both starting offensive tackles would be hard for any team to withstand, but Monroe Freeling, Moton’s replacement, also missed Week 4, forcing the Panthers to start Stone Forsythe.
On the defensive line, Wharton’s presence would be nice. Rookie Lee Hunter has struggled, and Derrick Brown has been uncharacteristically mediocre so far. Fortunately, head coach Dave Canales recently provided an encouraging update about some of his injured players.
Canales Mentions Moton, Wharton, and Trevor Etienne Could Return Soon
The Panthers have their bye week in Week 5, and it’s coming at a perfect time. All players on the reserve NFI and PUP lists, and those who went on IR before Week 1, are eligible to return to practice.
Not all of those players will be activated immediately, but Dave Canales specifically mentioned Wharton, Moton, and Trevor Etienne as three who are “close.”
For Etienne, Canales said he expects the running back to practice when the team gets back from the bye. Etienne will presumably resume his role as the return man, as the Panthers haven’t gotten great results without him.
Wharton and Moton are also close, but they haven’t been medically cleared just yet.
“With T-Mo and with Turk, we need medical clearance, so we’re going to be really at the mercy of the evaluations that happen in this next week,” Canales said. “To see if we can get those guys back, and really they’re physically, we’ve pushed them as hard as we can, within the confines of their mode, to know that they’re physically ready to do it. But then there’s structural stuff, the medical stuff, with T-Mo that we’re at the mercy of.”
As Canales mentioned, the players are ready to return, it’s just a matter of getting rubber stamped.
Having Moton back on the line would be huge. Moton has been a reliable starter for the Panthers since 2017, and before 2026, he had never played in fewer than 14 games in a season.
