Jalen Coker is back in a Panthers practice uniform.
The second-year wide receiver had his 21-day practice window activated on Wednesday prior to the first workout of Week 6. Coker, who remains on injured reserve, can be added to the 53-man roster at any point over the next three weeks.
Coker has been sidelined with a quad injury for the first five games of the season. While his return to practice is an encouraging sign, head coach Dave Canales has stressed the importance of onboarding Coker with patience in regard to his endurance and physicality.
The Panthers will be monitoring Coker’s ability to deal with the ins and outs of the practice week before deciding on his status for Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium.
If Coker were return to the lineup this week, the wide receiver group would be shaken up yet again. Tetairoa McMillan, the team’s first-round pick, has gotten off to a great start as Carolina’s top passing option, but the rest of the wide receiver group has been inconsistent.
Xavier Legette was recently sidelined for two games with a hamstring injury, but he was able to bounce back from a tough start with a big performance in the 27-24 comeback win over the Miami Dolphins. Sixth-round pick Jimmy Horn Jr. made his NFL debut against Miami and had a positive showing, catching a crucial fourth-down completion in the come-from-behind effort. The team has also rotated Brycen Tremayne and Hunter Renfrow into the offense throughout the first five weeks of the campaign.
A Coker return would likely impact the playing time of at least Horn, Tremayne and Renfrow. It could also eat into the looks for Legette in sets that feature only two wide receivers. Still, Coker was projected to be the starting slot receiver before he was injured, and his return would be a huge boost to the offense.
After going undrafted last year, Coker built an excellent connection with quarterback Bryce Young, and the wide receiver produced 32 catches for 472 yards and two touchdowns.
Wednesday injury report: Hubbard, Wharton still sidelined
Coker wore a scout-team jersey in practice in front of media Wednesday. However, he was considered a “full participant” in his return to workouts.
“He looked good — he ran crisp routes, he looks fast — he looks like Jalen,” Canales said after practice. “And we wanna make sure that he can put the volume of this full week in, before we make a decision on whether to bring him up this week or not, so we’re trying to get extra reps here and there, some scout-team reps and some full speed routes, and ramp up his volume tomorrow to see where he’s at, see if he can handle it so we can trust that he’s ready to go for a full game.
“When you open a player’s (practice) window, it’s easy to make decisions to try to get them back out there, especially when there’s a guy like Jalen, who we relied on to make plays for us last year, but at the same time we have to open the window and be realistic about what he can handle. Let him show us what he’s ready to handle. So, we’ll take it day to day here and make a decision.”
Running back Chuba Hubbard (calf), defensive end Turk Wharton (toe), right tackle Taylor Moton (elbow) and cornerback Akayleb Evans (hamstring) did not participate in the workout. But tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders (ankle) and cornerback Chau Smith-Wade (chest), who missed Week 5’s win, were able to work in varying capacities.
Below is the entire injury report from Wednesday:
Did not participate: RB Chuba Hubbard (calf), DE Turk Wharton (toe), CB Akayleb Evans (hamstring), RT Taylor Moton (elbow)
Limited participation: TE Ja’Tavion Sanders (ankle)
Full participation: WR Jalen Coker (quad/IR), CB Chau Smith-Wade (chest), CB Mike Jackson (ribs)
The familiar faces of Dallas
Running back Rico Dowdle, the reigning NFC offensive player of the week, hasn’t been shy about stating his desire for a big game against his former team, the Cowboys, on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium. However, there are also three former Panthers players on the other side of the field who would enjoy getting some retribution of their own..
The team released running back Miles Sanders and outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney this offseason. The Panthers previously traded wideout Jonathan Mingo, a 2023 second-round pick, to Dallas midway through his second season in 2024.
Sanders essentially swapped places with Dowdle in March. Shortly after Sanders was released by Carolina, Dowdle agreed to a one-year deal in free agency with the Panthers. Sanders quickly signed a deal with Dallas in response.
Sanders missed last week’s win over the New York Jets with a knee injury. Prior to that absence, Sanders produced 117 rushing yards and a touchdown for Dallas in four games. He also has eight catches for 30 yards on the season.
Clowney was released during the offseason program in May. The move opened up more than $7 million in salary cap space. The former No. 1 pick then waited until September to sign with the Cowboys.
Clowney has been playing for Dallas, even after he was arrested on a pair of misdemeanor charges in Rock Hill, South Carolina last month. Clowney, who co-led the Panthers with 5.5 sacks last season, has produced two tackles with his seventh NFL team through two games.
Mingo has yet to play this season as he deals with a knee injury. He has been on injured reserve since Week 1, and he has only caught five passes for 46 yards in his limited time (eight games) with Dallas. Mingo and a seventh-round pick were shipped to Dallas ahead of the trade deadline last October, prior to the team’s Week 10 Munich, Germany, win over the New York Giants.
The Panthers acquired a fourth-round pick in the trade, and they used that asset to land running back Trevor Etienne. The rookie playmaker has appeared in all five games for the Panthers and produced 59 rushing yards on 12 carries. He also caught two passes for 9 yards and been one of the team’s primary returners on kickoffs and punts.
With Mingo on injured reserve — but eligible to return (similar to Coker) — and Sanders nursing an injury of his own, their statuses will be worth monitoring in the days ahead.
Quick hits
Some insight from Panthers defensive line coach Todd Wash on rookie DT Cam Jackson: “With Cam, when he first got here from college, he could get away with it because he was so big and stuff. He could get away with playing with high pad level. As we’ve gone through training camp and gone through these first couple weeks, now that he’s starting to get some reps, he’s learning how to play with his knees bent. He’s extremely powerful and long. I think his strength is downhill running teams, so last week we didn’t see a lot of that. They tried to get us on the perimeter, which we thought that’s what would happen. But when we start playing these downhill teams, I think he’ll get more and more reps for us up front.”
On Tuesday, the team made some changes to the practice squad. The Panthers signed former Western Carolina DB Keion Crossen and former Alabama OL Darrian Dalcourt to the practice roster after releasing OL Aiden Williams and DB Israel Mukuamu. Williams was signed to the practice squad last week, while Mukuamu had been with the team for a couple of weeks. Mukuamu, a former Cowboys defender, played his college ball at South Carolina.
McMillan has 24 catches for 351 yards in five games this season. He ranks second among rookies in receptions and receiving yards behind Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka (25 catches for 445 yards and 5 touchdowns). McMillan is tied for 23rd in receptions and ranks 15th in receiving yards across the league. He has the third-most receptions and second-most receiving yards without a touchdown.
This notebook will be updated throughout the day.