The Panthers won’t have wide receiver Jalen Coker available Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
The team officially ruled out Coker on Saturday after listing him as “questionable” following Friday’s practice. Coker, who remains on injured reserve, had his 21-day practice window activated on Wednesday.
Coker, who sustained a quad injury before Week 1, was a full participant in practice throughout the week. However, head coach Dave Canales cautioned that the team needed to see how Coker handled the rigors of a normal NFL workweek.
Canales said the Panthers want to make sure Coker is able to handle a normal workload on an NFL Sunday before playing in a game.
Coker was sidelined throughout the first five weeks of the season. He has dealt with soft tissue injuries since entering the league last year as an undrafted free agent.
With Coker still sidelined, the Panthers will rely on rookies Tetairoa McMillan and Jimmy Horn Jr., Xavier Legette, Brycen Tremayne and Hunter Renfrow at wide receiver against the Cowboys in Week 6 at Bank of America Stadium.
Along with downgrading Coker’s status, the Panthers also elevated offensive tackle Brandon Walton and cornerback Keion Crossen from the practice squad.
With right tackle Taylor Moton (elbow) ruled out for the game, Walton will back up fill-in starter Yosh Nijman at right tackle. Crossen will provide depth at cornerback and on special teams with backup defensive back Akayleb Evans sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Crossen, who played college ball at Western Carolina and is from Garysburg, North Carolina, hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since 2022. He played for special teams coordinator Tracy Smith in Houston earlier in his career.
The Cowboys will be without former Panthers running back Miles Sanders and wide receiver Jonathan Mingo on Sunday. Sanders was placed on injured reserve Saturday, while Mingo — like Coker — was ruled out for the matchup as he remains on the injured list.
The Panthers released Sanders this offseason after he spent two seasons in Carolina. He immediately signed with Dallas in March after Rico Dowdle, formerly of the Cowboys, signed with the Panthers in free agency. Dowdle, the reigning NFC offensive player of the week, will start at running back for the Panthers with Chuba Hubbard (calf) sidelined for a second consecutive week.
Mingo was traded — along with a seventh-round pick — to the Cowboys last year ahead of the NFL trade deadline. The Panthers received a fourth-round pick in exchange for the Mingo-fronted package. Mingo has played in just eight games for the Cowboys, producing five catches for 46 yards. He has yet to appear in a game this season after injuring his knee in the preseason this summer.
The Panthers used the fourth-round pick acquired in the Mingo trade to select running back Trevor Etienne. The rookie playmaker has produced 59 rushing yards and 9 receiving yards in five games this season. He’s also been a primary kick and punt returner.
Etienne will back up Dowdle, along with journeyman DeeJay Dallas, on Sunday against Dallas.