If you thought the only good news for the Carolina Panthers on the day would be their trade for cornerback Stephon Gilmore, well, we’ve got another tasty serving for you.
Not only will the team soon have the 2019 AP Defensive Player of the Year available to them, but it appears as though they may also have star rusher Christian McCaffrey back quicker than expected. McCaffrey, who was initially expected to miss at least a few weeks, returned to practice on Wednesday ahead of the Week 5 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Although listed as a limited participant, the two-time All-Pro “looked good” according to head coach Matt Rhule. He may, as alluded to by Rhule as well, end up being a game-time decision come Sunday.
Here are the rest of the injury updates from the afternoon:
| Injury | Wed. | Thurs. | Fri. | Game status | |
| LB Shaq Thompson | Foot | DNP | |||
| T Cameron Erving | Neck | DNP | |||
| RB Christian McCaffrey | Hamstring | Limited | |||
| DE Yetur Gross-Matos | Ankle | Full | |||
| G John Miller | Shoulder | Full | |||
| OLB Haason Reddick | Neck | Full |
In more good news, Reddick and Miller seem to be alright after their brief scares in the Week 4 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Gross-Matos also appears in line to play after missing the last two games with an ankle sprain.
Thompson, however, did not participate as expected with Erving joining him. Rookie Brady Christensen and fourth-year veteran Trent Scott took snaps in place of Erving at left tackle during practice.
