Carolina Panthers See Three Players Return to Practice

The Carolina Panthers had a quiet NFL Trade Deadline day, opting not to make any moves and instead standing pat. 

With a 3-5 record, the Panthers are tied atop the NFC South as every team in the division has three wins going into this weekend. As Carolina looks to repeat as division champions, a good start would be winning their Week 10 showdown in New Orleans against the Saints. 

Carolina at one point was 3-2 but a three-game losing streak that featured some tough injuries has set them back a bit. But there appears to be good news on the horizon. 

The Panthers welcomed three key players back to practice on Wednesday: Running back Jonathon Brooks, defensive back Mike Jackson, and wide receiver Xavier Lagette. All three have been on injured reserve, but now the practice window to return is here and the Panthers are hoping they can get back on the field sooner than later. 

Carolina will now monitor each player in terms of when they can be officially activated and added to the roster. But the good news is that returns are looming for each of them and they are at key positions in which the Panthers really need help. 

On offense, the Panthers really need to get Brooks back at the running back position. Since he's been out, it's been mainly Chuba Hubbard taking the lead role. If Brooks can return soon, it will help take some of that pressure off of Hubbard and give the Panthers another fresh option in the backfield for their offense. 

Brooks has been out since September 23rd and underwent surgery to repair a core muscle injury. He was listed as a full participant on Wednesday. 

Wide receiver Xavier Lagette suffered a knee injury and hasn't played since September 20th. With Carolina relying on the duo of Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker, they could use some depth at the position as well. 

As for Jackson, his injury was significant. He's one of Carolina's top defensive backs and started in the first three games of the season before getting hurt. Carolina is also down Jaycee Horn in the secondary and in their loss to Green Bay they were down to some second and third string defensive backs. 

Carolina's defense could be the key to winning the division, so the sooner Jackson is back to play, the better. 

With the 21-day window now open, the Panthers will have these three weeks to activate them to the roster.