Carolina Panthers injury updates on RB Jonathon Brooks, CB Dane Jackson and more

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Unfortunately for the Carolina Panthers, Mondays have typically offered bad news from an injury standpoint this season.

But entering Week 7, head coach Dave Canales has been focused on potential reinforcements as opposed to additional holes in his depth chart. With running back Jonathon Brooks, cornerback Dane Jackson and several others on the cusp of their respective returns, Canales was able to offer some notable injury updates following the 38-20 loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

Panthers injury updates: RB Jonathon Brooks, CB Dane Jackson

The Panthers enter the week monitoring the injury statuses of several players before Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Commanders.

Brooks, who has yet to practice with his teammates, remains on the reserve/non-football injury (NFI) list. However, Canales said Monday that Brooks is on the cusp of a return to workouts.

“He’s checked all the boxes in terms of his getting back to being able to practice,” Canales said of Brooks. “So we’re hoping to open up that window (Monday). That’s a decision that we’re going to have to make today, so we’re going to be talking about that, and we have been. But excited to get him out there and see what he looks like.”

When Brooks was drafted, his return was expected to be somewhere before the start of training camp. Canales answered to his adjusted timeline Monday.

“We just had to take in stride based on where he was at in his body readiness and his movements,” he said. “And again, those phases you gotta go through. And we just didn’t feel like he was ready to clear some of those early stages, so we just had to keep doing the smartest thing for Jonathon, first and foremost, and then think about the team and where he fits into the whole picture.”

Cornerback Dane Jackson (hamstring) had his 21-day practice window activated in Week 5. He has yet to be moved to the 53-man roster, and he has until next week to do so or be lost for the season on injured reserve. Canales expressed optimism for Jackson’s eventual return following the loss to Atlanta.

“Dane Jackson has put two fantastic weeks together,” Canales said. “So this is a real big time. Again, a lot of these decisions happen in the next day or two. But he’s looked great to see if there’s a chance that he can help us in some way, shape or form.”

Along with Jackson and Brooks, the team sat four starters due to injury against the Falcons. Pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney (shoulder) is “day to day,” according to Canales. Right tackle Taylor Moton (biceps), tight end Tommy Tremble (concussion), linebacker Josey Jewell (hamstring/groin) and backup center Andrew Raym (concussion) are still being evaluated for their injuries.

Rookie defensive end Jaden Crumedy (foot/IR), outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum (quad/PUP) and safety Sam Franklin (foot/IR) are also eligible to have their 21-day practice windows activated. Canales said Crumedy is still getting ready to return, while Franklin has been cleared to practice.

Wonnum’s timeline is less clear.

“Wonnum is coming along,” Canales said. “Again, this is another important week. He still has to finish that last stage. He’s kind of been right there. So we’re waiting to just see all that come together before we put him back out there on the field to see him practice.”

Rookie WR Jalen Coker working his way up the lineup

The Panthers saw an interesting shift in playing time on offense on Sunday.

After catching four passes for 68 yards against the Chicago Bears in Week 5, undrafted rookie Jalen Coker earned a bigger workload than last year’s second-round pick, Jonathan Mingo, against the Falcons.

Coker caught all three of his targets for 30 yards in 43 snaps against Atlanta. Mingo was held to one catch for one yard on his lone target in 30 snaps.

Coker’s surge up the depth chart comes after an up-and-down training camp and a short stint on the practice squad. The Holy Cross alum has been the team’s third-most productive receiver over the past three weeks, behind Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette.

Meanwhile, Mingo has yet to score a touchdown after playing 21 regular-season games over the past two seasons.

Mingo had an excellent summer in training camp, but his playing time has decreased as Legette — this year’s first-round pick — and Coker have made plays. Mingo was originally seen as the logical fill-in replacement for injured veteran Adam Thielen (hamstring) during his injured reserve stint, but Coker has seemingly succeeded him in that role.

“Just consistent effort,” Canales said of Mingo and Coker. “Consistently working hard to improve their game. You saw Jalen make some plays again. Mingo was a critical part of what we were doing. So both guys just knowing that we’re asking them to take on a role to help the Panthers win. They’ve both taken to that.”

Replacements keep Andy Dalton clean, Chuba Hubbard upright

With Brady Christensen at center and Yosh Nijman at right tackle, the offensive line rarely missed a beat against the Falcons.

Quarterback Andy Dalton was hit only three times, and he avoided being sacked in the loss. Running back Chuba Hubbard ran for 92 yards on the day, and the offense averaged 4.8 yards per carry as a collective.

The line held its own without longtime starters, Moton and Austin Corbett, and that was among the positives to take from an 18-point loss to the Falcons.

“We had a couple things where we weren’t on the same page early,” Canales said. “We settled in, came out of the half and really just played good football from then on out. And I thought they did a great job. We were depending on those guys, they stepped up to the challenge, and played really well against a good front.”

Christensen will continue to start at center with Corbett done for the season, according to Canales. Nijman’s status at right tackle is a bit more open-ended, as the team is monitoring Moton’s injury on a “day to day” basis.

“We just gotta continue to get the strength back in his triceps,” Canales said, “keep pushing on pulling on things to the point where we feel confident of getting him back in there.”

The Panthers head into Week 7 with the ninth-ranked average on yards per carry (4.74) and the ninth-ranked sacks-to-pass attempt percentage (5.77%) through six games. Those are excellent strides for the Panthers’ rebuilt 2024 offensive line. Last season, the Panthers finished 23rd and 30th in those respective categories.

Quick hits

▪ Kicker Eddy Piñeiro has made 35 consecutive field-goal attempts at Bank of America Stadium. That is the second-longest streak in team history behind Graham Gano’s 41 consecutive makes from 2016 to 2018. Piñeiro’s current streak is the longest active streak for a kicker at a home stadium, according to the Panthers. Piñeiro has made nine of his 10 field-goal attempts on the season, and he is a perfect 10-of-10 on extra-point attempts.

▪ Tight end Feleipe Franks has produced at least one special teams tackle in five of the Panthers’ six games this season. Franks leads the team with eight total special teams tackles (five solo). That total is tied for third in the league through six games, according to TeamRankings.com.

▪ The Panthers own the worst scoring defense in the NFL. The unit is giving up 33.8 points per game. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who rank 31st, are giving up 29.7 points per game. That’s a 4.1-point gap between the 31st- and 32nd-ranked scoring defenses. The Panthers rank 29th in total yards allowed (379.8), 30th in rushing yards allowed per game (153.5), and last in point differential average (16.7).

Alex Zietlow contributed to this report.