With the work week wrapping up and the weekend near, the Carolina Panthers returned to the practice field on Friday.
As the team prepares for its Week 12 game against the San Francisco 49ers, injury updates now show a clearer picture of who may be available on Monday night.
For some Panthers players, that’s good news. But not for all.
Panthers Still Missing Linebackers in Friday’s Practice
The two biggest injury question marks on the Panthers for the Week 12 Monday Night Football contest once again failed to participate in practice Friday, raising doubts about their availability for the game.
Starting linebackers Christian Rozeboom (hamstring) and Trevin Wallace (shoulder) have now received back-to-back DNP designations to begin the week.
On Thursday, Panthers’ head coach Dave Canales said the team was preparing to be without Rozeboom this week. His inactivity on Friday supports that likelihood.
Meanwhile, Wallace was deemed week-to-week before missing Week 11’s game against Atlanta. Two DNPs to start Week 12 don’t help his chances of playing this week.
The linebacker position faces a big challenge Monday night against the 49ers’ offense, especially when defending tight end George Kittle and former Panther Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey leads San Francisco in receptions (74), receiving yards (732), and is tied with Kittle for receiving touchdowns (five).
This will be McCaffrey’s first game against Carolina since his trade to the 49ers in 2022. His 83.4 PFSN RBi score ranks ninth among qualified running backs this season.
If Wallace and Rozeboom are ruled out, Claudin Cherelus will likely start again after filling in for Wallace in Week 11. The candidates to fill the other linebacker spot are Bam Martin-Scott, Maema Njongmeta, or practice-squad veteran Krys Barnes.
There’s some good news for Carolina. Defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton (knee) was a full participant on Friday after being limited on Thursday. Thursday’s practice acted as the team’s de facto Wednesday, since the week’s schedule was pushed back for the Monday night game.
Depth cornerback Akayleb Evans (ankle) was the only other Panther not to fully participate. Evans has only seen defensive snaps in two games this season, but he remains a regular on special teams.
