Since the Carolina Panthers are facing an NFC West opponent in the Wild Card round of the playoffs this week, the official injury reports and announcements have been later in the day. Today’s injury report brings a huge chunk of good news for Panthers fans.
Carolina entered the day with an open roster spot ahead of Saturday’s showdown against the Rams, and the team just announced who would be staking claim to it.
Carolina Panthers Activate Robert Hunt From IR for Wild Card Game
The Panthers have officially activated right guard Robert Hunt from injured reserve, making him eligible for Saturday’s Wild Card game. Out since a Week 2 biceps injury, Hunt is expected to return to his starting role immediately.
“Absolutely. Oh, yeah,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales told reporters Thursday when asked if Hunt would be a full go if activated. Canales added, “If he’s playing, he’s playing. This is it. This is the only game we have. This is it. He’s got to go. He’s fired up to help his teammates, and obviously that’ll be all official whenever it is.”
Austin Corbett has been filling in at right guard most recently. Corbett ranks No. 79 in PFSN NFL Player OL Impact Metric. It has been a collective effort for the Panthers’ offensive line group to field a starting unit all season.
When Hunt takes to the field on Saturday with his teammates, it will mark the twelfth different starting combination of the campaign.
Assuming the rest of the starters along the OL remain the same, the group of Ikem Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Cade Mays, Robert Hunt, and Taylor Moton started four games together last season. That familiarity should benefit Hunt and the entire unit in the former Pro Bowl guard’s return.
The Panthers are likely to lean heavily into the run game on Saturday, given a weather forecast that calls for showers, gusty winds, and the potential for thunderstorms.
Carolina also designated guard Chandler Zavala to return to this week, opening his practice window while on IR. Zavala did return to the practice field; however, he was not activated to the roster on Friday, changing his game status from questionable to out.
