Panthers Nearing Full Strength

CHARLOTTE, NC — We are pounding through the preseason here on WCCB.  The Panthers are nearing full strength as they get closer to the third and most important game of the preseason: Friday night’s matchup with the Patriots.

Offensive lineman Nate Chandler and Amini Silatolu were among those who returned to practice Wednesday, while starting defensive end Charles Johnson increased his workload–participating in team drills for the first time since suffering a calf injury down in Spartanburg.

Head coach Ron Rivera hopes Johnson will be well enough to play in at least one of the final two preseason games.  He says you don’t want players first live contact to be in the regular season opener at Jacksonville.

“You know, and unfortunately, that’s what we had last year with Charles (Johnson).  And we want to be real smart about it because we want to make sure he’s ready to roll because he’s such an important part of what we do defensively.  So again, getting him some reps, whether it be this weekend or next weekend, next Thursday, is going to be very important,” said Rivera.

Rivera says they’ll see how Johnson is feeling Thursday morning, and should know more on his status for Friday night then.