Unsurprisingly, the Carolina Panthers didn’t make a peep through this year’s trade deadline. Head coach Dave Canales, though, did talk about his team’s quiet day this afternoon.
That silence on Tuesday was a product of two major factors, one being a lack of salary cap space. The other became evident on Wednesday—as the team designated running back Jonathon Brooks, wideout Xavier Legette and cornerback Mike Jackson to return to practice.
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Canales was asked whether the inactivity had more to do with the cap restrictions or with the roster getting healthier.
“All of the above,” he replied. “I’m excited about the guys that we have staring right at us that are gonna come back to us—in whatever order that looks like. So, we’re excited for that.
“The improvements that Mike [Jackson], Jaycee [Horn] will add. Getting Xavier [Legette] back out there and getting back on track with his things. Even some of the guys that weren’t on IR but are coming back to us. We’re excited about seeing D-Lew [Damien Lewis] out there working, Jaelan Phillips and all that.
“And we feel really strongly about this group. I got a lot of confidence in this locker room and the guys we have here.”
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Brooks (groin), Legette (knee) and Jackson (groin) were all listed as full participants from today’s session—as were Lewis (knee) and Phillips (hamstring). Rookie cornerback Will Lee III also practiced in full after missing Sunday’s loss to the Denver Broncos.
The outlook on Horn, however, isn’t as bright—at least for now. Canales told reporters that the two-time Pro Bowler, who’s been on injured reserve since Week 4 due to a quad issue, still has some work to do to get cleared by the medical staff.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers HC Dave Canales speaks on standing pat at the trade deadline
