Panthers CB Jackson's injury “serious”, he will likely be out for six weeks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On a day the Carolina Panthers intercepted New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers twice, wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. had his toughest day of training camp and two fights broke out. The biggest news involved a player who didn't participate.

Carolina coach Dave Canales said after Thursday's joint practice that the hamstring injury suffered by cornerback Dane Jackson on Wednesday was “serious” and that he could be out for up to six weeks.

Canales also said that starting safety Xavier Woods' groin injury was “a little more serious than we thought” and that Woods will be out for at least a few weeks.

This means that the Panthers will be missing one and possibly even two reserve starters for their opening game on September 8th against the New Orleans Saints.

Good news for Carolina: Initial tests for a possible knee injury to starting running back Chuba Hubbard “looked really good,” and second-year quarterback Bryce Young also appeared “in top form” a day after throwing two interceptions, Canales said.

The biggest concern, however, is the secondary, particularly the cornerback position. The Panthers were already looking to fill in for starter Jaycee Horn, who was only on pitch count on Thursday after playing in just 22 games over the past three seasons due to injury.

One possibility is the experienced Stephon Gilmore. The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and five-time Pro Bowl selection hails from nearby Rock Hill, South Carolina, and was a teammate of Carolina outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney in high school.

Multiple sources said the Panthers could be interested in Gilmore, who turns 34 in September, if the price is right.

Carolina has only $6.3 million in salary cap space, the second-worst in the league.

Gilmore visited the Minnesota Vikings on Monday and left without a contract.

If the Panthers stick with their current roster, the top candidates for the starting lineup alongside Horn are the inexperienced Lamar Jackson, Troy Hill, Dicaprio Bootle and D'Shawn Jamison.

Young and Marshall had a great day at practice together, scoring two early touchdowns in the red zone. After the second touchdown, a pike catch on a fade route, Marshall threw the football toward Jets cornerback DJ Reed.

This led to a brawl with both sides pushing and shoving. Reed threw the ball back to Marshall, but it hit Hubbard instead.

“That's stupid football,” said Canales. “We can't allow that. We want to celebrate together. We want to make moves and not give the opponents anything.”

“He was upset. He made a great play against a really good player. Let's leave it at that. He and I talked about it and put it behind us.”

Canales didn't call Young's performance stupid. He used the word “sharp” and pointed to Young's handling of the play in which Hubbard was injured as an example.

“Getting to the next development,” he said. “You don't have to react and then go straight back to the middle of the field in the rhythm of the game. The attacks came. The fact that he was able to function in that situation was fantastic.”