SPARTANBURG, S.C. – A rotator cuff injury may sideline offensive tackle Bruce Campbell for the 2013 season.
After Monday's practice, head coach Ron Rivera said Campbell will have surgery and that it is "probably" season-ending, although the team won't know for sure until the severity is assessed following the procedure.
Elsewhere on the offensive line, rookie guard Edmund Kugbila (hamstring) appears to have suffered a minor setback after practicing at training camp for the first time Sunday.
"Little disappointed with what happened with Kugbila yesterday," Rivera said. "We brought him out and today he was a little bit more sore than we had hoped."
Rivera hopes Kugbila can return in "another week." He has the same hope for wide receiver Domenik Hixon (hamstring), who has missed the majority of his first training camp with the Panthers.
Missed practice time has been particularly tough for Hixon, who signed with the team as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason.
"New to the system and the timing and the relationship (with the quarterbacks)," Rivera said. "Getting the opportunity to work with these guys is going to be critical for us."
Rivera added that he's optimistic about the health of running backs Jonathan Stewart (ankle) and Mike Tolbert (hamstring).
Tolbert could return to action in the "next week or so." Stewart is still on target to be ready for the start of the regular season.
"Oh yeah, based on what's been going on the last couple days," Rivera said. "I feel pretty optimistic."
Lastly, guard Garry Williams and safety Haruki Nakamura left practice early on Monday due to illness.
