CHARLOTTE — The Panthers are looking for more consistency and production on offense — specifically in the red zone — and they're hoping to have a couple of rookie contributors back this week.

Head coach Dave Canales said the hope was that tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders and wide receiver Jalen Coker would be able to play against the Eagles this week.

Sanders missed Sunday's loss to the Bucs after a frightening neck injury the week before, and Coker's missed the last two games with a quadriceps injury.

"That's the hope," Canales said. "They both have a couple of big days, today and tomorrow, to evaluate where they're at, and the hope is to get them back up this week."

Sanders is fourth on the team with 29 receptions year and third with 302 yards, and he also has one touchdown.

Coker had 17 catches for 263 yards and a touchdown and started against the Giants in Germany in Adam Thielen's absence earlier this year. He said he was feeling better and was eager to get back on the practice field.

"In the beginning it was frustrating; I want to be out there," Coker said Monday. " I feel like I've carved out a role, and I'm trying to fulfill that role and do good for my teammates. So it's a little frustrating, but, at the end of the day, I can control what I can control, and I just got to do my best to get back healthy."

Canales: Sam Franklin acknowledged mistake

— Canales said he spoke to special teams captain Sam Franklin Jr. about the video that showed him arguing with Buccaneers players in the tunnel last night before staff members were able to pull him away.

Franklin has always been an emotional player, and instigating opponents has been part of his soil set since he entered the league as an undrafted rookie. But Canales would also like to see that under some degree of control.

"We talked about it; he and I sat down this morning and just had that conversation," Canales said. "He'd be the first to tell you that he shouldn't do that, that it was a mistake.

"And we talked about just wanting to have passion, wanting to have edge and knowing where to toe that edge, and then come back to us, celebrate with us, talk to our teammates, keep our energy going on our side. We don't have to give the opponent anything."

Franklin was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty just before halftime, which forced the Panthers to kick off from their own 20-yard line to start the second half.

Preparing early for Saquon

D.J. Wonnum has seen the play plenty of times. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, running and hurdling—backwards mind you—over Jaguars defensive back Jarrian Jones. And with Barkley on the docket for this weekend, Wonnum is already preparing.

"Kudos to him, but you know what I'm saying, we got to prevent him from doing that stuff," Wonnum stated Monday. "We got to come out ready to play."

On "Tell the Truth Monday" the Panthers typically focus on themselves, telling the truth about whatever happened in Sunday's game, good or bad. But on this particular Monday, ahead of the Panthers trip to Philadelphia this coming week, the truth is the Carolina run defense—which has struggled all season—is about to face their toughest task yet.

And while the full attention will turn to the Eagles on Wednesday, the defense is thinking about Barkley already.

"You got to start preparing," linebacker Trevin Wallace admitted Monday. "Like, ok, everybody needs to get to the ball because, you've seen his highlights, you've seen the things he can do. So he's well respected."

Added Wonnum, "We got to hit him, we got to bring our feet, we got to wrap him up, we got to hit him, take him to the ground."

Safety Xavier Woods faced Barkley often when the two played in the same division (Woods with the Cowboys, Barkley with the Giants) so he's well aware of what it takes to bring him down.

"He's got even better (since then)," Woods said Monday. "It's going to take all 11 guys out there to run after tackle, tackle together as a team."

Barkley currently is the top rusher in the league with 1,499 yards.

QB1

What's understood doesn't need to be said. Which is why Dave Canales didn't feel the need to even address the quarterback position on Monday. There is no pontification needed when Bryce Young goes 26-46 for 298 yards and a touchdown, plus a rushing touchdown.

Still, given the weeks of questions around the position earlier in the season, the question did have to be asked; will Bryce Young be the starting quarterback against the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend?

"Yes," Canales replied definitively. "Bryce will be playing in Philly this week."

Young has been the starter since Week 8, following Andy Dalton's car accident that sidelined the veteran with a thumb injury. After Young was plugged back in, Canales was careful to not close the door on either passer being the starter, letting it be a week-to-week conversation.

After Young went 21-35 for 263 yards and a touchdown against the Chiefs vaulted defense, Canales was confident enough to name Young the starter for the following week, as soon as that game was over. And now this week, he threw his weight behind his second-year signal caller once again.

"Just decisiveness and having a plan," Canales offered as to things he's seen from Young in recent weeks. "Things that we talk about through the week, that come alive on game day and they've been in these critical situations for the last two weeks, for sure…so, I love just how decisive and the mechanics of all those things have been."

— The Panthers will likely be adjusting the practice squad this week.

Tight end Stephen Sullivan, who was called up for Sunday's game, suffered what Canales termed "a pretty significant knee injury."

Sullivan has been here in some capacity since 2021, and has 14 catches for 171 yards. The Panthers also lost international practice squad player Praise Olatoke to an injury in practice last week.

— Safety Nick Scott remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, but he practiced last week. He "looked great last week," Canales said. A decision on his roster status will be made later in the week.

"So, another guy that we got to take a look at and then again, you know, with Nick, it's a matter of the depth chart and all that," Canales said. "So, conversations we're going to have to have."

— The league dropped the first wave of fan balloting for the Pro Bowl Games Monday. Raheem Blackshear was third in that voting at return specialist. He's second in the league in total kickoff return yards (679) trailing only Dallas' KaVontae Turpin.