CHARLOTTE — It was one thing for Jadeveon Clowney to be back on the field Wednesday since he had missed the last two weeks with a shoulder injury.

But then he looked across and saw his fellow South Carolina product D.J. Wonnum, and he knew it was a good day.

Wonnum practiced Wednesday for the first time since he signed as a free agent, putting the pass-rush tandem the Panthers anticipated this year on the field together. Wonnum was designated to return from the physically unable to perform list, meaning he started a 21-day window to work his way back. They can activate him at any time. He's been out all offseason, after complications from surgery to repair a torn quadriceps last year.

"He's going to be a steal for this team if he just gets back to the same player he was in Minnesota, which he's been working towards," Clowney said. "I talk to Wonnum almost every day. So I've been waiting on him, too, but I'm looking forward to getting him back on the team.

"I think he's a big piece for our defense, and he's going to help us."

Wonnum had 8.0 sacks for the Vikings last season, and the Panthers were hoping pairing him with Clowney (9.5 last year for Baltimore) was going to create the tandem they needed.

Instead, Clowney has missed time, Charles Harris leads the team in sacks with 2.0, and the defense ranks in the bottom quartile of most of the league's defensive categories.

But for Clowney, the next 10 games offer an opportunity to get back to what they were hoping to see, and he also knows that 10 games is a long time.

"I know that," he said. "I've played a lot of football. I just want everybody else to know it."

Dave Canales has seen some things

Panthers head coach Canales is still a very young coach, 43 years old, and in his first season as head coach. But he's seen some things from his days with the Seahawks and Bucs.

Still, the rollercoaster of this season has been a lot for him already.

Asked if he's ever been through anything quite like this year, in light of his latest quarterback change being because of a car wreck, Canales just laughed.

"I can honestly say, no, I have not," he said. "And I just know that hard times create perseverance, perseverance builds character, and I look around the staff, I look around our guys and I just see a bunch of people just going back to work and really just chasing these moments, these opportunities that we have.

"So, for me to see that, it encourages me too, and it also just I know that we will come out stronger from this. To see guys coming back, we've had a lot of challenges but, you know, to see DJ Wonnum out there practicing and Josey Jewell and Adam Thielen for part of it, you know, Cam Gill the guy started with us in camp, came back to us this week, you know, Jonathon Brooks had another solid practice. And so there's a lot of good things and positive things happening as well. But it's the challenge and the balance of both."

Bringing back familiar faces to practice squad

The Panthers backfilled the practice squad on Wednesday afternoon, bringing back linebacker Chandler Wooten and defensive tackle T.J. Smith after they were waived Tuesday.

Wooten played 74 percent of the defensive snaps last week against Washington (and made a few plays). Smith played 25 percent of the defensive snaps Sunday, rotating into a group hit by injuries.

The practice squad is now full again, and they still have an open spot on the 53-man roster.