CHARLOTTE — The Panthers are still without a pair of veteran starters in practice Thursday, among their other problems.
Cornerback Stephon Gilmore (groin) and left tackle Cameron Erving (calf) did not participate in practice Thursday.
Erving was inactive last week, and was replaced in the lineup by rookie Brady Christensen.
The Panthers are young and thin at corner in Gilmore's absence, and he's not expected to play this week. But they did get veteran Rashaan Melvin back on the field Thursday after he was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Safety Juston Burris (groin) and linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. (groin) were limited again in practice, and safety Sean Chandler (groin) was added to the report as a limited participant Thursday.
Numbers are an issue for the Panthers because of the COVID-19 outbreak. They have 13 total players on the reserve list, with three more added Thursday (safety Kenny Robinson, defensive end Darryl Johnson, and practice squad running back Reggie Bonnafon).
That has forced the team to adjust practice plans, with the offense and defense working on different fields since they don't have enough bodies to practice against each other. Including Gilmore and Erving, the Panthers have just 45 players on the active roster at the moment — 22 on offense and 20 on defense, along with the three specialists.
