The Carolina Panthers are preparing for their upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys with uncertainty surrounding the return of two key players. Wide receiver Jalen Coker and tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, both listed as questionable due to injuries, could potentially make a comeback on Sunday.
Head coach Dave Canales commented on Coker’s progress following his quad injury. “He looked great,” Canales said. “I think we’re still going to have to make a game-time decision on that one, but he just took a little bit more each day, and he looked fast, he looked explosive, and you know we have to make the best decision in combination of guys to help us this week.
“We’re going to make a game-time decision, and we closed him with more plays each day to see how he could handle that, and then we’ll make a decision sometime tomorrow or on Sunday, as far as his availability this week.”
Sanders’ status will also be determined at game time after practicing in a limited capacity throughout the week. “JT is going to be a game-time decision,” said Canales. “We had to look at him throughout the week and see what he can handle there.
“So, we’ll be really excited to get JT back out there when we can, but we got to make sure that it’s the right thing for him right now, the right thing for the team, and we’ll put our heads together tomorrow and look at all the information, look at the practice film, and just talk to the trainers and everybody all hands on deck to make that decision.”
Meanwhile, cornerback Akayleb Evans (hamstring) and tackle Taylor Moton (elbow) have been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup. Yosh Nijman is set to replace Moton in the lineup. Canales addressed Moton’s absence: “T-Mo, we couldn’t get him turned around quick enough; did not practice today, so Yosh took the reps in the week. He’s ready to go.”
Running back Rico Dowdle delivered an impressive performance last week against Miami with 206 rushing yards and 234 total yards from scrimmage. Dowdle will start again with Chuba Hubbard sidelined another week. Canales emphasized what he expects from Dowdle: “Just looking for him to do the same thing, run with violence, make the most of his opportunities.” He added about his offensive unit: “We’re counting on the whole group… It takes all 11. Let’s all come off the ball violently… when you run the ball aggressively like that. It should help our play-action game come alive.”
The upcoming contest marks three consecutive years of meetings between Carolina and Dallas. Both teams feature players who previously played for their opponent; Dowdle joined Carolina after five seasons in Dallas while Miles Sanders and Jadeveon Clowney now play for Dallas after stints with Carolina last year.
Canales spoke about facing familiar faces: “You try to use all the information that you have at your disposal… The beauty of our game is when you have a little bit more information, how can you use that?” However, he noted that execution remains paramount regardless of familiarity between teams: “It just comes back to one play at a time and executing… that’s hard enough as it is… in a league where there’s a lot of talent.”
