Tuesday’s Panthers Practice Notes: Greg Olsen Returns; Philly Brown Sits; Vet CB Stars

HEALTH WATCH

 

  • TE Greg Olsen was limited in his return from back spasms that kept him out a week. It’s unclear if he’ll play Friday against the Patriots, but everything’s on schedule for Week 1 in Denver.

"If it had been the regular season, I think I could have made it happen last weekend (against the Titans)," Olsen said. "But there was no need to do that, and there's no real concern going forward.

"It's never ideal to be sidelined, but if it's going to happen, now is the time for it. I'll be fine."

That’s probably true:



  • WR Philly Brown sat out most of practice after he took a shot to his surgically repaired left shoulder during 7-on-7s.

"I wouldn't say it was a tweak," coach Ron Rivera said. "We wanted to be careful with him and let the trainers take a look at it. They said, 'Let's just shut him down and be smart about it.'"

 

  • DE Kony Ealy felt something in his right leg during 1-on-1s against the offensive line. After a quick checkup from head trainer Ryan Vermillion, Ealy was cleared to return, but he stood on the sideline for most of practice.

 

  • LB Ben Jacobs (ankle) and DE Larry Webster (hamstring) were limited but back on the field for the first time since Fan Fest.

 

  • OL Chris Scott (shoulder) wasn’t in pads. He only worked on the side a day after he had returned for a limited practice on Monday.

 

  • S Travell Dixon, who left Saturday's preseason game in Tennessee with a chest injury, practiced in full.

 

  • S Dean Marlowe (hamstring), TE Ed Dickson (groin), CB Teddy Williams (groin), DE Rakim Cox (back), WR LaRon Byrd (concussion), S Trenton Robinson (shoulder) and S Marcus Ball (undisclosed) didn’t practice.

 

PLAY OF THE DAY

 

This space has typically been reserved for playmakers on offense, but a CB gets some love for the second straight day.

Following in Lou Young’s footsteps, it’s Robert McClain. The often-overlooked Super Bowl starter was praised by Rivera during and after practice for a play he made in the second team’s 2-minute drill.

With the offense in the red zone, QB Derek Anderson fired a pass that WR Damiere Byrd snagged inside the 5-yard line. But as Byrd was coming down with the ball, McClain rode him out of bounds.

"He made a very smart, headsy play," Rivera said. "That’s perfectly legal in our league. He did a really good thing and it’s something we’ll use as an example for our young guys."

Earlier in practice, McClain knocked away passes intended for Byrd and WR Keyarris Garrett. On Monday, McClain intercepted QB Joe Webb and broke up a ball to Byrd in the seam.

 

PLAYER NOTES

 

  • Byrd burned CB Zack Sanchez with a double move before connecting with Anderson on a bomb in team drills.

 

  • TE Marcus Lucas caught a couple deep passes in 2-minute drills.

 

  • OT Daryl Williams had a rough time in 1-on-1 drills. Working on the left side, Williams was beaten soundly on consecutive reps, first by DE Mario Addison and then by DE Wes Horton.

 

  • LB Luke Kuechly lined up across WR Kelvin Benjamin on the final play of the first team’s 2-minute drill. When Kuechly led Benjamin out of bounds, QB Cam Newton looked the other way and forced a pass that was batted away by S Kurt Coleman.

 

  • CB Bené Benwikere picked off a Newton pass that was intended for Garrett in 7-on-7s.