Panthers CB Jackson injury ‘significant,’ could miss six weeks

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On a day when the Carolina Panthers intercepted New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers twice, wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. had his biggest day of training camp and two fights broke out, the biggest news involved a player who did not participate.

Carolina coach Dave Canales said after Thursday’s joint practice the hamstring injury suffered by starting cornerback Dane Jackson on Wednesday was “significant” and that he could miss up to six weeks.

Canales also said the groin injury to starting safety Xavier Woods “was a little more serious than we thought,” and Woods will miss at least a couple of weeks.

That leaves the Panthers without one secondary starter and possibly two for the Sept. 8 opener at the New Orleans Saints.

In good news for Carolina, initial tests on a possible knee injury to starting running back Chuba Hubbard “looked really good” and second-year quarterback Bryce Young looked “sharp” the day after throwing two interceptions, Canales said.

But the secondary, particularly the cornerback spot, is the biggest concern. The Panthers were already looking for help at a position that was thin opposite starter Jaycee Horn, who was on a pitch count Thursday after playing in only 22 games the past three seasons due to injury.

One possibility is veteran Stephon Gilmore. The 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and a five-time Pro Bowl selection is from nearby Rock Hill, South Carolina, and was a high school teammate of Carolina outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney.

Multiple sources said the Panthers would be interested in Gilmore, who turns 34 in September, if the price is right.

Carolina has only $6.3 million in cap space, the second least in the league.

Gilmore visited the Minnesota Vikings on Monday and left without a contract.

If the Panthers stay with their current roster, the top candidates to start opposite Horn are inexperienced Lamar Jackson, Troy Hill, Dicaprio Bootle and D’Shawn Jamison.

As for the joint practice, Young and Marshall had big days, connecting on two red zone touchdowns early. After the second, a diving catch on a fade route, Marshall flipped the football toward Jets cornerback D.J. Reed.

That incited a fight in which both sides pushed and shoved and Reed threw the ball back at Marshall but hit Hubbard instead.

“That’s dumb football,” Canales said. “We can’t have that. We want to celebrate with each other. We want to make plays and give the opponents nothing.

“He got excited. He made a great play on a really good player. Leave it at that. He and I talked about it and put it behind us.”

Canales didn’t characterize Young’s performance as dumb at all. He used the word sharp, citing the way Young handled the play on which Hubbard was injured as an example.

“Getting to the next progression,” he said. “You don’t have it, react, bang, right back into the middle of the field in the rhythm of the play. The rushes were coming. For him to be able to function in that setting was fantastic.”