Carolina Panthers receiver carted off field after head-to-head hit

Carolina Panthers practice came to a halt for 12 minutes Tuesday morning when defensive back J.T. Ibe delivered a head-to-head hit to wideout Keith Kirkwood. The receiver was carted off the field, while Ibe was kicked out of practice.

Kirkwood jumped to try to catch a pass when Ibe hit him head-to-head, bringing him to the ground. He was on the ground for roughly 10 minutes and he’d to be carted off and taken to an ambulance. He had movement in his arms and legs.

The fourth-year receiver played just one game last season due to two shoulder injuries. Tuesday marked the first day of training camp in pads for the Panthers. Ibe, an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina, was reprimanded by Carolina’s coaching staff before exiting the field.

Kirkwood is an undrafted free agent coming out of Hawaii in 2018, he signed a three-year deal with the New Orleans Saints. He signed with the Panthers last April and re-signed to a one-year deal this offseason. In 10 career games, he has 14 catches for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

The Panthers traded with the New York Jets in April for quarterback Sam Darnold. The Jets got a 2021 sixth-round pick and second- and fourth-round picks in 2022 in the trade. Darnold was the third-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and was expected to help turnaround the Jets offense.

Now he is in Carolina and has struggled throughout training camp, throwing two interceptions on Monday. Kirkwood was re-signed to help build depth in a wide receiver room that includes David Moore and DJ Moore. Wide receiver Curtis Samuel entered free agency and signed a three-year deal with the Washington Football Team in March, leaving the Panthers.

Losing Kirkwood would be a blow to Carolina’s depth at receiver, especially after losing Samuel in free agency.

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