Carolina Panthers move Laviska Shenault to Injured Reserve due to ankle injury

The Carolina Panthers opted to move wide receiver Laviska Shenault to the Injured Reserve this week due to the ankle injury he suffered in the loss against the Titans on Sunday. Shenault had one reception for eight yards before exiting the game. The wideout is the 12th player for the Panthers to go on IR this season. On Wednesday, the Panthers moved rookie offensive lineman Chandler Zavala to IR as well.

Shenault had 10 catches so far this season for a total of 60 yards and no touchdowns. He also had 12 carries for 55 yards. The fourth-year wideout wasn’t having a banner year for the 1-10 squad prior to his injury and now, he’ll have to sit out at least four weeks, if not more.

Last season, his first with the Panthers, he had 27 catches for 272 yards in 13 games. Carolina acquired him in the 2022 offseason from the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for a 2024 sixth-rounder and 2023 seventh-round pick, which the Jaguars used to draft offensive lineman Cooper Hodges.

During his two seasons in Jacksonville, Shenault had 121 catches for 1,219 yards and five touchdowns. The Jaguars drafted him with the No. 42 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Colorado.

Panthers sign guard to practice squad

The Panthers signed veteran guard Gabe Jackson to their practice squad Wednesday. The signing of Jackson comes at a time where the Panthers are struggling to field healthy offensive linemen.

Rookie guard Chandler Zavala is the latest to go down, suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 17-10 Week 12 defeat to the Tennessee Titans (4-7) this past Sunday. The Panthers placed Zavala on injured reserve Wednesday. He joins a lengthy list that includes fellow offensive linemen Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett.

Jackson, 32, has nine NFL seasons under his belt, seven with the Las Vegas Raiders (2014-20) and two with the Seattle Seahawks (2021-22). He has made 130 career starts and has been a serviceable player for the majority of his career.

The Panthers remain in a state of flux, with Frank Reich being relieved of his duties as head coach Monday. Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor will serve as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will become the team’s play-caller, with senior assistant Jim Caldwell serving as his special adviser. Tabor wasted no time making changes to the staff, letting go of quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and assistant head coach/running backs coach Duce Staley.

Carolina made the decision to fire Reich following the latest loss to the Titans. Reich, tasked with fixing Carolina’s offense and developing quarterback Bryce Young, whom the organization parted ways with four draft picks and star wideout D.J. Moore to take with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, failed to get his side of the ball going.

On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report.