Dave Canales details Panthers players still battling through injury

The Carolina Panthers closed out mandatory minicamp this week and are now looking ahead to training camp in July. Injury timelines for several players slate their returns around training camp, which means there are even more reasons to look forward to the upcoming season.

On Thursday, head coach Dave Canales offered progress reports on injured linebacker D.J. Wonnum, as well as running back Jonathon Brooks, linebacker Eku Leota, and edge rusher D.J. Johnson. Brooks, who is recovering from a torn ACL, and Wonnum, recovering from a quad injury, are both on schedule to hit the field during training camp. Leota is dealing with a calf injury that is also expected to clear up by training camp.

D.J. Johnson suffered a leg injury this week at practice and took a cart off the field. However, Canales told reporters he isn’t considered to be in serious condition, despite missing Thursday’s activities.

“DJ Wonnum’s got a ways to go, just continuing to progress, Jonathan Brooks has a little bit of a ways to go. We’ll progress them into camp,” Canales said. “Eku Leota, we expect him to be ready to go for camp, but guys with soft-tissue things, we have to be smart about ramping them up as we go.”

The Panthers also held out first-round pick Xavier Legette this week. Legette is nursing a hamstring injury that also kept him out of OTAs.

Carolina is holding training camp, which typically starts in the final week of July, in Charlotte this year. It will be the first opportunity for fans to see both Legette, the 2024 first-round selection, and Brooks, the second-round selection, on the field together.

Panthers host UFL Offensive Player of the Year for workout

The Panthers hosted the UFL’s Offensive Player of the Year Hakeem Butler before wrapping up minicamp, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Players in the UFL can begin signing deals in the NFL on June 17.

Butler is coming off of an impressive season with the St. Louis BattleHawks during which he posted 45 catches for a league-best 652 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He earned the OPOY award and a spot on the all-league team as well.

Last year, Butler had 51 receptions for 599 yards and eight touchdowns for the BattleHawks. The team released him, freeing him up to sign on to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad.

Butler was a fourth-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. He spent his rookie year with the Arizona Cardinals but broke his hand leading to his release before the 2020 season. He then signed for the 2020 campaign with the Carolina Panthers practice squad. It was a short-lived stint, however, as he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles days later.

The Eagles moved Butler to tight end but he remained on the practice squad. They re-signed him to a futures contract after the season but they waived him for the start of the 2021 season. After his time in the NFL, the former Cyclones standout played in the CFL for the BC Lions, then the Edmonton Elks. The St. Louis BattleHawks picked Butler up in the 2023 supplemental draft.