Frank Reich expects Brian Burns, CJ Henderson to be out for Thursday Night Football vs. Bears

With a short week upcoming for the Carolina Panthers, it seems unlikely that defensive lineman Brian Burns and cornerback CJ Henderson will play in Week 10. Head coach Frank Reich provided a bleak outlook following Sunday’s 27-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Both Burns and Henderson exited Sunday’s game because of concussion protocol. Because Carolina returns to action on Thursday, Reich suggested that it would be tough for the two to make it back to the field.

Reich says short week will make it tough for Brian Burns (and CJ Henderson) to clear the concussion protocol.

— Joe Person (@josephperson) November 6, 2023

Henderson totaled four stops and a tackle for loss prior to his injury. Henderson ended the game with a single tackle. The Panthers dropped to 1-7 on the season with the loss to the Colts on Sunday.

This season, Burns has accounted for 21 total tackles and five sacks. He’s also forced a fumble. Henderson has racked up 34 stops and two passes defended this year.

Carolina is back in action on Thursday, traveling to Chicago to play the Bears (2-7). Kickoff is set for 8:15 p.m. ET and the game airs on Amazon Prime Video.

Frank Reich asked if Panthers will bench Bryce Young

Just eight games into his NFL career, there are already questions about Bryce Young‘s status as Carolina’s starter. Following a poor performance in Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis, reporters asked Reich if he’d consider making a change at quarterback.

Young was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He earned the starting job for the Panthers early in the offseason, not uncommon for the long-term face of the franchise. But at 1-7, the question, apparently, had to be asked.

“I suppose that’s a fair question,” Reich replied, per PanthersWire.com. “But I can honestly tell you that thought’s never even came close to entering my mind.”

Young had a rough outing against Indianapolis on Sunday. The rookie completed 24-of-39 passes for 173 yards but had three interceptions with just one touchdown. He was also sacked four times for 36 yards.

The performance was especially disappointing considering he led the Panthers to their first win a week ago over Houston. There was hope that Carolina might carry some of that momentum into Week 9. Instead, the Panthers floundered … again.

Now, instead of having the starting job secured, Reich is fielding questions about whether or not it’s time to make a change. It would be surprising if that was the case, but you can never rule anything out in the NFL.