Ian Thomas, a tight end, has been placed on injured reserve.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — An injury forced a roster change for the Panthers on Saturday, and it wasn’t in the secondary.
Tight end Ian Thomas was placed on injured reserve on Saturday due to a calf issue.
On Friday, Thomas was added to the injured report.
The veteran tight end has two catches for 36 yards this season, but his worth has always been as a run blocker.
Tight end Stephen Sullivan was activated from injured reserve to replace the roster space. He’s been practicing for the past two weeks and was fully engaged in Friday’s practice. This week, he was needed because tight end Giovanni Ricci was already ruled out with a shoulder injury, leaving only Hayden Hurst and Tommy Tremble on the roster.
The moves reduce the roster to 52 players.
The Panthers also promoted two players from the practice squad, safety Matthias Farley and offensive lineman Justin McCray, using conventional elevations. It is each of their second elevation. In a season, practice squad players can be elevated and returned to the practice squad three times.
Farley is anticipated to start at safety in place of the injured Vonn Bell, while McCray provides depth to cover left guard Chandler Zavala’s neck issue.
Five Panthers players have already been ruled out for the week, including Bell, Zavala, Ricci, running back Miles Sanders, and safety Xavier Woods.
