The Panthers have lost 27-year old RB DeAngelo Williams for the rest of the season due to a sprained left foot.  Williams played in 6 games for the Panthers this year and he carried the ball 87 times for 361 yards (4.1 ypc) with 1 TD grab.  He also caught 11 passes for 61 yards (5.5 avg) this year.  Williams has now played in 64 games in his five years with the Panthers and he has carried the ball 841 times for 4,211 yards (5.0 ypc) with 31 TD carries.  He has also caught 118 passes for 922 yards (7.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his career with the Panthers.  The Panthers are really going to miss Williams especially with Jonathan Stewart still dealing with concussion issues.

The Panthers have placed 24-year old OT Jeff Otah on the Injured Reserve List ending his season.  Otah says that he was rushed on his rehab from knee surgery which caused him a setback.  Otah has played in 25 games (all starts) in his first two years with the Panthers and they have definitely missed him so far this year.

The Panthers have placed 27-year old linebacker Thomas Davis on the Injured Reserve List due to a knee injury, ending his season.  Davis was rehabbing all of this year but the Panthers felt they should have him take his time and not rush back due to the team’s 1-7 record on the year.  Davis has played in 69 games in his career with the Panthers and he has 390 tackles, 22 passes defensed, 11 sacks, 8 forced fumbles and 3 interceptions. 

The Panthers have lost starting inside linebacker Dan Connor for the rest of the season due to a fractured hip.  This is a big blow to the Panthers’ D as Connor is solid football player, especially against the run.  Connor played in 8 games for the Panthers this year and he had 47 tackles, 1 sack, 7 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.

The Panthers have lost 26-year old QB Matt Moore for the rest of the year with a torn right labrum.  Moore played in 6 games for the Panthers this season and he completed 79 of 143 passes (55.2%) for 857 yards with 5 TD passes and 10 INTs (55.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 5 times for 25 yards (5.0 ypc) this year.  Moore has now played in 22 games (13 starts) in his four years with the Panthers and he has completed 227 of 392 passes (57.9%) for 2,640 yards with 16 TD passes and 17 INTs (73.9 QB Rating).  Moore has also carried the ball 20 times for 27 yards (1.4 ypc) in his time with the Panthers.  I have the feeling that Moore has played his last game for the Panthers.

The Panthers have lost 26-year old linebacker Jamar Williams for the rest of the season due to a neck injury.  Williams played in 3 games for the Panthers this season and he made 2 tackles.  Williams has now played in 54 games in his 5 years in the NFL and he has 91 tackles, 6 passes defensed, 1 sack and 1 forced fumble.  The Panthers won’t likely miss Williams much as he didn’t produce when given a chance to play this year.

The Panthers will likely be without Steve Smith for a while due to a high ankle sprain.  Smith has played in 4 games for the Panthers so far this year and he has 13 grabs for 174 yards (13.4 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  This will likely cripple the Panthers’ passing game as they were only averaging 155.0 yards passing per game with Smith!  They better pray that he gets healthy soon.

Matt Moore is a little iffy for Sunday’s Home Opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a concussion that caused him to leave last week’s game with the Giants.  Moore completed 14 of 33 passes (42.4%) for 182 yards with 1 TD pass and 3 INTs (32.6 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc) in that game.  If Moore isn’t ready to go on Sunday, rookie Jimmy Clausen will get the start.  Clausen relieved Moore at the end of the Giants’ game in which he threw 2 incomplete passes.  If the Panthers are forced to start Clausen on Sunday look for them to depend on DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to carry the offense.

The Panthers have placed 23-year old OG C.J. Davis on the Injured Reserve List ending his season.  No word yet on what he has injured.  Davis played in 3 pre-season games for the Panthers this year (0 starts).  The Panthers’ O-Line is one of the few strengths of the football team so they won’t miss Davis at all in 2010.

UPDATE:  (9/8/2010) – The Panthers have released C.J. Davis (concussion) with an injury settlement.

The Panthers have placed WR Wallace Wright on the Injured Reserve List with a shoulder injury.  This might hurt the Panthers on special teams which is an area that Wright excels in.  He has played in 66 games in his NFL career and he has 66 tackles, mostly on special teams.  He also has caught 8 passes for 108 yards (13.5 avg) and he has returned 2 kickoffs for 31 yards (15.5 avg) in his NFL career to date.  This isn’t a big loss but the Panthers wish they would have had him in 2010.