In the first official practice before Week 15 against the Saints, two Carolina Panthers starters returned on Wednesday.

Trending in the Right Direction, Carolina Panthers’ Starters Return

Both had been sidelined since Week 12, making their full participation on Wednesday a positive sign for Carolina as they prepare for Sunday’s game.

Panthers’ head coach Dave Canales confirmed that Mays’ return will lead to changes on the offensive line. He said, “So, we’ll go in there, and Cade will play center, Austin will play guard.”

Austin Corbett is familiar with the position. He has played over 3,400 right guard snaps in his NFL career. In non-injury news, Corbett was also elected by the team as the Panthers’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

Canales spoke to why Corbett was the choice for his “involvement in the community and commitment,” before adding, “Just a leader. A guy to point to, to show some of the younger players the type of impact you can have playing this role, understanding you have a job to do, but knowing that you have a bigger platform to be able to affect people.”

Watch Dave Canales speak to the media. https://t.co/WMMthTcKzo

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Meanwhile, in the linebacking corps, Rozeboom enters Week 15 still leading the team with 91 tackles, even after missing Weeks 12 and 13. The Panthers have not fielded their preferred linebacker duo since Week 10. Rozeboom’s 73.9 PFSN LBi score remains the highest among Panthers’ linebackers.

When Rozeboom and Trevin Wallace missed time, Claudin Cherelus stepped in as a starter. However, after suffering a concussion in Week 12against the 49ers, Cherelus, along with cornerback Jaycee Horn (also concussed in Week 12), entered the league’s concussion protocol.

Discussing the recovery of Cherelus and Horn, Canales expressed optimism despite their ongoing protocol status, noting, ‘They are still in the protocol. They’re doing great. They’re making strides, they’re clearing all the things we need them to.”

Canales also mentioned both players participated in Wednesday’s practice on a limited basis and could increase their workload Thursday. “They were able to participate in a limited fashion today, and we’ll ramp it up a little bit more to see if we can get them out there,” he said.