Tetairoa McMillan injury update: Panthers fans get positive news; Rico Dowdle's status out

Carolina Panthers rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan could miss Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints

Published on: Nov 8, 2025, 01:53:40 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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Carolina Panthers rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan could miss Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints, after tweaking his hamstring during practice earlier this week. Head coach Dave Canales told reporters the team shut McMillan down as a precaution.

Tetairoa McMillan #4 of the Carolina Panthers reacts after a first down in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers (Getty Images via AFP)

“Something popped up in practice, so we shut him down for part of it,” Canales said Friday. “He was able to take a few reps, but it was precautionary. We’ll check on him again Saturday morning to make sure he’s ready to go.”

McMillan, 22, has quickly become a key weapon in Carolina’s offense. The eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Arizona leads the Panthers in receptions (41) and receiving yards (558), and his two touchdowns are tied for the team lead.

While McMillan’s status remains uncertain, the Panthers received good news on running back Rico Dowdle, who has been cleared to play after overcoming a quadriceps issue. Dowdle practiced fully on Friday and will enter Sunday’s game without an injury designation.

Dowdle was instrumental in last week’s 16-13 win over the Green Bay Packers, rushing for 130 yards and two touchdowns. The 27-year-old leads Carolina in carries (131), rushing yards (735), and rushing touchdowns (four) this season.

Carolina (5-4) will be without guard Chandler Zavala, who has been ruled out due to an elbow injury, while wide receiver Brycen Tremayne (hip) is also listed as questionable ahead of the home clash with the struggling Saints (1-8).

Carolina Panthers depth chart

Offense

Quarterbacks (QB)

Bryce Young

Andy Dalton

Mike White

Running Backs (RB)

Rico Dowdle

Chuba Hubbard

Trevor Etienne

DeeJay Dallas

Wide Receivers (WR)

Tetairoa McMillan

Brycen Tremayne

Jalen Coker

Hunter Renfrow

Xavier Legette

Jimmy Horn Jr.

Tight Ends (TE)

Ja'Tavion Sanders

Tommy Tremble

Mitchell Evans

James Mitchell

Left Tackle (LT)

Ikem Ekwonu

Left Guard (LG)

Damien Lewis

Austin Corbett

Center (C)

Cade Mays

Nick Samac

Right Guard (RG)

Chandler Zavala

Jake Curhan

Right Tackle (RT)

Taylor Moton

Yosh Nijman

Defense

Defensive Ends (DE)

Tershawn Wharton

Bobby Brown III

Derrick Brown

LaBryan Ray

Defensive Tackles (DT)

A'Shawn Robinson

Cam Jackson

Outside Linebackers (OLB)

Nic Scourton

Thomas Incoom

Trevis Gipson

D.J. Wonnum

Princely Umanmielen

Inside Linebackers (ILB)

Trevin Wallace

Claudin Cherelus

Christian Rozeboom

Bam Martin-Scott

Maema Njongmeta

Cornerbacks (CB)

Mike Jackson

Corey Thornton

Jaycee Horn

Chau Smith-Wade

Akayleb Evans

Safeties (S)

Tre'von Moehrig

Demani Richardson

Nick Scott

Lathan Ransom

Special Teams

Kick Returners (KR)

Trevor Etienne

Chuba Hubbard

Rico Dowdle

Jimmy Horn Jr.

Punt Returners (PR)

Trevor Etienne

Hunter Renfrow

Jimmy Horn Jr.

Long Snapper (LS)

JJ Jansen

Punter (P)

Sam Martin

Kicker (K)

Ryan Fitzgerald

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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