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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
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.
“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
