Thomas (calf) was designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday.
Thomas has been out of action since before the season began and has missed the mandatory four games on IR. He'll now be able to practice with the team, although he'll have to be added back to the 53-man roster to suit up Sunday against the Bears.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Nearing return
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Thomas (calf) is expected to be designated to return from injured reserve this week, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Thomas has missed the minimum four games and is now eligible to return to action. Once he is officially designated to return, he'll be able to practice with the team, but that doesn't guarantee he'll return this Sunday against the Bears. More clarity on his status for the matchup will likely come later in the week.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Lands on IR
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Thomas (calf) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.
Both Thomas and expected backup Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back) were both ruled out Friday, which means fourth-round rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders will make his first career start Sunday against the Saints. Thomas wasn't particularly useful from a fantasy perspective last year, but he was a reliable blocker and had played at least 600 snaps from 2020-22. The seven-year veteran won't be eligible to return until early October.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Remains sidelined Thursday
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Thomas (calf) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice.
Thomas has been dealing with the calf issue for over a month now, and back-to-back DNPs to open the practice week would suggest he's on the wrong side of questionable for Week 1. Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back) is also dinged up for Carolina, leaving rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders atop the depth chart, followed by Jordan Matthews and Messiah Swinson.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Fails to practice Wednesday
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Thomas (calf) didn't take part in practice Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Thomas injured his calf in early August and was a spectator for the Panthers' first Week 1 practice along with Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back). With Thomas and Tremble sidelined Wednesday, fourth-round pick Ja'Tavion Sanders, Jordan Matthews and Messiah Swinson are the healthy tight ends on the active roster. Thomas and Tremble will have two more sessions this week to put themselves on paths to playing Sunday in New Orleans before Carolina potentially rules on both players' availabilities.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Unlikely for Week 1
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Thomas (calf) did not practice Monday, David Newton of ESPN.com reports.
Thomas has been sidelined for nearly a month with the injury, and although he was hopeful for a Week 1 return, Newton believes it "seems like a stretch" that the veteran tight end will be able to play Sunday against the Saints. Considering the time Thomas has missed already, he might not be in game shape even if he returns to practice in coming days. With Tommy Tremble (hamstring) also questionable, the Panthers could be turning to rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders and veteran Jordan Matthews to handle all the tight-end snaps Sunday.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Injures calf, hopeful for Week 1
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Thomas (calf) has suffered a calf injury but is hopeful to be ready for Week 1, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Thomas is currently projected as the third tight end on Carolina's roster behind Tommy Tremble and Ja'Tavion Sanders. Thus, a return to training camp prior to Week 1 would be beneficial for the veteran tight end's aim toward securing a spot on the team's 53-man roster. Still, the 28-year-old has been with the team since 2018 and figures to be more likely than not to make the squad. Thus, expect Carolina to err on the side of caution in regard to bringing him back to practice too early.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Surprisingly busy during OTAs
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Thomas caught a surprising number of passes during Carolina's offseason program, ESPN's David Newton reports.
The 2018 fourth-round pick got a lot of snaps and routes early in his career but never improved on a rookie season with 36 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns. He then had four straight years between 136 and 197 yards, before sinking to five catches for 56 yards last season while playing a career-low 206 snaps. It sounds like Thomas may be a better fit in new coach Dave Canales' scheme, but fantasy value still seems a bit far-fetched for a player with 1,055 yards and four TDs on 2,975 career snaps. The Panthers also have Tommy Tremble and 2024 fourth-round pick Ja'Tavion Sanders competing for playing time at tight end, with the former better suited to blocking and the latter more of a receiving threat. Sanders is the only one of the bunch that seems to offer any real upside to become a fantasy-worthy pass catcher.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Career-worst campaign
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Thomas finished the regular season with five catches on nine targets for 56 yards in 12 games.
Thomas endured the worst campaign of his six-year career, with his five missed games playing a factor. Even when healthy, though, Thomas has long been a blocking tight end, not topping 200 receiving yards since his rookie year. With the Panthers having a potential out from the final year of Thomas' current contract, it remains to be seen whether he'll return to Carolina under a new front office and coaching staff.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Suiting up for Week 16
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Thomas (ankle) is active for Sunday's game against the Packers, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Thomas will return from a one-game absence caused by an ankle injury. He logged a full practice session Friday, so he should be able to return to his typical role of splitting reps with Tommy Tremble and Stephen Sullivan.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Logs another limited session
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Thomas (ankle) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Thomas has now practiced for the second consecutive day after missing Carolina's Week 15 win over the Falcons with an ankle issue. The veteran tight end will almost certainly carry an injury designation into the weekend unless he's able to record a full practice session Friday. Thomas' availability will be something to look out for as the week progresses, as Carolina could be without both Tommy Tremble (illness) and Hayden Hurst (concussion) in Week 16.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Won't play vs. Falcons
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Thomas (ankle) is listed as out for Sunday's game versus the Falcons.
Thomas will sit out for the fifth time this season in Week 15, this time due to an ankle injury. In his absence, Tommy Tremble will probably see more reps on early downs and around the goal line.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Remains sidelined Thursday
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Thomas (ankle) remained sidelined for Thursday's practice.
Stephen Sullivan is the lone healthy Carolina tight end, after both Thomas and Hayden Hurst (concussion) logged DNPs Wednesday and Thursday, while Tommy Tremble (hip) got in a pair of limited sessions. Thomas has four catches for 51 scoreless yards on six targets across nine appearances this season.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Logs DNP
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Thomas (ankle) did not practice Wednesday.
Thomas exited Sunday's game against the Saints with the injury and appears to still need more time to recover. The sixth-year tight end will likely need to ramp up his activity level over the next two days to play Week 15 against the Falcons.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Catches lone look
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Thomas caught his only target for six yards in Sunday's 21-18 loss to the Buccaneers.
Thomas made his usual contribution, hauling in a spare target for the second straight week. With rare involvement in the passing game, his stock remains rather restricted.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Activated from IR
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The Panthers activated Thomas (calf) from injured reserve Saturday, but he remains questionable for Sunday's game against the Cowboys, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Thomas has sat out Carolina's past four contests while on IR with a calf injury. He was designated to return Monday and practiced in full Friday after logging limited sessions Wednesday and Thursday. Thomas' potential return is timely, with Hayden Hurst set to miss Week 11 due to a concussion.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Questionable for Sunday vs. Cowboys
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Thomas (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game versus Dallas, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Thomas was able to log a full practice Friday, likely putting him on the probable end of the official questionable designation. If he can't play, 2021 third-rounder Tommy Tremble will probably continue to see more playing time as a result.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Logs another limited practice
Rotowire
Thomas (calf) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice.
Thomas was designated to return from injured reserve earlier in the week, and he's been able to record limited practice sessions both Wednesday and Thursday. The 27-year-old tight end will likely carry an injury designation into the weekend, and he must be activated to the Panthers' active roster in order to suit up Sunday.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Returns to practice
Rotowire
Thomas (calf) was a limited participant during practice Wednesday.
Thomas was designated to return from injured reserve Monday, so a slow start with practice makes sense for the Indiana product. Whether he'll be ready to return Sunday against the Cowboys remains up in the air, but the Panthers still have plenty of time in their 21-day window to move him back onto the active roster.
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Panthers' Ian Thomas: Gets green light to practice
Rotowire
Carolina designated Thomas (calf) for return from injured reserve Monday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
The move allows Thomas to return to practice and starts the clock on a 21-day period during which the Panthers may officially activate him. Carolina's official injury reports over the week will shine some light on his potential availability for Sunday's game versus the Cowboys.
