Darrin Reaves Injury: Updates on Panthers RB's Calf Injury and Return

Updates from Sunday, Oct. 19

The Panthers confirm Darrin Reaves is active for Week 7.

Original Text

Carolina Panthers running backs can't catch a break this season. The latest player to join the list of hobbled runners is rookie Darrin Reaves.    

According to Steve Reed of The Associated Press, Reaves was one of five Panthers players not practicing Thursday:

The Panthers' official Twitter account noted Wednesday that Reaves was a limited participant in practice due to a calf injury:

Through the first six weeks of the season, things have been so bad with Carolina's running backs that Cam Newton leads the team in carries (31) and rushing yards (149). Keep in mind that Newton missed the first game of the season. 

DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, who at one time were one of the best tandems in football, have been disasters this season. Both players have missed multiple games already and have just one rushing touchdown between them in the first six weeks. 

The silver lining in light of Reaves' injury, per Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer, is that Stewart was a full participant in practice Wednesday and said he will start this week against the Green Bay Packers. 

Reaves, who went undrafted out of UAB, made his first start in Week 6 against Cincinnati. The game ended in a 37-37 tie, though it wasn't a performance the rookie will want to remember with 15 yards on eight carries.

Like most of Carolina's running backs, Reaves has battled injuries already this year, as Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer reported on Oct. 8 the running back didn't practice with a hip problem:

This season has been a struggle for the Panthers. The good news for them is the NFC South is terrible, so no matter how bad things get, they don't appear in any danger of falling out of the division race. Reaves wasn't lighting the ground on fire, but wasn't expected to when the season began because of his youth and standing coming into the year. 

Fielding a healthy offense has been a challenge for Ron Rivera this season. He's done an admirable job patching things together on the fly, though this is a running team that doesn't have a reliable running back. 

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