Fozzy Whittaker Carted off Field vs. Eagles with Apparent Leg Injury

Carolina Panthers running back Fozzy Whittaker suffered an apparent leg injury Thursday night in the first quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to ESPN.com's David Newton.

WRAL's Mary Dunleavy reported trainers carted Whittaker back to the Panthers' locker room.

Whittaker received limited playing time across his first four seasons in the NFL, which he split between the Panthers and Cleveland Browns. He finally got a chance to fill a more high-profile role after Carolina starter Jonathan Stewart suffered a hamstring injury last year, but it was a short-term uptick.

The 28-year-old Texas product, who's also a contributor on special teams, was sidelined by injuries during each of his first two years with the Panthers. He missed time in 2014 with a quad problem and suffered from an ankle issue during the latter stages of the 2015 campaign.

Carolina's backfield depth will get tested if he's forced back on the shelf. Cameron Artis-Payne could see a little more work behind the tandem of Christian McCaffrey and Stewart. The number of touches available will be limited, though.

Although Whittaker has usually been relegated to a reserve role offensively, his impact as a backup rusher and special teams player is still valuable. While it's not a major loss, Carolina still faces the challenge of making up his production in the aggregate.