The Panthers have made another pair of roster moves as they prepare for their Week 1 game against the Raiders this Sunday. Wide receiver Keith Kirkwood has been placed on injured reserve, and tight end Colin Thompson has been added to the roster in his place. Kirkwood is eligible to return from injured reserve in three weeks, according to a report from Steve Reed of the Associated Press.
Panthers have placed WR Keith Kirkwood on injured reserve. He's eligible to return in 3 weeks. the team is also re-signing TE Colin Thompson, who was cut on Saturday.
— Steve Reed (@SteveReedAP) September 7, 2020
Kirkwood broke his clavicle during practice a few weeks ago and had surgery to fix the issue, so the move to injured reserve makes sense. Adding Thompson back to ther roster gives the Panthers three tight ends on the depth chart, so that worry is also alleviated.
Kirkwood is eligible to return to the active roster — assuming he’s healthy — in three weeks thanks to the new injured reserve rules for 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s worth keeping an eye on him over the next few weeks to see if he returns to action for the Panthers or not this season, and if anything happens either way we’ll be sure to provide you any updates on the situation, so stay tuned.