Robert Hunt, A’Shawn Robinson injury updates: Panthers release Thursday practice report

Offensive lineman Ikem Ekwonu is recovering from a recent appendectomy and has missed practice the last two days. Panthers head coach Dave Canales said they’ll know more about Ekwonu’s status for the opener on Friday after he did some side work on Thursday.

Robert Hunt joined the Panthers last year after spending his first four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He emerged in his first season in Carolina, as he made the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. Hunt is in the second year of his five-year, $100 million contract.

A’Shawn Robinson talks about Panthers missing playoffs last year

A’Shawn Robinson also joined the Panthers last year after spending time with the New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams and Detroit Lions in his 10-year career. He played in 16 games in Carolina last season and recorded 80 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.

In July, Robinson talked about being upset that the Panthers missed the playoffs last year and seeing the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles compete in the Super Bowl. “Watching everybody else and watching the teams that we played against and watching those two teams that made it to the ‘chip, how we played against those teams, just knowing that we lost those games because we didn’t finish,” Robinson, who won a Super Bowl with the Rams, said at the time, per Kassidy Hill of Panthers.com. “We didn’t do things correctly to uphold and to achieve the goals of getting the ‘W.'”

The Panthers’ season opener against the Jaguars will be on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. ET. They will begin their journey to reach the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season.