David Moore on returning to practice, testing his elbow, and his motivation to return

Dec 18, 2025 at 05:15 PM

Kassidy Hill

The Carolina Panthers prepare to face the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 at Bank of American Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

CHARLOTTE — If you've seen David Moore walking around the last few weeks, banging his left elbow forcefully against things, don't fret. It was intentional.

"You'd probably think I was weird," Moore laughed when asked Thursday if he needed to take a hit to feel recovered from the elbow injury he suffered in Week 4. "I've been walking around the building for about three weeks just banging my arm on doors, walls, just trying to figure out the pain tolerance I have.

"Get out there with the pads on, I was just hitting Jalen Coker and all of them just trying to bump into him, but no, I'm not really nervous about it. It's football."

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Moore has been sidelined since Week 4, when he took a hit on the first play from scrimmage against the New England Patriots that he likened to a "blowout" on his elbow.

"It was a weird arm hip-drop tackle. It was kind of my hand got caught under his body when he hit the ground, and my elbow couldn't handle all that weight," Moore explained. It required surgery and extensive rehab before he could return to the field. He passed his time with Robert Hunt, who is also rehabbing an arm injury suffered in Week 2. The two veterans have passed the time as well as possible.

"Oh man, it could be a lot of anything," Moore smirked of the conversations they have. "It can go from here to there, there to here, and just a lot of different things, a lot of different topics that came up, and a lot of great ones."

The Carolina Panthers hold practice on Friday, Nov. 28, 2025 at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

But on Wednesday, the receiver got to move to the other side of the field. The Panthers opened the Moore's 21-day practice window to see if he can be activated from IR, officially returning the veteran to his group, albeit still in a brace.

Then again, he never really left.

"They said I didn't have to be here, but I just wanted to be here, and be a part," Moore admitted. "I couldn't go home and just sit at the house all day. Being here, being with them, that helped me mentally stay focused and stay prepared for whatever happens and be in their ear and be a shoulder that they can lean on when they need, so it's been that's what I've been doing this past eight to 10 weeks."

Being around as the Panthers have put together one of their best seasons in recent years also helped encourage Moore to push through his rehab. The average age of the receiving corps that has been playing in his absence is 23.8 years old. Moore, at 30 years old, adds some age and experience to the group, but that is exactly what they could use in this all-important playoff push, facing Tampa Bay twice in the next three weeks.

"Being able to talk to guys like Tetairoa McMillan and sort of counsel them through their through their rookie years, it's a young receiver group for sure," Moore said. "I couldn't wait to get back, you know what I mean, they've been winning, and getting closer to the playoff time, the best time of the year, man, playing after all season. So it's just been helping me out motivation-wise, seeing them win. I want to get back and help them out as much as I can."

The Carolina Panthers practice on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025 at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

There is no guarantee Moore will play on Sunday. He is simply within his 21-day window as of right now, and must be activated from injured reserve back to the active roster if he's going to take the field. It leaves him in an unsure place as of now, but one that is still exciting.

"I'm as happy as I can be as of right now until I get on the field and actually play, so I'm feeling amazing right now," Moore said. "Physically, I feel like I'm back in Week 4 before the injury. So yeah, I'm feeling pretty good."