CHARLOTTE — The bye week was good for the Panthers, because when they hit the practice field in Week 15 on Wednesday, all 53 of the players on the active roster were on the field.

That's borderline amazing, and in part because they had an extra week for a few injured players like Christian Rozeboom and Cade Mays to recover from injuries that caused two-game absences. They still had a couple of players limited, but the hope is that Jaycee Horn and Claudin Cherelus clear the concussion protocol this week and can return Sunday against the Saints.

That kind of health is a blessing this time of year, but for Panthers head coach Dave Canales, planning workloads is a year-round effort, involving vice president of player health and performance Denny Kellington, director of performance Josh Hingst, and the entire wellness staff.

"This is where I can give Josh Hingst and Denny Kellington a lot of credit for the conversations we've had coming into the season, knowing when the bye week was going to be," Canales said. "We didn't have any Thursday games where you get a pseudo-bye after some of those, and you have to take care of the guys going into the game, but we had to be smart about that. We had to see what team we were working with. We've had some bumps and bruises along the way, some longer-term injuries that affect that part of it. But we had to modify, we had to make adjustments, every day going into practice. What's the group that we have available if we scale this back? Who can we get out there to get those reps? He may not be able to handle two full periods of full-speed reps, but if we bring it down on this period, can we get him out there for reps and things like that?"

As they've built that plan, it's with their philosophy in mind. Canales talks about "finish" all the time, and the Panthers have outscored opponents 88-56 in the fourth quarters and overtimes this season.

"We just had to make sure that we are connected with the guys and that's what Josh and Denny allowed us to do," Canales said. "Making sure we had enough in the tank to finish the way that we finished. And I've been really pleased with how we've played at the end of games in fourth quarters consistently for the season and, and that was because of the hard work of doing all the regen that we do, going into practice, doing all the recovery that we do, and then making sure we dose the guys the right way so they're still ready to play on game day but they're also fresh."

The Panthers still have eight players on injured reserve, but there's a chance they could still get a few of them back, including right guard Robert Hunt and wide receiver David Moore before the end of the season.

Offensive line adjustments, the good kind

With the return to health, they're going to adjust the offensive line again.

But even though they've used 10 different starting lines in the first 13 games, this is a repeat.

Mays will go back to center this week after missing the previous two, and Canales said Austin Corbett will go back to his most common position at right guard.

Along with left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, left guard Damien Lewis, and right tackle Taylor Moton, this group started the Saints game in Week 10.

"Austin will play guard, which he basically spent about six or seven years of his career playing," Canales said. "So I feel really confident about those guys going out there."

Corbett has started at all three interior positions since returning from IR, but of his 74 career starts, 55 have come at right guard. (He also has 10 at center, eight at left guard, and one listed as tackle when he was the jumbo package tight end his rookie year with the Browns).

They have a trust in him, which is part of the reason he was named the team's NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year club winner (and you can vote for him for the league-wide award here).

"Just a leader," Canales said. "A guy to point to, to show some of the younger players, the type of impact you can have, playing this role, understanding you have a job to do, but knowing that, you have a bigger platform to be able to affect people."

Here for a long time, and a good time

Quarterback Bryce Young, all of 24 years old, laughed Wednesday when asked if he'd consider playing until he was 44 years old, the way new Colts signing Philip Rivers is.

But for Panthers long snapper JJ Jansen, the senior member of the roster, Rivers is an inspiration not just for longevity, but for resilience in coming back after a five-year layoff. (Rivers last played in the 2020 playoffs, and has appeared in a mere 244 games compared to Jansen's 273).

When asked "as a man approaching 40," about playing until 44 like Rivers, Jansen protested briefly before proclaiming respect for the effort and the difference in their jobs.

"No, no, no, we're wholly in our 30s," he said.

(Jansen turns 40 on Jan. 20, 2026, which means he has about 40 more days to protest).

"I love it; I'll tell you what I can't imagine doing, which is taking five years off, then coming back," Jansen said. "But, yeah. I think in certain positions, and mine's certainly one of them, quarterback's certainly one of them, the skill is of greater priority than just general athleticism, so you can get away with it in the pocket, you can get away with it snapping a ball, or maybe punting or kicking. You certainly see those guys from time to time hanging around. Nick Folk comes to mind. Matt Prater comes to mind, at least on the kicking side.

"So, I can't imagine taking five years off. That would certainly be something kind of beyond my comprehension."

To put what Rivers is doing in context, if he came here, his head coach would be seven months older than him, and he'd have more experience than 43-year-old quarterbacks coach Will Harriger and 34-year-old offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, not to mention the entire roster — including Jansen.

Playoff pressure an every day thing

The Panthers are a very day-at-a-time bunch, that's the message Canales sends, that filters down through Young and the rest of them.

At the same time, the context of the current playoff chase isn't lost on them.

The Panthers are tied for first in the NFC South with the Bucs at 7-6, with a real chance at their first home playoff game since the 2015 season. (You can read the full breakdown on tiebreakers and what could happen here.)

But for Canales, every day should be treated the same way, so sure they can consider these early playoff games, as long as the focus remains on the Saints (and a 17-7 loss in Week 10 should guarantee that).

"All of them, every single one from the beginning of the season," Canales said. "I understand how important every single game is as you get to this point in the season, and so you really can't look past any game. Every game is a championship opportunity, just like the one we have in front of us. And we have to maintain that heightened focus and awareness of how important they are.

"There's nothing worse than over the years you get through a season, and you look back, maybe you squeak in a wild card berth, or maybe you win the division, but you didn't get the seeding that you could have because of a game that got away from you earlier in the season. It's why it's easy for me to sell that to the group to say, hey, every game is a championship opportunity, and we have one right in front of us on the road against a familiar opponent."