CHARLOTTE — Sometimes there's an element of gamesmanship, and coaches will try to obfuscate as much as possible.

This one, Dave Canales was fine just saying it out loud.

The Panthers head coach said that starting outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips was unlikely to play this week against the Buccaneers because of a hamstring strain. ​

He didn't participate in Wednesday's walk-through — walking the perimeter of the practice field with a sweatshirt tied over his shoulders — and Canales didn't bother with guessing games.

"I think I can fairly say that," Canales said when asked if it was unlikely that Phillips would go this week. "And I know there's advantages to game plans, but this is something that we need to address and take care of."

Phillips dealt with the same issue after the Lions game before the bye, and left in the first half of Sunday's win against the Eagles. He came back to finish the game (which Canales described as "incredible"), but was in obvious discomfort. And with a short-week game at Green Bay next Thursday, this could become a two-week situation.

"We'll see; he's going to want to push it," Canales said. "We're going to be right there with him; we're going to test him. We'll get him out there and make sure that we get him as strong and as fit and healthy as possible, because it's a long season. And if he's able to turn it around and show up on Thursday night, great. For me, for Dan (Morgan, the general manager), it's our job, it's like we've got to think about this game, and then we think about, 'OK, what's, what's the full window look like, and how can we get him out there strong.'"

Canales said this could be an opportunity for practice squad outside linebacker Nick Hampton to be involved this week, behind starters Patrick Jones II and Princely Umanmielen and Trevis Gipson.

Hampton, an Appalachian State product, was here throughout the offseason and training camp, and returned to the practice squad earlier this month.

Incoom week-to-week, but hard to replace

Early in the second quarter of Sunday's win against the Eagles, Thomas Incoom suffered a calf injury. It sidelined him for the rest of the game. On Wednesday, Dave Canales told reporters that Incoom will be out "for a while" with what the coach described as "a pretty good" calf injury, indicating it's significant.

"I don't know the exact landmark for when he'll be back," said Canales, but for now, they'll call it week-to-week.

The news comes while the Panthers also have to replace Phillips' production at outside linebacker for at least the next game, as Phillips deals with a hamstring injury. Incoom played three snaps on defense against Philadelphia while Phillips tested his hamstring (he would finish the game) and before Incoom left.

The real hole in production, though, came on special teams, where Incoom has been a four-core special teamer.

"He's a guy that we're going to miss for sure in the special teams world," said Canales. "Shoot, it took four guys to replace him on special teams on Sunday, and that's the type of impact that he's had on our special teams unit, certainly.

Canales confirmed they will not put Incoom on IR. While there isn't a firm return date yet, the coach is certain Incoom will work to meet any timeline.

"But you know he's encouraged. He'll attack it. He'll attack the rehab just like he attacks everything else, and, whatever timelines are out there, I'm sure TI will beat them."

"Work Wednesday" also a chance to reset

The Panthers call the middle of the week "Work Wednesday." The last two weeks, though, that word has referred more to work ethic than actual physicality, because it encompasses all the work and stress that has been on guys' bodies all week.

"You're not just the time on grass," Canales explained after Wednesday's practice, the Panthers' longest day of the week. "It's the meetings, it's our process, the way we go through the day, the regen (regeneration), the lifting, all those different things that go into it. It's kind of like, you got to move on.

"It's time to go to the next week and, the work Wednesday is, for me, it's about recapturing the work ethic of what it takes to put in a full day to go through your meetings all the way to the end, same process you would after a normal practice, just taking care of their bodies and getting ready for Sunday."

So ahead of Detroit in Week 4 (coming off the game against the Browns), the Panthers shifted their Wednesday schedule, combining walk-through and practice, moving things earlier in the day, and slowing down team drills. It worked well, culminating in a huge prime time win.

No adjustments were needed coming off a bye week, but after a game in which the offense logged over 70 plays against Philadelphia, Canales wanted to return to this pace. This gives guys with bumps and bruises more time to recover, and the team hosts its physical practice on Thursday.

"We brought it down a little bit today with the team periods, but we still were able to get a great individual session," explained the coach. "Some full-speed throwing and timing, full-speed special teams tackling, all those things, and then just brought it back down; 80 (74) some odd plays on the offensive side, a really physical game, to be able to play that one and finish it the way we did.

"So, this was kind of the mode we went into for the Detroit week, and we had a lot of guys be able to participate that might not have been able to participate if we hadn't gone to this mode and then just got something back into the tank.

"But the guys were focused, and we executed a great day."

Brady Christensen waiting in the wings

The Panthers opened the practice window for linebacker Bam on Wednesday, but haven't done so with offensive lineman Brady Christensen yet.

Christiansen came back during training camp after tearing his Achilles, but went on IR with a hamstring issue.

Canales said there was a roster-spot component at play as well, since recent acquisitions Corey Bullock and Torricelli Simpkins III, and rookie Sam Hecht are here to provide interior depth to starting guard Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt and center Luke Fortner.

"Those guys, the depth players in the interior, and of course D-Lew and Luke and Rob, are really playing at a winning level," Canales said. "So, hopefully there will be an opportunity for Brady at some point. I don't know when that will show up.

"He's doing an excellent job. He's engaged. He's training. He'd be ready to go if we needed him."

Teams can only activate eight players from injured reserve in the course of a season. Trevor Etienne and Martin-Scott would count as two of those (since they were designated to return on cut day), leaving six.

That does not include Taylor Moton or Tershawn Wharton or eventually Ikem Ekwonu, since the NFI and PUP lists are independent of that rule.

The Panthers have nine players on IR at the moment, and it's Week 7. They know that Nic Scourton, Chris Brazzell II, and Cam Jackson don't have a chance to return this year. That leaves cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, running back Jonathon Brooks,  wide receiver Xavier Legette, Christensen, and Martin-Scott. And of course, the possibility that other players could be injured over the course of the year.