View photos of the Panthers' practicing ahead of their Week 16 game against the Falcons.
CHARLOTTE -- Thursday's practice saw the return of several Panthers to the practice field, but neither defensive tackle Kawann Short or running back Christian McCaffrey were among them.
For the second day in a row, Short (calf/rest) didn't participate in practice while McCaffrey received his first "rest" designation of the year.
Head coach Ron Rivera said this won't be the last of McCaffrey's rest days, as the young back has shouldered a major workload in his second season.
"I think a big part of it has a lot to do with the accumulation of the season. He's done a lot. He's very valuable. He stays on the field a lot," Rivera said.
After taking rest days on Wednesday, Mike Adams, Thomas Davis, Ryan Kalil, Luke Kuechly, Captain Munnerlyn, Julius Peppers, Eric Reid, and Trai Turner were all full participants on Thursday.
Quarterback Cam Newton (right shoulder) also wasn't in attendance for the cold and rainy session.
