Carolina Panthers linebacker DJ Johnson was involved in a car accident this week ahead of Sunday’s season finale, head coach Dave Canales told reporters Friday.
Johnson is now listed as out for Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons as he continues to undergo tests.
“It was a car accident,” Canales said. ‘That’s about what I know. But enough to the point where he is currently being evaluated.”
The injuries have not been publicly specified but are not believed to be life-threatening.
Asked about Johnson’s condition, Canales told reporters he “hasn’t seen him.”
Carolina Panthers linebacker DJ Johnson was involved in a car accident this week ahead of Sunday’s season finale, head coach Dave Canales told reporters Friday
When asked about Johnson’s condition, Panthers coach Dave Canales said he “hadn’t seen him”
A native of Sacramento, Johnson attended Miami before transferring to Oregon and being picked in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
He started just five of 27 games during his NFL career and has just 60 combined tackles in two seasons.
Sunday’s game with the Falcons is only relevant to the 4-12 Panthers in terms of draft position. With a week to go, Carolina has a tenuous hold on the sixth pick of the 2025 NFL Draft in April.
There remains a chance that Carolina could draft another quarterback just two years after Alabama’s Bryce Young was taken first overall, but the former Heisman winner has improved somewhat in 2024.
After dropping a whopping 10.53 percent in 2023, Young has lowered that mark to 7.65 this year, though many of his other numbers are similar to those from his disappointing rookie campaign.
Young ranks just 26th in QB rating at 48.0 – 30 points behind leader and Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson.