Panthers Hayden Hurst expected to go on IR, ending season after concussion issues: Sources
The Carolina Panthers are expected to place tight end Hayden Hurst on injured reserve, shutting down the season of a player who has dealt with a form of amnesia since sustaining a concussion against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 9, according to sources briefed on the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Advertisement
Hurst’s father, Jerry Hurst, said in a recent post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that his son had been diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia as a result of a hit he took in the Thursday night game against the Bears. A day later, Hayden Hurst posted on X that he didn’t “remember up to 4 hours after the game,” calling it a “scary situation.”
While it was scary, it is NOT career ending. I'm starting my return to play this week, so fingers crossed I make it back for the last few weeks!
God Bless & Keep Pounding !!!!
— Hayden Hurst (@haydenrhurst) December 7, 2023
Hurst was injured on a fourth-quarter incompletion when his head slammed into the ground following a big hit by a Bears defender. Hurst left the game briefly before returning to catch a Bryce Young pass on the same series. He entered concussion protocol the following day.
In his first season with the Panthers, the 30-year-old Hurst has caught 18 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown in nine games. He scored the team’s first touchdown of the season on a 4-yard pass from Young in a Week 1 loss at Atlanta.
What this means for Hurst
Hurst ran routes and caught passes in a limited capacity at practice last week and appeared to be making his way through the protocol. But he hasn’t been practicing this week. The Panthers are 1-12 and fired Frank Reich two weeks ago. There’s no sense in Hurst playing again if there is even the slightest concern about his brain or memory. Hurst said in his X post last week his brain injury was not career-ending, adding he hoped he could return for the last few weeks of the season. Instead, Hurst will sit out the last month of the season with his long-term health in mind.
What this means for the Panthers
The Panthers’ tight end group has been undermanned for much of the season. Ian Thomas missed four games while on injured reserve with a calf injury and hasn’t practiced this week after injuring his ankle in Sunday’s loss at New Orleans. Gio Ricci has been on IR since Oct. 24 with a shoulder injury. Tommy Tremble and Stephen Sullivan are the only healthy tight ends on the active roster. There are two on the practice squad — Jordan Matthews and Chris Pierce, who was added this week.
Required reading
(Photo: Jim Dedmon / USA Today)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57lGpraWthanxzfJFsZmpqX2aCcLzAp6uhnaKoeqmt2J2cp2WYqr%2B0wIycpqebpajAqrvNZqCnoqWnsqV50Z6qnqqmmnw%3D