Panthers' Hackett back on field

By: By John Delong | JOURNAL REPORTER
Published: September 04, 2008

CHARLOTTE

D.J. Hackett's long-awaited return to practice finally happened for the Carolina Panthers yesterday morning.

Hackett, a five-year veteran receiver who signed as a free agent in the offseason, was able to go through a full practice for the first time since suffering a toe injury on Aug. 6, when the team was still in training camp in Spartanburg, S.C. His return comes later than the team originally hoped, but still in time to get him up to speed for the regular-season opener at San Diego on Sunday.

His return also comes at a time when the Panthers are in vital need of his services, with leading receiver Steve Smith out of the lineup Sunday as part of a two-game suspension.

Hackett was low-key as he talked to reporters after practice yesterday.

"If I can be on the field, I'm going to try to be out there," he said. "But that's all on the coaches. They're going to see how I look this week and they're going to make the decision. But it feels pretty good. It's good enough to be out at practice, and that's what my next step was. We'll see how it goes this week."

Teammate Muhsin Muhammad, who was voted one of five team captains yesterday, said that Hackett was a welcome addition to a receiving corps that has been plagued by injuries -- and Smith's suspension -- throughout the preseason.

"It was kind of a breath of fresh air to have him back on the practice field," Muhammad said. "I know he's happy to get out there and run around a little bit and get some of the kinks out. He hasn't run any routes full-speed since training camp. Some things are going to be new to him, but he's a veteran guy and I think he knows how to go out and play smart and be effective."

Hackett will immediately join the receiver rotation with Muhammad and Dwayne Jarrett. With Smith on the suspended list, the Panthers have just two other wide receivers on the 53-man roster -- Ryne Robinson and Mark Jones. Robinson suffered a knee injury early in camp and is expected to miss Sunday's game, although he was optimistic about returning for the home opener against Chicago. And Jones is a return specialist who has never caught a pass in an NFL regular-season game.

Hackett was expected to battle Muhammad for the starting spot opposite Smith when the Panthers signed him as free agent last March, after spending his first four seasons in Seattle. Hackett didn't play in any of the four preseason games, though, so the first task is to get him up to speed with the offense and in sync with quarterback Jake Delhomme.

Coach John Fox said he saw enough of Hackett during the offseason to feel comfortable about Hackett's ability to fit back in quickly this week.

"He's a smart guy," Fox said. "He's a pro. He's been involved in the League. I think he spent enough time in our system over the OTAs (organized team activity practices) and minicamp to have an understanding. We would much rather him to have been out there, but on the other hand, we saw enough."

Hackett said he hurt the toe originally "just taking off from a receiver's stance."

He has been injury prone throughout his career. He missed the final nine games of his rookie season in Seattle because of a hip injury. He missed the first three games in 2005 with a knee injury. In 2006, when he had a career-high 45 catches for 610 yards, he missed the Seahawks' playoff loss to Chicago with an ankle injury. Then last season, ankle injuries on two separate occasions caused him to miss 10 games.

"I've never had any foot issues before, but it happens," Hackett said. "So it's just a matter of getting in a groove, watching the defense, where they go, and knowing how to look at things like that."

Delhomme joined Muhammad as an offensive captain, in a vote of players. Defensive end Julius Peppers and linebacker Jon Beason were voted the defensive captains, and kicker John Kasay was voted the special-teams captain.

Notes: Quarterback Matt Moore re-injured his leg while passing in practice yesterday, and X-rays revealed a fracture in his leg. Moore suffered a bruised leg in the Panthers' final preseason game at Pittsburgh last Thursday, but X-rays and an MRI at that time were negative.

General Manager Marty Hurney said that there was no time frame yet on how long Moore would be out, but "hopefully it won't be too long, week-to-week." As insurance, the Panthers signed Brett Basanez to their practice squad yesterday. Basanez was waived on Saturday after spending the past two seasons with the Panthers.

■ John Delong can be reached at jdelong@wsjournal.com.