GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Carolina Panthers were forced to reach deep into their cornerback depth chart in Thursday night's 27-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.
Already without starting cornerbacks Jaycee Horn (quad) and Mike Jackson (groin) as well as fill-in starter Akayleb Evans (triceps), the Panthers lost rookie cornerback Will Lee III (hamstring) in the second quarter after a 53-yard completion from Packers quarterback Jordan Love to wide receiver Christian Watson.
Lee was ruled out for the game just before the start of the second half.
"We'll take the full evaluation of that to see what it looks like," Panthers coach Dave Canales said. "But you know, it was enough to where he wasn't able to get back out there."
The Panthers, who were already starting practice-squad cornerback Marco Wilson opposite Lee, were forced to turn to 2024 fifth-round pick Chau Smith-Wade for the remainder of the first half. The team had gone with Lee, Evans and Wilson over Smith-Wade in recent weeks with Horn and Jackson on injured reserve.
The Panthers promoted rookie Malcolm DeWalt, who made his NFL debut Thursday, and he was the only other healthy corner on the roster.