Luke Kuechly entered the concussion protocol after leaving Thursday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles with an injury, but fortunately the star linebacker has been cleared to this point.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Kuechly did not suffer a concussion and is expected to play in Week 7 after sustaining a shoulder/neck injury. Those close to Kuechly say he was at the team’s training facility on Friday and “felt fine.” He will have to pass more tests to be cleared fully, but so far all signs have been positive.
That has to be a big relief for Kuechly, as the 26-year-old has sustained multiple concussions during his NFL career and missed the final six games of 2016 because of it. Kuechly’s concussion last season was at least his third in five-plus NFL seasons. If you remember, he looked extremely emotional in a gut-wrenching moment when he was carted off the field.
Kuechly has 46 combined tackles, an interception and a forced fumble in six games this season. He’s one of the most important pieces the Carolina Panthers have on defense, so it is certainly great news that he avoided another head injury.
