Panthers DE Charles Johnson activated, may not start vs. Cowboys

Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson said he thinks he could have come back before the mandatory eight-game absence, but he’s just happy to be back now.

Johnson, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3, is back on the active roster after spending eight weeks on temporary injured reserve.

“I thought I could (come back sooner) but at the same time these eight weeks helped me get my leg stronger and I feel like I’m 100 percent,” Johnson said.

“It was frustrating at first, but when you’re winning that makes a lot of things easier. I just tried to maintain my poise and just know that week by week I’m going to keep getting better and stronger. At the end of the day, all I could do was…