The Carolina Panthers placed starting safety Da’Norris Searcy on injured reserve Friday after he suffered his second concussion in five weeks.
The team has not yet made a corresponding move, so the roster sits at 52 players.
Searcy, 29, left the team’s preseason game against Miami on Aug. 17 and entered the concussion protocol. He then suffered a concussion against Atlanta on Sunday.
While Searcy is eligible to come off injured reserve after eight games, the Panthers’ experience dealing with concussions will likely mean they take extra precaution. Former starting left tackle Michael Oher suffered a career-ending concussion in 2016, and starting linebacker Luke Kuechly entered the concussion protocol three times in as many seasons, two because of confirmed concussions.