Panthers S Sam Franklin Jr. sustained broken foot at Back Together Saturday

The Carolina Panthers have lost one of their leaders to the injury bug.

As announced by head coach Dave Canales after Monday’s outing of training camp, safety Sam Franklin Jr. has sustained a broken foot. The fifth-year veteran, who has served as a special teams ace for the past few seasons, suffered the setback during Carolina’s Back Together Saturday practice.

“So we did confirm Sam Franklin broke his foot in our Back Together practice,” Canales told reporters this morning. “A huge hit for us. He’s a fantastic, spirited guy. Really, the leader of the special teams unit and someone that we’re really gonna count on. So we gotta make sure we hit this rehab the right way and Sam will come back to us at the right time. So praying for him and pulling for him.”

Canales was then asked if there’s hope for a return some time this season.

“Yes,” he replied. “You would hope so—and with the foot, there’s differing degrees. So I can’t tell you specifically the degree of the fracture and all that. But I just know that he’ll be able to come back to us and help us at some point.”

Franklin Jr. returned to the team on a one-year deal this offseason.