Panthers coach Matt Rhule has coached long enough to know that injuries can take players to “deep, dark places.”

“It’s not like ‘Hey, I’m injured, I can’t play,'” Rhule said. “You wake up, you’re in pain, you’re constantly having to push your body to the next step. It’s getting up early. It becomes part of your life. It’s really hard. It can wear on you, it can be depressing, it can be hard, it can be mentally exhausting.”

“I think it speaks a lot to Teddy’s mental state, his support network, his family, his loved ones. I think it speaks a lot to the doctors and all the rehab people, all the medical people that helped him get to this point.

“And it speaks to his faith. I think it took a lot of faith, both in himself and things far greater than