With questions at linebacker, Panthers have experience on hand

So Wednesday, he was in sweats and playing instructor, helping Okereke (who has two turnovers himself this season, a fumble recovery in the opener and a pick Sunday) and Dodson understand things in case he can’t go.

But either way, having a veteran fallback plan — or two, since Dodson has 43 career starts — is essential for a team that used four different combinations of starting linebackers in a five-week span last year, and was constantly mixing and matching less-experienced options.

“That’s where my eight years of experience comes in; I can bank on that and just go out there and play fast,” Okereke said. “And that’s the beautiful thing, I’m not one man out there by myself. I’ve got 11 teammates, or 10 teammates around me, and I got 10 very talented teammates, so it gives me a lot of confidence and support.”

And that’s true even without Lloyd on the field.

“I mean, I’ve admired Tyrell’s game,” Okereke said. “He’s been a very productive, successful linebacker in this league for a long time, and we have a lot of mutual friends, so it was pretty cool actually to line up with him and play. And obviously we’re going back and forth on the sideline talking about play style, talking about how we see the game. So if anything, it just makes me a better player, and I’m excited for the opportunity.

“(The experience) helps a lot, and that’s probably why they brought us in here, you know what I mean? Obviously not expecting any injuries, but it’s the NFL; it’s a 100 percent injury rate, so just kind of knowing that we can step in at any moment in time. And obviously Devin’s the high-paid guy, and he’s leading the ship, but maybe take a little pressure off him so he doesn’t have to feel like he’s got to carry all that weight, and we can support him in any way we can.”