The Panthers have activated wide receiver Damiere Byrd off of injured reserve. Byrd has been out of action since Week 4 when he broke his arm against the Patriots. 
Byrd was previously designated for return, so it was just a matter of getting him back to full health and finding room on the roster. A spot unexpectedly opened up on Friday when defensive end Charles Johnson was hit with a four-game ban for performance enhancing drugs.
Byrd could be primed for a bigger role than initially projected at the start of the season. Recently, second-round pick Curtis Samuel went down with an ankle injury and Byrd could help replace his speed in the lineup.
“You never know what would happen from Week 4 to Week 12 or 13, so it kind of worked out pretty well,” Byrd recently told the team website when asked about the opportunity ahead of him. “At the end of the day, I just wanted to have a chance to come back and right now it looks like I have that. So I’m happy for it and ready to be back playing.”
Byrd, 24, has appeared in five games for Carolina over the last two seasons. He’ll look to build his stat line when the 8-3 Panthers take on the Saints this Sunday.