The Facts: Via Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer, Samuel needed surgery to repair the left ankle injury which ended his season.

Diehards Line: He suffered a broken bone and ligament damage in Week 10, right after he was beginning to show some promise as the speed threat they needed. Samuel is still in a boot and rehabbing, but the hope is he’ll be ready for training camp. But as PFT suggests, he’s not shown enough to be something they bank on, as the second-rounder caught just 15 passes last year. The Panthers need to get him well and add more weapons around Cam Newton as they transition to a new system under coordinator Norv Turner.