CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 17: Kurt Coleman #20 of the Carolina Panthers looks on prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Bank of America Stadium on January 17, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Two Carolina Panthers captains could return to action on Sunday in Chicago…

The Carolina Panthers are enjoying a nice start to the regular season and first-place divisional standing as Week 7 play begins. Carolina has achieved these efforts despite playing without one or more of their six captains since Week 1 in San Francisco.

All are proven veteran leaders and with three on offense and defense, their absences have been apparent. While center Tyler Larsen, tight end Ed Dickson, safeties Colin Jones, Jairus Byrd and most recently linebacker David Mayo have filled in admirably – there is no replacing any of these injured captains.

Initially starting center and offensive line anchor, Ryan Kalil, was a late scratch from Week 2 with a neck injury and hasn’t returned. His departure was followed by tight end Greg Olsen in the same game.

Next, the defensive side of the football as safety and first-year captain Kurt Coleman suffered a knee injury at New England, missing the last two-plus games and linebacker Luke Kuechly was entered into the NFL concussion protocol last Thursday.

Fortunately, all are expected to return at some point this season and in their absence the Panthers have won four of six games. On Sunday in Chicago, it appears that two of these captains are set to reestablish themselves in the starting lineup.

Center Ryan Kalil practiced last week but with the early game on Thursday night, did not play. He has however returned again in preparation for Sunday and should be ready to go. His leadership and unique ability to diagnose defensive fronts while setting the protection and blocking up front should benefit both quarterback Cam Newton and the Panthers run game.

Opposite, Coleman was initially expected to miss about a month but after practicing yesterday could be game ready for Chicago. His presence in the secondary would be a big boost for Carolina, especially if Kuechly is not cleared. Coach Ron Rivera addressed Coleman’s impact during his weekly press conference.

“With Kurt [Coleman] out, Luke [Kuechly] was helping the secondary a lot. Now, if you don’t have Luke you’ll have Kurt back there who can control the secondary, so it takes a lot of pressure off of whoever’s going to play the Mike [linebacker] for you if Luke’s not going to play.”

If Kuechly is ruled out it appears Coleman’s return could be just as beneficial for the defense as Kalil will be on offense. Regardless, getting two captains back into the mix will be a welcome sight for the Panthers.