CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson didn't have to buy his own ticket for Sunday's game at Tennessee after all.

He just had trouble locating the one the team left for him.

But Johnson, scheduled to come off injured reserve next week, created a bit of a stir when he tweeted that he was going to have to purchase a ticket before the 27-10 Carolina win.

When u standing in front of the Staduim with no ticket @Panthers smh. Guess I'll buy my own ticket lol ( serious ) pic.twitter.com/cgXn5ItVJi — charles johnson (@randywattson) November 15, 2015

What might have been lost in people wondering why a player would have to buy his own ticket was that Johnson traveled on his own to two of Carolina's road games while a severe hamstring injury sidelined him for eight weeks.

He didn't have to. The NFL allows players on injured reserve to travel with the team and stay at the team hotel. The Panthers offered Johnson that opportunity.

Johnson turned them down.

"That's him," coach Ron Rivera said. "He said he didn't want to be a distraction."

It's not a common occurrence for injured players to travel to away games. Carolina defensive end Jared Allen said he hasn't heard of that since he arrived in the league 12 years ago.

It's even less common that that a player would pay his own way to travel.

"It just shows the dedication to this team," Allen said. "It just shows what this locker room is all about. Guys genuinely want to be a part of this in some facet.

"Him being there, it's a spark for us. It's a lift for us. A guy who is a leader in this locker room, who has been here all of his career, it shows he's absolutely involved."

Johnson should be ready to play when the Panthers (9-0) play at Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. The hamstring he strained in the third game hasn't been bothering him for several weeks. He looked good in practice this week as Carolina prepared for Washington.

Getting back into a game can't come soon enough. Johnson tweeted this following a Monday night win over Indianapolis.

Great win. I promise I'm coming back with vengeance #3moreweeks — charles johnson (@randywattson) November 3, 2015

When asked how bad he's wanted to be on the field during an undefeated start, Johnson said in his usual short, distinct way, "A lot, man."

Second-year defensive end Kony Ealy summed it up another way.

"He would die just to be on the field, just to play with us," he said.

But Johnson has been there for his teammates throughout this extended break. He has been to the past five games, beginning with paying his own airfare to Seattle for an Oct. 18 win against the two-time NFC champions.

He has gone onto the field and talked to the team prior to those games, which gives defensive coordinator Sean McDermott goose bumps.

"He just tells us to go out there, leave it on the field and go to the max," Ealy said. "It's the same thing our coaches say, but at the end of the day, coming from a peer, it means that much more."

Johnson has been anything but a distraction. His teammates miss him and can't wait to have the team's second all-time leader in sacks back having an impact in the lineup.

But Johnson paying to attend away games also made an impact.

"To see him on the sideline, what it does for all the guys, it's a huge uplift," said defensive tackle Dwan Edwards, expected to return from an ankle injury Sunday. "That the guy is willing to spend his own money to go says a lot."

Edwards said he has seen a few injured players travel to away games in their hometown during his 12 seasons.

"But not random trips," he said.

Carolina fullback Mike Tolbert went to a few road games last season when he was on injured reserve with a designation to return, but he flew with the team and stayed in the team hotel.

"Everybody doesn't have his kind of money," he said of Johnson, with a laugh.

Johnson has one more season after this left on a six-year, $76 million contract. He could afford to fly the entire team to away games.

But his ability to pay his own way isn't why he did so. He simply didn't want to get in the way.

"He's a team player," Tolbert said. "His moral support is just as good as him being on the field right now."

Johnson shrugs it off as no big deal, even though it really is to his teammates.

"I'm just along for the ride," he said. "I'm along for the ride."