COSTA MESA Rashan Gary Jersey , Calif. (AP) — his chances of playing this season, despite suffering a knee injury during offseason workouts.The clock started ticking toward his possible return Monday when the Los Angeles Chargers tight end took part in practice.Henry’s return to the practice field comes nearly seven months after he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He remains on the physically unable to perform list and does not count against the 53-man roster. However, Henry’s practice participation does start the 21-day clock for him to be activated or placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season.“It’s been responding well,” Henry said about the knee. “It has been a long process for sure. There’s a lot of work still to do to get back out there.”Coach Anthony Lynn said Henry would start out with some individual drills before deciding the next steps.Henry, who was the team’s second-round pick in 2016, suffered the injury while running a route during a non-contact drill on May 22, the first day of organized team activities. He had surgery two weeks later and has been on the PUP list since the start of training camp.Over his first two seasons, he has 81 receptions for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was expected to see a bigger role in the offense before the injury.Henry’s emergence was a key reason why the Chargers decided to part ways with Antonio Gates during the offseason. They did re-sign the 16-year veteran prior to the season opener to help fill the void after Henry was injured.Gates Darnell Savage Jr. Jersey , Virgil Green and Sean Culkin have combined for 43 receptions for 534 yards and three touchdowns.Henry is eager to return to a Chargers team that is 11-3 and has clinched its first playoff berth since 2013 after last Thursday’s 29-28 come-from-behind victory at Kansas City. Los Angeles is tied with the Chiefs atop the AFC West but Kansas City holds the tiebreaker due to a better division record.Both teams have tough matchups this week. The Chargers host Baltimore on Saturday while Kansas City travels to Seattle on Sunday.Henry said he is trying to balance rushing back from injury and any long-term effects.“You know you don’t get a team like this a lot. So we’ve got to take advantage of it,” he said.NOTES: RB Melvin Gordon said he was very close to playing against Kansas City, but that the short week between games was a detriment. Gordon, who has missed the past three games due to an MCL sprain, is optimistic about playing against Baltimore. … RB Austin Ekeler has been cleared to return to practice but remains in concussion protocol. Ekeler suffered a concussion and neck injury against Cincinnati on Dec. 9. … WR Keenan Allen is expected to be limited most of the week after suffering a hip pointer during the first half against the Chiefs. ATLANTA (AP) — The new owner of the Carolina Panthers is committed to keeping the team in the Carolinas.And Charlotte is his clearly his first choice.But David Tepper left a bit of wiggle room on his first day as owner of the team.The NFL unanimously approved Tepper’s $2.2 billion purchase of the team from Jerry Richardson on Tuesday, leading to immediate questions about the new owner’s thoughts on replacing 22-year-old Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.“What’s the name of the team? Carolina Panthers. It’s going to be the Carolina Panthers,” Tepper said. “And that means this team has to have some kind of presence in the Carolinas and last time I saw, how many are there? That’s right, there’s two of them.”Tepper seemed to be implying that he might consider other cities in North and South Carolina if efforts to build a new stadium in Charlotte fall through. The lease with Bank of America Stadium runs for only one more season.Tepper also reiterated several times that the largest city in the Carolinas is the best place for the team.“There is a logical place for this team Elgton Jenkins Jersey , and it’s Charlotte,” he said. “And far as a new stadium, again, you’re asking me too much and the only thing I have a market on now is lack of knowledge. I’ll call it stupidity, so I’ve got that down. I’ll learn a lot more in the future.”Tepper’s purchase was the first order of business at the league’s spring meeting in Atlanta. He was quickly approved after passing muster with the owners’ finance committee during a morning session.“We congratulate David and welcome him to the NFL,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said.Tepper is paying an NFL-record price to buy the team from Jerry Richardson, the team’s founder and only owner since the Panthers entered the league in 1995.Richardson abruptly announced he was selling the team last December after coming under investigation from the league for sexual and racial misconduct in the workplace. The probe is ongoing.Tepper is the founder and president of global hedge fund Appaloosa Management, with a reported net worth of $11 billion. Already familiar to the league as a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, his purchase was quickly approved.Tepper said he plans to formally take over the team in July.In the meantime Jace Sternberger Jersey , he reserved judgment on both a new stadium and those who are running the football side of things, most notably general manager Marty Hurney and coach Ron Rivera.“I do think they have a great team down there right now,” Tepper said. “The biggest thing I can do is have a great appreciation of how stupid I am. Sometimes, it’s better to do nothing than to do something.”Bank of America will be the NFL’s seventh-oldest stadium after Los Angeles opens its new facility for the Rams and Chargers, and the Raiders complete their move from Oakland to Las Vegas.That has raised the prospect of the Panthers seeking another home if they can’t get a new stadium of their own.Tepper touched on the idea of bringing a Major League Soccer team to Charlotte, which could improve the financial viability of a new stadium. The city was passed over in MLS’ latest round of expansion.“The first thing I care about is winning. The second thing I care about is winning. And the third thing I care about is?” he said, waiting for the media to give the obvious answer. “That’s on and off the field. That includes charity aspect, community aspect and how you make a community better. So you win a lot of ways, and I don’t like losing in any way.”Rivera said he looks forward to working with the new owner.“He has a sense and a feel for football and he has been around it Dexter Williams Jersey ,” the coach said. “Eventually I know we will sit down and talk some football and talk about this team.”While the owners were approving Tepper, the new-look Panthers were holding their first organized workouts some 250 miles away in Charlotte.“For a lot of people, I am sure they are ready for some closure and for that transition to start,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “I think this transition has been inevitable for a little while since it was announced that the team would be sold. I think for a lot of people in the building, the players, the team, just to put all of this to rest and move forward in the new direction that the team is going with.”——