The Sports Xchange

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Stephen Hill, who was carted off the practice field Saturday, was waived/injured by the team on Sunday.

Hill tore the ACL in his right knee and will be out for the year, Panthers assistant head coach Steve Wilks said. Hill will be placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers.

“It’s tough anytime you lose a player,” said Wilks, who is filling in for head coach Ron Rivera this weekend while Rivera is attending his brother’s funeral. “We’re just praying that Stephen has a quick recovery, and we’ll move forward.”

Hill fell to the ground in pain after he attempted to catch a pass across the middle during an afternoon practice. Trainers taped Hill’s knee before putting him on a cart.

Hill, 24, joined the Panthers in September as a practice squad player but did not appear in a game in 2014. He is competing for one of the final wide receiver positions.

Hill, a second-round pick in 2012, played two years with the New York Jets, catching 45 passes for 594 yards and four touchdowns.

The Panthers signed rookie wide receiver Paul Browning to replace Hill on the roster.

Browning was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Cleveland Browns after the 2015 draft but was waived by the team June 19. He had 152 catches for 2,507 yards and 24 touchdowns at Colorado State-Pueblo and helped the school capture the Division II national championship last season.