Panthers' Julius Peppers: Returns to practice following offseason surgery

Peppers (shoulder) returned to practice Monday, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.

Monday marked Peppers' first practice of the season due in large part to his offseason shoulder surgery. Coach Ron Rivera also suggested that monitoring the 38-year-old's rest contributed to his elongated absence. Anyhow, Peppers will seemingly ease his way back into the mix and likely won't be heavily relied on during the early portion of the season.