Franklin broke his foot during Saturday's practice, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Head coach Dave Canales called Franklin's injury "a big hit" due to the 28-year-old's value to Carolina's special-teams unit, per David Newton of ESPN.com. Franklin appeared in all 17 of the Panthers' regular-season games last season, recording 30 total tackles and three passes defended, including one interception, while playing a total of 602 snaps (313 on special teams). Once the Temple product is past his foot injury, he's expected to remain an integral part of the Panthers' special-teams unit.