Smith (shoulder) was a limited participant at practice Wednesday.
Smith was limited in practice last week before suiting up for Sunday's win over the Chargers, playing 49 of the Patriots' 77 snaps on offense and catching both of his targets for 13 yards. With no reported setbacks in that contest, Smith is expected to continue working in a timeshare with Hunter Henry this weekend against the Panthers. He'll likely need to practice fully by the end of the week in order to avoid taking an injury designation into Sunday.