The hunt for a reserve offensive line continues. According to the team's official Twitter account, the Panthers have placed rookie guard and fourth round draft pick Edmund Kugbila on injured reserve, ending his season before it even had the chance to begin.
Kugbila was drafted in the fourth round out of Valdosta State and was expected to come in and at the very least provide the team with some depth on a depleted interior offensive line. He missed all of OTAs and was severely limited during training camp due to a hamstring injury, but because he participated in at least one practice during training camp he is ineligible to be placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
It now appears that the team's decision to sign veteran guard Travelle Wharton came at just the right time, but there is still a hole to fill on the offensive line due to a severe lack of depth at the right guard position. The Panthers released veteran right guard Geoff Hangartner during training camp, and now with Kugbila on his way to injured reserve there is a lack of warm bodies to line up if starter Garry Williams goes down.
Let that sink in for a moment: We're relying on Garry Williams. It's not pretty, folks.
There's no other way around it -- the Panthers have to make a move now. They've cut the roster down to the required 75-man limit, but they can't possibly go into the regular season with the offensive line as it's constructed now. Be on the lookout for other teams' cut players, because one or two of them could be making their way to Carolina in the next few days.
As always, stay tuned to CSR for information on this developing story as it becomes available.