The Carolina Panthers have placed left tackle Matt Kalil on injured reserve. He had a lingering injury to his right knee during training camp. The team had to wait until this afternoon to place him on IR so that he would be eligible to return to the team if his knee does recover. Players placed on the list prior to final roster cuts, like right tackle Jeremiah Sirles, cannot be returned to the active roster for the duration of the season. Kalil will be eligible to return after missing eight games. For the Panthers, that means their Thursday night match up with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Panthers have signed cornerback Lorenzo Doss — who miraculously cleared waivers today after being released yesterday — to fill the empty roster spot. Doss is a 4th year veteran in the NFL, however, at 5’11” and 185 pounds, he lacks the ideal size to play any offensive line position. He will likely remain in the defensive backfield.
Instead, the Panthers will look to some combination of Taylor Moton and Amini Silatolu, who is also coming back from a knee injury, to fill in on Cam Newton’s blindside. The good news today is that right tackle Daryl Williams and Silatolu are on track to be back on the field earlier than anticipated. With any luck, this news may just be one step back and two steps forward for the battered Panthers offensive line group.