With a quarter of the season gone, the Carolina Panthers still haven't had an extended look at the starting offensive line they spent much of the offseason reconstructing.
The Panthers have yet to make it through a half with their five starters in place, but have benefited from better depth than they've had in recent seasons.
The iron man of the line, left tackle Jordan Gross, had to leave Sunday's 24-9 win against Atlanta in the first quarter due to a concussion, the first significant injury of his six-year career.
Right tackle Jeff Otah went out in the second half with a sprained right ankle.
Gross is unlikely to play this weekend against Kansas City because of the severity of his concussion.
Otah's chances of playing likely are better, but he walked extremely gingerly Monday as he left Bank of America Stadium.
Their injuries occurred on the same day Travelle Wharton returned to the lineup after missing 21/2 games with a sprained knee.
Wharton managed only four plays at his left guard position before having to sub for Gross at left tackle.
Geoff Hangartner came in for Wharton at left guard and Jeremy Bridges later filled in for Otah at right tackle.
Here's the good news: Hangartner and Bridges not only are capable backups, but have significant starting experience. Hangartner has 21 career starts and Bridges has 35.
But the Panthers nearly ran out of active offensive linemen against the Falcons. They had seven linemen active and used them all. If another player had gotten injured, either Otah would have had to re-enter the game with a gimpy ankle or tight end Jeff King would have been an emergency sub.
Coach John Fox said Monday he wouldn't have liked either option.
If, as expected, Gross is inactive this week against Kansas City, the Panthers have no more experienced backups left to dress out. Tackle Frank Omiyale is likely to get the call, but he's only been activated once in 52 career games with Atlanta and Carolina.
The only other offensive lineman on the roster is rookie center/guard Mackenzy Bernadeau, a seventh-round draft pick.
The Panthers put a huge emphasis on improving and increasing the size of their offensive line during the offseason. Otah and right guard Keydrick Vincent were brought in as starters, Gross and Wharton changed positions, and second-year center Ryan Kalil was elevated to the starting lineup.
That group has started together only twice – against San Diego in the opener and vs. Atlanta.
They were impressive in the first half against the Chargers, but haven't been able to build on that and have missed valuable time developing the kind of chemistry they'll need later this season.
Charles Chandler: (704) 358-5123
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