Things couldn’t be going much worse for the Panthers right now.
Center Ryan Kalil’s sprained foot from last week’s loss to the Seahawks is apparently much worse than originally thought, and he could miss extended time if not the rest of the season.
The Pro Bowler went to see foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, who is one of the team’s physicians, and coach Ron Rivera said he wasn’t sure the news was going to be good.
“I know he’s going to talk to Dr. Anderson, but it’s really not looking good right now,” Rivera said, via the Charlotte Observer. “It’s scary. If we do [move him to IR], we’ll probably announce something soon.”
The Panthers could move right guard Geoff Hangartner inside, or use backup Jeff Byers there. Either way, they’re thin there.
Kalil was also the guy who bought an ad in the Observer saying the Panthers would win a Super Bowl. Even if he was healthy, at 1-4 that looks like a bad buy now.
UPDATE 2:15 p.m. ET: The Panthers announced Kalil has been placed on injured reserve, ending his season. He suffered a Lisfanc injury and will need season-ending surgery.