The Panthers announced that they have lost their second offensive lineman to injury. Amini Silatolu, the favorite to win the left guard position vacated by Andrew Norwell’s departure in free agency, tore the meniscus in his left knee.
Head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion said in a statement that Silatolu will undergo surgery Friday, with Silatolu’s return evaluated on a week-by-week basis.
Undrafted rookie Brendan Mahon will start the preseason opener on Thursday night. Mahon started 41 games at Penn State.
“We kept an eye on him [in the draft], and in the end when he didn’t get drafted and we got into rookie free agency, he was our first call,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said of Mahon, via David Newton of ESPN. “We got on him early and stayed on him.”
The Panthers already were practicing without right tackle Daryl Williams, who tore his medial collateral ligament and dislocated the patella in his right knee during the first week of camp. Carolina has no timetable for Williams’ return.