Well that escalated quickly. There’s a chance that Calvin Throckmorton could start against his former New Orleans Saints teammates when they visit the Carolina Panthers on Monday night.
The Panthers lost starting left guard Brady Christensen to a biceps injury after their Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, with the team announcing Tuesday that he’ll go on injured reserve for at least the next four weeks. They were already shorthanded along the interior with veteran lineman Austin Corbett on injured reserve, meaning Throckmorton might be their best candidate to fill in at left guard (where he played 872 snaps for the Saints the last two years).
Carolina’s other options are not appealing. They could put backup center Cade Mays at left guard, but he primarily lined up on the right side in college and only logged a handful of snaps at right guard last year. The second-year pro doesn’t have much experience at that position.
If not Mays or Throckmorton, the Panthers would have to go with undrafted rookie Nash Jensen, who did start at left guard in college. But with another rookie starting at right guard in fourth-round pick Chandler Zavala, it’s not looking like a good matchup with a Saints defense that just bagged three sacks and two dozen quarterback pressures. The Saints and Panthers kick off on “Monday Night Football” Sept. 18 at 6:15 p.m. CT.
[lawrence-auto-related count=4]