The Panthers have had a couple of minor injuries to begin 2020. Wide receiver Keith Kirkwood will miss a couple of weeks with a shoulder issue, tight end Temarrick Hemingway is day to day with a head injury, and Russell Okung is getting work done on his back. That all seems relatively tame compared to the news in Dallas.
Former Carolina and current Cowboys defensive tackle Gerald McCoy ruptured his right quad tendon at practice today. He will need surgery to repair it, which will keep him out the rest of the year.
Just horrible.
McCoy’s prove-it, one-year deal with the Panthers paid off when he signed a three-year, $18 million contract with Dallas in March. He is still a very capable interior lineman when he’s healthy. The Cowboys still have Dontari Poe, who signed a two-year, $9 million deal with them.
Losing Poe and McCoy in free agency was bad enough. The Panthers also saw Vernon Butler sign with the Bills and Kyle Love was just picked up by the Buccaneers.
To help mitigate those losses, general manager Marty Hurney responded by using a top-10 pick on former Auburn DT Derrick Brown. He should start next to Kawann Short, who missed 14 games with a shoulder injury in 2019.
