The Carolina Panthers will be without two key members of their offensive line for at least the next four weeks. Head coach Dave Canales announced Monday that center Austin Corbett and right guard Robert Hunt are headed to injured reserve after sustaining injuries during Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Both players left the game in the second half and did not return. Corbett re-injured the medial collateral ligament (MCL) in his left knee, which had previously required surgery after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear at the end of the 2022 season, followed by another MCL injury in 2023 upon his return. Hunt suffered a torn left biceps and was seen leaving the stadium with his arm in a sling before undergoing an MRI.
Canales said, “Chandler Zavala replaced Hunt in the lineup, and Cade Mays came in at center, and that’s how they’ll proceed this week as they prepare for the Falcons.”
Hunt joined Carolina last year as a free agent following his first Pro Bowl season. His addition, along with left guard Damien Lewis, contributed to a significant improvement on the offensive line: sacks allowed dropped from 65 in 2023 to just 26 last season.
Cade Mays is expected to start at center again. He filled in for Corbett last year when Corbett suffered a torn biceps tendon and started eight of the final nine games, missing only one due to illness.
The Panthers retained their entire offensive line from last season by re-signing Corbett, Christensen, and Mays while also extending right tackle Taylor Moton’s contract. All nine linemen who played the most snaps returned this year, giving Carolina rare continuity and depth up front.
Now that depth will be tested earlier than expected.
