What Kawann Short Injury Means For the Future

This is another devastating setback in Short's career

Panthers head coach Matt Rhule announced that Kawann Short will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery that will place him on the injured reserve list for the second straight year. 

Short re-injured his shoulder in the third quarter of the Panthers' victory against the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday. For Short, this has to be disheartening. His arduous journey to bounce back as one of the better defensive linemen in the league was cut short due to the exact same injury that he suffered from last season. You can't help but feel empathetic toward the man. 

Ultimately, this injury will probably decrease Short's value as a defensive lineman in this league. 

His production during the three games he played in this season doesn't help his case either. He recorded a total of six combined tackles, and three of them were solo tackles. That is the only noteworthy stat. He didn't record any sacks or tackles for loss. His overall grade for the season was a 43.4, according to Pro Football Focus. While PFF may not account for everything Short does on the field, this is still worth noting. 

Every sign is pointing toward Short getting released after this season. 

The unfortunate reality is that he has a cap hit of over $19 million this season. The Panthers would receive $9 million in cap relief ($11 million in dead cap money is still applied) if they release him during the offseason. It is highly likely that this past Sunday is the last time fans will see Short in the black and blue.

Moving forward, the team will have to rely on the services of Zach Kerr, who will likely be starting this week, according to Matt Rhule. This is what Rhule said about Kerr about a month ago:

"Zach's a big, powerful man. He can move, he plays hard and he's a tremendous energetic teammate, charismatic guy. I think he brings a lot both physically and personally to the game. I have full confidence in his ability to go out there and play well."

Kerr won't be the lone interior defensive lineman to line up next to Derrick Brown this season. Efe Obada and Bravvion Roy will be seeing a lot more action this season. Practice squad player Woodrow Hamilton will probably be upgraded to the active roster as well. He played in Carolina's week two loss against the Buccaneers and recorded a tackle and a fumble recovery. 

All eyes have to be set on Derrick Brown at this point.

It seems like the front office selecting him at No. 7 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft was a move that will age extremely well. Brown has 10 combined tackles (five TFL's) so far this season and will continue to wreak havoc as one of the greatest forces on this Panthers defensive line. Short's injury could signify a changing of the guard in Carolina. It's an unfortunate situation for Short, who is one of the team captains, but that's just the business of the NFL.

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