Panthers rookie WR Chris Brazzell III could miss up to 8 weeks with knee injury, AP source says

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell III could miss up to eight weeks with a moderate tear of the lateral collateral ligament in his left knee, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team has not addressed details on the extent of the injury. The third-round draft pick out of Tennessee will receive a second medical opinion on the knee following the initial MRI, the person said.

A torn LCL is considered a less severe injury than a torn ACL, which is often season-ending for a football player.

The LCL is a vital band of tissue on the outside of the knee, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It connects the thighbone to the lower leg bone and prevents the knee from bending too far forward.

Brazzell was carted off the practice field after 7-on-7 drills on Wednesday.

Brazzell had missed two practices earlier in the week with soreness in the same knee, but had been medically cleared to return to action.

“Same knee, something happened,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said after practice. “He felt weird on it, sat down and we took him in.”

Brazzell brought in to give Panthers a deep threat on the outside

The Panthers drafted Brazzell with an eye toward him becoming a valuable deep threat to pair with last year's Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker and Xavier Legette in a young, but quickly developing wide receiver room.

Brazzell ran a 4.37-second, 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in February — and he has shown big-play ability that can stretch a defense. He had 62 catches for 1,017 yards — an average of 16.4 yards per reception — and nine touchdowns last season for the Volunteers.

He had drawn praise from Canales early in training camp.

Panthers plagued by injuries early on

It's been a rough summer so far for the defending NFC South champions.

Carolina lost second-year pass rusher Nic Scourton to a season-ending torn ACL last week and backup tight end Mitchell Evans was carted off on Tuesday, although that injury was deemed to be not severe. Canales said Evans has a low ankle sprain and could return later this week.

The Panthers will be without both starting offensive tackles Taylor Moton (blood clot/lung) and Ickey Ekwonu (knee) to begin the regular season, and starting guards Damien Lewis (calf) and Robert Hunt (back) have missed time at practice because of injuries.

Several others players have sat out with nagging injuries, too.

The Panthers and Arizona Cardinals were the first teams to report to training camp. They'll meet in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 6.

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