Panthers DT Kawann Short having season-ending shoulder surgery

For the second consecutive year, Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short has been hit by injury well before the halfway point of the season. 

As noted by David Newton of ESPN, Carolina coach Matt Rhule confirmed on Wednesday that Short will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery to repair the injury he suffered in this past Sunday's 23-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Short missed two contests because of a foot problem and was replaced by Zach Kerr, who will likely again enter the starting lineup for at least this Sunday's game versus the Chicago Bears. 

Rhule added that Kerr, first-round draft selection Derrick Brown and Efe Obada should provide the Panthers with enough cover so they don't need to acquire a replacement for Short via free agency or a trade. 

Meanwhile, it's yet another brutal early-season exit for Short, who missed the final 14 games of the 2019 campaign after he went down with a partially torn rotator cuff during a Week 2 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Remarkably, Short initially tried to play through that injury before the Panthers shut him down. 

Short, who has played only for Carolina since the franchise selected him in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, made Pro Bowl squads in 2015 and 2018, and he will have one more year on his contract following this season. The Panthers could save money by moving on from that deal or shopping him in the offseason.