Man, things are looking pretty bleak for the Carolina Panthers right now. I mean, it’s not like they were setting the world on fire to begin with, but losing two key starters on the offensive line to major injuries is just a huge blow. Center Austin Corbett is out with a sprained MCL, which is bad enough, but the real killer is that right guard Robert Hunt is done for the foreseeable future with a torn bicep.
Hunt actually underwent successful surgery on his biceps last Friday, courtesy of renowned surgeon Neal ElAttrache, but there’s no timeline for his return yet. Now, technically, Hunt could be back on the field as early as Week 7 against the Jets, but let’s be real, that’s probably not happening. This surgery likely marks the end of his 2025 season, and that’s a huge loss for the Panthers.
So, who’s going to step in and try to fill the void left by Hunt? That’d be Chandler Zavala, a third-year vet out of NC State. Zavala got a taste of action last week when Hunt went down, playing 23 snaps against the Cardinals. Unfortunately, Pro Football Focus wasn’t too impressed with his performance, giving him a mediocre 48.3 overall grade. He struggled in pass blocking, allowing three pressures and one sack, but did a bit better in run blocking with a 59.7 grade.
It’s worth noting that Zavala had a much stronger showing last season, with a 71.2 overall mark in 198 snaps. Maybe he just had a bad day last week, but the Panthers are going to need him to step up in a big way if they want to have any chance of success this season. As it stands, things are looking pretty grim for Carolina, and it’s probably going to get worse before it gets better.
