CHARLOTTE – The decision to sign veteran offensive lineman Travelle Wharton was made in large part to provide a replacement for injured second-year left guard Amini Silatolu.
"There are a lot of injuries that we've had to go through, and one of them we are trying to take care of by bringing Travelle back," head coach Ron Rivera said. "We're in a situation right now where we are going to miss Amini for a few weeks and we are going to make sure that position is shored up."
Silatolu suffered a strained hamstring last Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens and Rivera said he "more than likely" won't be available for the regular season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
In the meantime, Wharton, who spent the first eight years of his career in Carolina playing guard and tackle, will man the left guard spot – his "natural position," according to Rivera.
"We went out and got a guy that knows our system, knows the players, and I think that's important," Rivera said. "A little bit (of concern), obviously, because of the injuries. You do have some concern that they could reoccur.
"When you bring a guy in that can play multiple positions – you've got to do those things."
Rivera said Silatolu's role will be determined when he returns to full strength.
"We're going to judge things based on how things play out over the next couple weeks," Rivera said. "I haven't seen him (play right guard). He's a left guard, and we'll go from there."
EDWARDS MOVING FORWARD: Wide receiver Armanti Edwards (hamstring) returned to practice in a limited fashion on Monday.
"We'll see how Armanti reacts to everything," Rivera said. "Hopefully, it will be all really good news."
Edwards' injury forced him to miss the previous two preseason games and significant practice time.
"I did some individual stuff, and it felt pretty good," Edwards said. "It's a start, getting the pads back on and getting in better condition than I was just standing and watching."
