This offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs saw several players from last year’s squad leave in free agency. The most notable guys that departed the kingdom were Justin Reid, Mecole Hardman, DeAndre Hopkins, and Justin Watson.
However, Kansas City also saw defensive lineman Turk Wharton leave for a huge deal in free agency, signing a three-year, $45 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. The Chiefs weren’t going to be able to compete with that, and for Wharton, it’s a chance for him to be a starter.
Fast forward to Week 1 of the regular season, and the ex-Chiefs defender did not have the best debut with his new squad.
Turk Wharton's Tenure with Carolina Panthers Off to a Nightmare Start
Earlier in Sunday’s game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the former Chief left the field for a concussion, but quickly returned after being cleared, per Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer.
But Wharton couldn’t escape the injury bug as it crept back up on him. According to Joe Person of The Athletic, the veteran defender was ruled out with a hamstring after the two teams came back from a weather delay.
As you can only imagine, fans weren’t exactly happy to hear this, especially since Wharton was one of the Panthers’ huge signings in free agency. In fact, the veteran defender was playing well before getting banged up. He finished the game with four combined tackles.
Anytime you are dealing with a hamstring injury, no matter the severity, it can linger for many weeks if not properly treated.
As of right now, we don’t know how severe it is and how long he’ll be out. At the same time, KC fans hope that the 27-year-old will be okay. Wharton played well throughout his five-year tenure with the Chiefs when given the opportunity.
We saw that up close last season as Wharton started in a career-high 10 games. His hard work paid off, as he had 29 combined tackles, 11 quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, and 6.5 sacks.
Chiefs fans will surely miss his production on the defensive line after what they saw in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers. However, fans hope for better news next week for the team and the former Chiefs defender.