The Panthers were without Michael Oher for the bulk of 2016 after a brain injury kept him off the field. Now, the Panthers aren’t quite sure when they’ll get Oher back in the fold, and it’s not entirely related to his concussion issues. 
Oher skipped the first five weeks of the Panthers’ voluntary OTAs and has given no indication that he plans to check in until the team’s mandatory minicamp next month, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Oher still has yet to be cleared from concussion protocol, but his absence is not solely because of the brain injury, nor is it strictly because of the fallout of his alleged fight with an Uber driver this spring. The tackle is dealing with other personal matters that are sidetracking him from football, Person hears.
A player’s absence from voluntary workouts is not newsworthy in and of itself, but given the multitude of issues Oher is facing, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be ready to go for Carolina at all this season. After the Panthers signed left tackle Matt Kalil to a five-year, $55.5MM deal in March, Carolina isn’t necessarily banking on Oher in 2017. The Panthers are willing to give Oher time to work through his problems, Person hears, but they’re also worried about the extra weight he has gained this offseason.
The Panthers are tied to Oher for three more seasons. In 2017, Oher is slated to carry a cap number of $5.5MM, but the Panthers can lop off $2.5MM from that sum by releasing him.