Fozzy Whittaker‘s season has ended before it could even begin. The Panthers announced the running back has been placed on injured reserve with a non-contact ACL tear. 
[RELATED: Panthers Bidder Wants To Involve Peyton Manning]
Whittaker, 29, has spent the last four seasons with the Panthers. For the most part, he’s been used as a reserve option and a third-down running back. He saw the most usage of his career in 2016 when he carried the ball 57 times and averaged an impressive 4.6 yards per try in that limited sample. Last year, however, he had just seven carries in 12 games.
The Whittaker injury is bad news for Carolina, but they are not lacking options in the backfield. The Panthers will start Christian McCaffrey with 1,000-yard rusher C.J. Anderson getting a fair amount of work as well. Cameron Artis-Payne is also on hand for backup work and newcomer Elijah Hood figures to have a better chance at making the roster now that a spot has opened up.