Sir Purr
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- Mar 16, 2019
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Vernon Butler at DL
Kawann Short, a Pro Bowler and team captain, going on season-ending IR with a shoulder injury was a huge loss for the defensive line. But it sure is nice to have a former first-round pick in reserve.
Butler has always possessed enticing explosiveness for a man his size (6-foot-4, 330 pounds). But just hasn’t been able to put it all together since entering the league in 2016 and he was inactive for the first two games of the year.
Well, Butler has recorded three sacks since Short went down, and all three resulted in forced fumbles. His previous career high for sacks in a season was 1.5.
“Sometimes it’s about an opportunity and feeling like you have the opportunity. That’s what Vern is feeling right now, he has that opportunity,” Rivera said. “Being able to create a sack-fumble on consecutive plays (against the Bucs) is pretty cool. He’s accepted the challenge and done a great job.”
It's also worth noting the depth of Carolina's edge rushers. With Bruce Irvin (hamstring) out for the first three weeks, rookies Brian Burns and Christian Miller along with second-year contributor Marquis Haynes held down the fort and then some.