Kawann Short will be on the field when the Panthers kick off training camp later this month.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Carolina's stellar defensive tackle will report for duty after skipping a portion of organized team activites in search of a new contract.
It's what we expected after Short reported to mandatory minicamp in June. Instead of a nasty holdout, the 27-year-old lineman hopes his team-first approach will grease the skids for a new deal.
Short is looking to match the six-year, $102.6 million pact the Eagles gave to defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. General manager Dave Gettleman might not be willing to fork over that kind of scratch, but teammate Thomas Davis believes Short, entering the final year of his rookie contract, will be rewarded.
"The way the league is right now (salaries) are slotted for players. You're expected to get a certain (number) based on what you've done and what the guys before you have done," Davis told The Charlotte Observer earlier this month. "So I'm pretty sure that Mr. Gettleman is a smart man, and he's proven that. And I'm pretty sure they'll come to an agreement and he'll get something worked out. He knows how valuable KK Short is to our football team."
Coming off his first All-Pro season, Short has become a central cog in Carolina's deep and ferocious defense. While Gettleman isn't a fan of overpaying his secondary, he certainly believes in strength up the middle on that side of the ball.
Short fits perfectly into that philosophy and looms as a top priority for the Panthers heading into the season.