SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Carolina Panthers right tackle Jeff Otah had arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome left knee Wednesday, and the team hopes he'll recover from it in time to play in the season opener next month.
The Panthers placed Otah on the physically unable to perform list when he arrived at training camp last week, still experiencing discomfort following surgery in December to repair torn cartilage that knocked him out of the final three games of the 2009 season.
"I think it was a good move and something he'll recover from pretty quickly," Fox said.
Fox was hopeful that Otah, a key cog in Carolina's offensive line, will be in the lineup Sept. 12 against the New York Giants.
"As with all injuries, it's hard to predict," Fox said. "But that's the plan."
A first-round draft pick in 2008, the 6-foot-6, 335-pound Otah immediately became a starter for the Panthers and has helped open holes for one of the NFL's top rushing tandems in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Each rushed for over 1,100 yards last season.
Geoff Schwartz has been working at right tackle in camp, and Otah's absence means the Panthers likely will have an inexperienced right side of the offensive line for much of the preseason.
Schwartz has three career starts, all after Otah was injured last season. Mackenzy Bernadeau, the front-runner to start at right guard after Keydrick Vincent wasn't re-signed, has started seven games.
Otah was one of 16 players to miss the second practice Wednesday in Carolina's injury-plagued camp.
Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press
