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By Steve Reed, AP Sports Writer

The Carolina Panthers have lost punter Michael Palardy for the season because of a knee injury.

The team placed Palardy on the reserve/non-football injury list on Tuesday after he tore his left ACL earlier this offseason. Palardy had hoped to play through the injury, but the team decided he needed surgery.

The injury explains why the Panthers signed undrafted rookie punter Joseph Charlton last week.

Palardy has been Carolina’s punter since midway through the 2016 season. He beat out veteran Andy Lee in 2017 to keep the job. The left-footed Palardy averaged 46 yards per punt last season.

The Panthers also announced left tackle and former second-round draft pick Greg Little will start camp on the active/physically unable to perform list with a knee issue. The active/PUP list means a player has not yet passed his physical, although Little’s absence is not expected to be long-term.

Undrafted rookie offensive lineman Branden Bowen will begin camp on the active/reserve list with a non-football illness.

Undrafted rookie linebacker Jordan Mack has opted out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is the first Carolina player to opt out, although Mack would have faced an uphill battle to make the roster.

Carolina waived offensive lineman Juwann Bushell-Beatty, who had played for the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks and Houston Renegades before the league’s season was canceled in March.

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