Michael Oher planning on reporting to Panthers training camp

ByDavid Newton ESPN logo
Thursday, July 13, 2017

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carolina Panthers offensive tackle Michael Oher plans to report to training camp on July 25, a league source told ESPN on Thursday.

Oher's future with the team, however, remains uncertain.

Oher was placed in the concussion protocol in September and missed the final 13 games of last season. The subject of the 2009 Hollywood movie "The Blind Side'' remained in the protocol when he reported for a mandatory June minicamp after missing the voluntary portion of offseason workouts.

He never took the field during the mandatory minicamp, but he was scheduled to meet with doctors. Panthers coach Ron Rivera was vague when asked whether Oher would be with the team in training camp.

"We're going to go into training camp with the guys that we have," Rivera said. "We'll have 90 on our roster, and we'll be ready to go with those guys."

Oher was Carolina's starting left tackle during the 2015 Super Bowl run and the first three games of the 2016 season before suffering the concussion. The Panthers signed free agent Matt Kalil to a five-year, $55.5 million deal during the offseason to play left tackle, with the plan to move Oher to the right side.

Third-year player Daryl Williams and rookie Taylor Moton competed at right tackle throughout offseason workouts.

Oher, 31, has spent most of the offseason in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was charged with assaulting an Uber driver in April. He is scheduled to appear in court for the misdemeanor charge on July 21.

Oher signed a three-year extension through the 2019 season in June 2016. He is set to count $5,093,750 against the 2017 salary cap. Releasing him would save only $1,693,760 in cap space this season.

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