OFFICIAL: CB Troy Pride Jr. Ruled Out for the Season
Carolina Panthers cornerback Troy Pride Jr. has been ruled out for the season due to a torn ACL that he suffered during Sunday's preseason game vs the Colts, according to head coach Matt Rhule.
"He was doing a good job, he was playing well," Rhule said. "As a coach, it makes you sick to your stomach. As I told Troy, he's been fast his whole life. He'll come back from this injury and he'll be fast again next year and he'll continue to grow as a player. [I] have nothing but positive things to say about Troy and what he's done leading up to this point. He underwent surgery in the offseason to get himself ready. He worked so hard to get here and for this to happen, I hate it for him."
Pride appeared in 14 games a year ago and made eight starts. He totaled 42 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two pass breakups. He struggled for the most part during his rookie year in pass coverage but that was an area of his game that the coaching staff knew still had to be developed. As Rhule noted, Pride is one of the fastest players on the team and his speed was a huge benefit to the special teams unit.
This offseason, the Panthers drafted Jaycee Horn and Keith Taylor and also signed A.J. Bouye and Rashaan Melvin in free agency to add to the cornerback room. Even though Pride received some praise from Rhule, he would have likely been the 5th or 6th corner rotated onto the field.
When asked if the team would fill Pride's spot at corner via free agency, waivers, or trade, Rhule said, "I think we're deep. We'll see who else people let go this week and see what else is going on."
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