Panthers DE Frank Alexander leaves field with injury

Carolina at PittsburghThe Panthers have been begging someone to take a starting defensive end job for two years now, and one of the leading candidates was just hauled off the field.

Frank Alexander, who was suspended for 14 games last season, just came up hobbling and had to be helped to the sidelines.

Alexander has shown some flashes of pass-rush talent when eligible, but needed to prove himself soon. But he did something to his right leg/ankle without much contact, and couldn’t put any weight on it. He was carted off the field without a shoe.

The Panthers were playing without Charles Johnson also, but they have never adequately replaced Greg Hardy after his year in domestic violence exile…