Carolina Panthers left tackle Matt Kalil won’t be there on the field when his team opens its 2018 NFL season schedule against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

In fact, he will be missing the first eight games of the season after he was put on the injured reserve list by the Panthers due to a knee injury, according to Carolina general manager Marty Hurney, via Max Henson of Panthers.com.

“We’re putting Matt on injured reserve to give him time to fully rehab the knee,” general manager Marty Hurney said. “We decided to make the move now so he’s eligible to come back after eight games.”

For the meantime, Matt Kalil will be temporarily replaced by Taylor Morton.

The Panthers made sure to keep Kalil on their active roster even after learning of the injury, as he can’t be allowed to play a game this season if he was put on the IR prior to 4 p.m. of last Sunday.

The news of Kalil’s placement on the IR came at almost the same time as right tackle Daryl Williams’ return to practice on Sunday. Williams sustained a knee injury during the training camp, but is surprisingly beating his timetable, as he’s now expected to be ready for Week 1.

With Kalil now on the IR, the Panthers used the extra slot on the roster to sign cornerback Lorenzo Doss.

Kalil signed a five-year, $55.5 million deal in 2017 with the Panthers, whose offensive line allowed 35 sacks last season.