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OT Matt Kalil expected to sign with Panthers

NFL, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings

Matt Kalil is on track to join his brother Ryan on the Carolina Panthers' offensive line.

The former Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle is expected to sign with the Panthers, barring any snags in final negotiations, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The addition of Matt Kalil will solidify the left tackle position for the Panthers after Michael Oher missed most of last season because of a concussion. Oher still hasn't been cleared from the protocol, but he could return to right tackle in 2017.

Since the merger, the only brothers to play on the same offensive line are Dave and Doug Widell with the Denver Broncos from 1990 to 1992, and Jay and Joel Hilgenberg with the 1993 New Orleans Saints, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

After the Vikings picked up his fifth-year option -- worth $11.1 million -- before the 2016 season, Matt Kalil was bothered by a hip injury in the preseason and saw action in just two games before he was placed on injured reserve, needing surgery to repair a torn labrum. The 27-year-old said later in the season that he was feeling good and would be ready for the 2017 season.

The fourth overall pick in the 2012 draft, Kalil made the Pro Bowl as a rookie after shutting down a series of prolific pass-rushers on the Vikings' surprising run to the playoffs that year. His play slipped in 2013, though, and knee injuries dogged him through a dreadful 2014 season, when Kalil played every game but became the scourge of Vikings fans as he struggled to protect quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

After a November loss to the Green Bay Packers that season, Kalil got into a brief altercation with a fan outside TCF Bank Stadium, flipping a hat off the fan's head as he was heckled about a game in which he had been flagged for three penalties.

Ryan Kalil, a five-time Pro Bowl center, has been a member of the Panthers since he was a second-round pick by the team in 2007. He ended last season on injured reserve because of a shoulder injury.

ESPN's Ben Goessling contributed to this report.

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