CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Apparently, Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman was dropping a hint earlier this week when he said the media was overlooking Chris Scott in the battle at left guard.

Scott worked with the first-team offense during Thursday's warm-ups, a good indication of what the staff thinks of him. He was ahead of veteran Travelle Wharton as Amini Silatolu -- the projected starter who is nursing a hamstring injury --watched.

If Silatolu is a no-go -- and coach Ron Rivera called him a long shot -- for Sunday's opener against the Seattle Seahawks, Scott may get his first NFL start.

Quite an accomplishment for a player who isn't listed in the team media guide.

"He's a guy who has really come in -- I don't want to say skyrocketed up the depth chart,'' left tackle Jordan Gross said. "But [he] kind of came in as a body after (Geoff) Hangartner got let go, and now he is getting reps with the ones.

"If you haven't noticed, maybe he has been overlooked.''

Scott is a physical 6-foot-4, 320-pound player with his sixth team since the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted him in the fifth round of the 2010 draft out of Tennessee. The Panthers signed him in August after he was waived by Buffalo.

"Chris Scott is solid,'' Rivera said. "He's done a lot of good things for us, and he's a little bit of a find for us.''

Even if Scott doesn't start, Rivera said he and Wharton will rotate against Seattle's tough defensive front.

Apparently, that's what Gettleman was trying to say when he said Scott was being overlooked as questions loomed about the injury-plagued offensive front.

“I don’t think there’s any issue,” Gettleman said of the line.

In other injury updates: