During Friday night's Carolina Panthers preseason game against the Miami Dolphins, the hot takes came in instantly and often on Panthers left tackle Matt Kalil.

If you were to have believed what was being said about Kalil on Twitter and elsewhere, you might have believed the following: Matt Kalil is the single worst left tackle in the National Football League, he is Tony Mandarich, Luke Joeckel, Robert Gallery, and every other failed tackle rolled into one, and the Panthers will not win a single game in 2018 because Kalil will give up a sack or a pressure on every single snap.

Yes, there is reason to be spooked by Kalil's getting completely manhandled by Robert Quinn of the Dolphins on Friday night. And yes, it remains baffling that the Panthers paid Kalil $55 million to join them in free agency last year after Kalil's career with the Minnesota Vikings fizzled out. But it's not time to panic about the Panthers' left tackle situation yet. At least not according to a notable former Panthers offensive lineman.

Speaking Monday on WFNZ-AM in Charlotte, Kevin Donnalley, one of the guards on the Panthers' dominant offensive line of 2003, stated on The Mac Attack that he believes that the indignation over Kalil's performance on Friday night is a complete overreaction.

"I definitely think (Kalil's performance) is something to be concerned about, but listen, we won a bunch of games last year with him at left tackle," said Donnalley. "I think there's gonna be much more improved play these last couple preseason games. It was a bad day for him, but when I looked at it overall as a whole, (he was) really solid in the run game. The one sack he got beat bad, and that happens to the best, especially at left tackle and going up against a pretty good defensive end. It was no slouch out there."

Donnalley also noted that on another sack Kalil gave up on a 'cut' play, the ball should have been gone by the time the rush got to Cam Newton.

Though Kalil's play through the first two preseason games has been a concern, especially considering his pay grade and the fact that he has missed both Sunday and Monday's practices following the Dolphins game, some perspective is needed on exactly what the Panthers have in Kalil: Kalil is far from the best left tackle in the NFL, but he isn't the worst either. If anyone isn't convinced of this, go juxtapose Kalil's play throughout 2017 to the play of left tackles like Joeckel, Greg Robinson, and Ereck Flowers.

With Kalil's level of performance taken into account, the Carolina Panthers' situation at left tackle is not as ideal as it could or should be. But it isn't the worst either.