The reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers opened up training camp on Thursday, but the excitement was quickly halted when an expected starter suffered a serious injury.
Pass rusher Nic Scourton suffered a torn ACL, and will miss the entire 2026 season, per ESPN. Scourton went down with a knee injury team drills, and was carted off the field. Cameron Wolfe revealed it appeared to be a significant injury, and that teammates around him were emotional with their frustration. The Charlotte Observer revealed that Scourton was not putting pressure on his right knee.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales verified to reporters after practice that Scourton suffered a right knee injury and that he had to undergo additional testing before they discuss the severity of the issue.
No details on Nic Scourton’s injury (other than the fact that it’s a right knee injury). He will go for imaging this afternoon, per HC Dave Canales. #Panthers pic.twitter.com/HhnYGHFH62
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) July 23, 2026
Scourton was slated to be the starting pass rusher opposite free-agent addition Jaelan Phillips. The former No. 51 overall pick out of Texas A&M in the 2025 NFL Draft tied Derrick Brown for the team lead in sacks as a rookie with five despite making just eight official starts. Scourton also recorded 47 tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine QB hits, one pass defensed and a forced fumble in 17 total games played.
Princely Umanmielen and Patrick Jones II are two names that could step up in Scourton’s place. Umanmielen was a third-round pick of Carolina out of Ole Miss last year. He didn’t make any official starts in 2025, but recorded 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 16 games played as a rookie. Jones signed with the Panthers last offseason following four years with the Minnesota Vikings, but played in just four games before he was shut down for the year with a back injury. In those four outings, Jones recorded nine tackles and one sack.
Despite an 8-9 final record that resulted in a division title, there was optimism surrounding the Panthers this year. The front office spent big money on the defensive side of the ball, signing Phillips to a four-year, $120 million deal — which was the largest free-agent contract handed out by any team this offseason. The Panthers also added one of the best off-ball linebackers in the NFL in Devin Lloyd, who agreed to a three-year, $42 million contract after a career year with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Still, Scourton is a major loss.
The Panthers’ pass-rush room is not the deepest, and with training camp just beginning, general manager Dan Morgan could look outside the building for some help.
Potential replacements
Jadeveon Clowney
Jadeveon Clowney
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There’s a former Panther on the market looking for a new home right now, as Jadeveon Clowney remains one of the top free-agent pass rushers available. In 13 games with six starts for the Dallas Cowboys last year, Clowney recorded 41 tackles, 8.5 sacks and 10 QB hits. CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles has called him “the perfect training camp signing,” as Pro Football Focus rated the former No. 1 overall pick as a top-20 EDGE last year with the 16th-best pass rush grade. Among nearly 200 players with at least 200 snaps as a pass rusher, Clowney ranked fourth in pressure rate (19.1%) behind stars like Micah Parsons, Nik Bonitto and Will Anderson Jr. Current Panther Jaelan Philips ranked fifth.
Clowney, a Rock Hill native and former South Carolina star, spent 2024 with the Panthers. In 14 starts, he recorded 46 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 11 QB hits and four passes defended.
Haason Reddick
Haason Reddick
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We’ll keep the former Panther train going here with Haason Reddick. He spent one season with Carolina back in 2021 and racked up 68 tackles, 11 sacks and 18 QB hits. The 31-year-old two-time Pro Bowler is coming off a disappointing season with the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in which he got to the quarterback just 2.5 times in 13 games played. Obviously, the Matt Rhule connection is now gone, but the Panthers could entice him to Charlotte with an opportunity to start immediately.
Joey Bosa, Von Miller or Kyle Van Noy
There are some other big names still available worth mentioning, but they are older and/or on the verge of retirement.
Joey Bosa, who led the NFL in forced fumbles with five last season during his one year with the Buffalo Bills, is mentioned to have “more likely than not” played his last NFL snap, per Adam Schefter. The former No. 3 overall pick and Defensive Rookie of the Year has made five Pro Bowls, and turned 31-years-old earlier this month.
Former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller is now 37-years-old. He played 17 games with three starts for the Washington Commanders last year and recorded nine sacks. He’s more of a rotational player at this stage of his career, but can still provide some juice off the edge.
Kyle Van Noy enjoyed three solid seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, including a Pro Bowl campaign in 2024 in which he racked up 12.5 sacks. Now 35, he’s a free agent looking for a new contract.
