Earlier this week, the Carolina Panthers announced that they’ll be without starting right tackle Taylor Moton for an extended period.
On Thursday, they might have suffered another key injury. Pass rusher Nic Scourton, who tied for the team lead in sacks as a rookie last season, went down with a right knee injury, according to the Charlotte Observer, and was carted off the field.
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We don’t yet know the severity of the injury, but his Panthers teammates’ reaction to it spoke volumes. Most of the players on the field went over to check in on Scourton, appearing concerned with his well-being, before he was brought back to the locker room.
Scourton, a second-round pick (51st overall) in 2025, finished last season as a starter, collecting five sacks, 27 tackles (seven for losses), one forced fumble and one pass defended. He was expected to be a primary player for Carolina’s defense this season, lining up opposite free-agent pass rusher Jaelan Phillips.
Head coach Dave Canales didn’t confirm anything about the injury and refused to speculate on the severity of it but did confirm Scourton would need his right leg imaged for a possible ligament tear.
Potentially big loss for Carolina’s defense
Scourton came on late last season, playing nearly three-quarters of the team’s defensive snaps from Week 9 on. The team clearly entered this season expecting another jump in his development, not turning 22 years old until August.
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If this injury is a serious one, it would leave a big hole on the Panthers’ defense. Pat Jones, who missed time last season with a back injury, likely would be the first option to replace him. The Panthers also have 2025 third-rounder Princely Umanmielen, Trevis Gipson and Thomas Incoom, but the latter two were primarily special teamers a year ago in Carolina.
Phillips is expected to be the Panthers’ primary pass-rush source, but the sledding could be tougher without a threat opposite him. And though Phillips played 17 games last season, he’s had a notable injury history that dates back to college and also cost him big chunks of the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
Bad injury luck starting to infect Panthers
When it was announced that Moton had a pulmonary embolism, it hit doubly hard. The Panthers were already planning for life without left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who tore a patellar tendon and could miss a large portion of the regular season.
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Moton also figures to miss at least the start of the season, and likely beyond, having been placed on the reserve/non-football injury list.
That means the Panthers are likely starting free-agent acquisition Rasheed Walker at left tackle and 2026 first-round pick Monroe Freeling on the right side to start the season. Walker was a three-year starter for the Green Bay Packers at left tackle, but Freeling started only parts of two seasons at Georgia and could be tested early.
On top of that, both starting defensive tackles, Tershawn Wharton (neck surgery) and Bobby Brown III (hamstring), were placed on the non-football injury list. Starting CB Jaycee Horn (foot) also resides on the NFI currently, although his injury is not believed to be serious or a long-term worry.
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Even still, this is a pretty tough series of blows for the 2025 NFC South champs, who made several moves this offseason in order to keep their momentum moving forward. Now we wait to find out just how much these injuries could set them back.
