Panthers Edge Nic Scourton tore his right ACL in Thursday's practice and is likely headed for season-ending surgery, according to multiple reports. He'll get a second opinion, but these initial diagnoses rarely prove to be wrong.
What They're Saying: Big Loss for Panthers
NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe: "Nic Scourton is such an important piece to Panthers D. His production, motor will be hard to replace. ... Pat Jones, Princely Umanmielen top internal options to fill in. Could be a team to watch for EDGE addition in free agent/waiver market."
Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer: "I think Nic Scourton's ceiling is immensely high. He's extremely smart, can do everything at OLB and he's only 21. There's no way to sugarcoat an upside loss like this. Pat Jones needs a big redemption campaign to fill the void."
2026 Fantasy Football Impact: Depth Chart's Ugly Behind Scourton
It's not good for the Panthers that Jones comes up as the top replacement candidate. He's a prime-aged former third-round pick of the Vikings who appeared in only four games last year before a herniated required surgery and ended his season. That followed a two-game absence for a hamstring injury and a Week 1 ankle tweak (though Jones missed no further time for that one).
He did gain clearance this offseason to return following back surgery, but the injury-marred debut season with the Panthers leaves Jones still needing to prove himself. He signed for $7.5 million on a two-year deal last offseason, which is modest for a guy with starter-level hopes.
More importantly, Jones collected just 25 total QB hits, 22 tackles for loss, and 12 sacks across three seasons in Minnesota.
Umanmielen arrived via Round 3 of last year's draft, a round after Scourton. He supplied 1.5 sacks, 2 TFLs, and 4 QB hits across 16 games as a rookie.
Umanmielen did finish college, though, with escalating pass-rush production across three SEC seasons:
- 2022: 9.5 TFLs, 4.5 sacks (13 games)
- 2023: 11.5 TFLs, 7.0 sacks (12 games)
- 2024: 13.5 TFLs, 10.5 sacks (12 games)
He followed that with a merely OK 98.3 speed score (47th percentile) at the Combine, though, and a worse three-cone (29th percentile). That's especially concerning because Umanmielen weighed just 244 pounds (seventh percentile), meaning he doesn't win with size, speed, or bend.
The Panthers will need to figure out their edge plan opposite free-agent addition Jaelan Phillips, and it's likely to rely on more than one player.
Trevis Gipson and Nick Hampton could compete for snaps as well, but none of these fill-in candidates looks intriguing for IDP use.
Dynasty Impact: Don't Give Up
Scourton's young and talented enough that this injury shouldn't disrupt his long-term outlook too much. He'll still have two more years on his rookie contract after this season and remains worth holding on dynasty IDP rosters.
