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Panthers have Glaring Weakness that Must be Addressed by Week 1
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- Panthers have Glaring Weakness that Must be Addressed by Week 1
The Carolina Panthers did not get enough out of the pass rush in 2025. Rookie Nic Scourton ended up pacing the team with just five sacks.
As a result, the team went out and paid Jaelan Phillips in free agency this offseason. The thought was that Phillips, along with second-year Scourton, would give the Panthers a formidable duo on the edges.
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Unfortunately, we won't get to see that in 2026, as Scourton suffered a torn ACL on the first day of camp. That injury makes what was already a questionable group look even more so ahead of Week 1.
There's still time before the regular season, and it's always possible someone could step up. However, it seems clear at this point that the edge rusher group is a major area of concern.
Panthers' Pass Rushers Listed at Bottom of League
Carter Bahns of CBS Sports recently ranked every edge rusher group in the league. Bahns has the Panthers all the way down at No. 31, ahead of only the Miami Dolphins .
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"If not for the injury Nic Scourton sustained on the first day of training camp, the Panthers would rank a healthy number of spots higher," Bahns explained. "Instead, his season is over before it even begins due to a torn ACL."
As Bahns mentioned, with Scourton, this group would be considerably higher, but still nowhere near the top of the league. Without Scourton, though, it's hard to find a silver lining.
"Neither (Jaelan) Phillips nor (Patrick) Jones is exactly reliable in terms of staying on the field, either, so the bottom has the threat of really falling out from underneath this group," Bahns continued. "Phillips is a plus starter when healthy, though, like he was all of last year."
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Like Bahns pointed out, Phillips can be a solid starter when healthy. The problem is, Phillips only played in 12 games combined in 2023 and 2024, and if those injury issues flare back up, things could get dire.
In 2025, Jones played in just four games for the Panthers and ended with one sack. Jones did have seven sacks in 2024, though, so if he stays healthy, he also has the potential to be a plus starter.
That's a lot of "what ifs" though, so it may be wise to make a move.
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Who Could Panthers Target?
Shortly after the Scourton injury, we picked out several free agents the Panthers could be interested in. Jadeveon Clowney and Haason Reddick stand out due to having played for Carolina previously.
None of the available free agents would raise the ceiling that much, though. If someone is still a free agent at the end of July, there's a reason for that. As a result, the Panthers could instead hit the trade market and try to land a player like Josh Sweat on the Arizona Cardinals .
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
