The Panthers’ Week 1 update is a mixed bag: the injury report itself is relatively short, but the injured reserve situation is already doing real damage.
As Carolina gets ready to open the 2026 season, Thursday’s practice report showed running back Jonathon Brooks limited, outside linebacker Patrick Jones II not practicing this week, and defensive tackle Bobby Brown III as a full participant yesterday.
The bigger issue is the list of players who won’t be available to start the year. Right tackle Taylor Moton has to sit out at least the first four games because of a blood clot in his lungs, and offensive lineman Brady Christensen is also out for at least four games with a hamstring issue. Running back and return specialist Trevor Etienne is unavailable to begin the season as well, though he has been designated to return.
Then there are the season-ending losses. Second-year defensive end Nic Scourton is done for the year with an ACL injury, a tough blow for a player who was coming off a promising rookie season and looked set up for a breakout. Rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell will also miss the entire season because of a knee injury, which takes some of the shine off the third-round pick’s first year.
While September usually stays quiet on the transaction front, the Panthers have made a few practice squad moves that stand out.
The most notable is the addition of Tyrel Dodson, and it’s easy to see why this one got attention. Dodson has played in 92 career games with 43 starts, and his resume has grown fast over the last few seasons. After spending 2019 on the Buffalo Bills practice squad without seeing game action, he worked his way into the rotation over the next two years and became a major special teams contributor.
His breakout came in 2023, when he started 10 of 17 games and finished with 74 tackles and 2.5 sacks. In 2024, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks and started all nine games he played, leading the team with 71 tackles and adding two sacks before being released.
One article described that move as “ shocking and unforeseen.” Dodson then joined the Miami Dolphins, where he started three of eight games and added 36 tackles for a season total of 107.
He stayed in Miami last year and was even more productive, starting all 16 games he played and piling up 129 tackles and five sacks. Dodson returned to Miami this year, but after second-round rookie Jacob Rodriguez from Texas Tech won the starting job, he was released during final roster cuts.
For Carolina, the appeal is obvious. Dodson is 28, has 310 tackles and 9.5 sacks over the last three seasons, and the source material notes that he has no injury history. It also notes that while he was suspended for six games during his 2019 rookie season for domestic violence, there are no recent red flags surrounding him.
The Panthers also brought back guard Chandler Zavala on the practice squad. A Carolina fourth-round pick in 2023, Zavala has appeared in 34 games with 14 starts over three seasons, though his play has been shaky when he’s been on the field. He was waived on August 31 as part of roster cuts and signed to the practice squad the next day.
Another familiar face is outside linebacker Jeremiah Moon, who has already made a couple of stops around the organization. Moon played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, appearing in eight games with 12 tackles and two forced fumbles. In 2024, he spent 13 games with the Pittsburgh Steelers and recorded nine tackles.
Last year he signed with the Panthers practice squad, was elevated to the 53-man roster, and played in one game without recording a stat. After Carolina sent him back to the practice squad, the Steelers claimed him for their active roster, and he finished last season with two games for Pittsburgh and two tackles.
In Other News...
Panthers Still Have One Big Week 1 Decision Left To Make
The Panthers final injury report for Week 1 brought some clarity before Sundays matchup with the Bears. Jonathon Brooks and Bobby Brown were full participants in practice and appear set to go without any restrictions, while Patrick Jones is out because of injury. So for a roster that has spent much of the week sorting through availability, there is at least a cleaner picture on the field than there was a few days ago.
Darren Waller is the name still hanging over the decision-making. Physically, he is ready to play, but the coach has not yet said whether he will be activated for the opener, leaving one notable question unresolved heading into kickoff. For Carolina, it is the kind of late-week call that can shape how the game plan looks and whether the offense gets one more layer of depth against Chicago. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Kuechly Just Gave Panthers Fans A New Reason To Watch
Luke Kuechlys post-playing career just took another noticeable step, and Panthers fans had a reason to tune in. The former Carolina linebacker, now a Pro Football Hall of Famer, made his debut as a color commentator on Netflixs NFL broadcast for the 49ers-Rams game in Australia, a stage that came with plenty of visibility and not much room for a soft landing.
Even with limited broadcasting experience, Kuechly drew widespread praise from viewers and analysts for how he handled the assignment. He is scheduled to call three more NFL games for Netflix this season, giving Carolina fans a fresh way to keep up with one of the defining players of the franchises modern era. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Quietly Opened Up Cap Flexibility Before Week 1
The Panthers made a quiet bit of roster bookkeeping before Week 1, restructuring defensive tackle TerShawn Whartons contract to create some breathing room for the future. By converting $12.2 million of his salary into a signing bonus and adding three void years, Carolina opened up $9.7 million in cap space for the 2026 season, a move that gives the front office a little more flexibility as it continues to manage the roster around key decisions ahead.
Wharton still has two years and $28.85 million left on his deal after the adjustment, so this was less about changing the players role than about smoothing out the teams finances. For a club always trying to stay nimble under the cap, it is the sort of move that does not make headlines on its own, but can matter later if Carolina needs room to keep building. [Read more 🡒]