The Carolina Panthers’ pass rush is already drawing a harsh preseason verdict.
CBS Sports’ Carter Bahns ranked every NFL team’s pass rush entering the 2026 season, and Carolina landed at No. 31 - second-worst in the league. That’s a tough label for a unit the Panthers need to stabilize if they want to build on a 2025 season that ended with an 8-9 record, an NFC South title, and a tiebreaker deciding the division.
The concern starts with availability. Bahns pointed to the injury Nic Scourton suffered on the first day of training camp, saying the Panthers would have been “a healthy number of spots higher” if not for that setback. Instead, Scourton’s year is already done because of a torn ACL.
Here is what Bahns had to say about the Panthers:
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. Instead, his season is over before it even begins due to a torn ACL.
Neither Phillips nor 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. Phillips is a plus starter when healthy, though, like he was all of last year.
The Panthers did make moves to help the front. They signed Jaelan Phillips to a big deal this offseason, and the addition of Devin Lloyd is expected to help them generate pressure. But even with that help, the group still sits near the bottom of the league in this ranking.
Phillips brings upside, but he also comes with a production line that leaves room for more. He has never had more than 10 sacks in a season, so Carolina will need him to show he can be a real difference-maker in the pass rush.
Scourton’s absence makes the job even harder. He was projected to line up opposite Phillips and take advantage of the attention Phillips might draw. With Scourton out, the Panthers now have to find someone else to step into that role and help keep the pass rush from slipping further.
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