The Panthers’ edge-rush picture took a hit Thursday when second-year outside linebacker Nic Scourton went down with an ACL tear and is now out for the season. For a defense that was already thin up front, it leaves Carolina staring at a tougher road at one of the NFL’s most important spots.
That’s the backdrop as the team tries to sort out what comes next at outside linebacker. Carolina did add a familiar name this morning, bringing back Cam Gill after his 2024 stint with the team. Gill arrives on the heels of a strong spring, when he was named the United Football League’s Defensive Player of the Year after piling up 11.0 sacks.
With Scourton gone, the current depth chart on the edge looks like this:
First string: Jaelan Phillips, Pat Jones III
Second string: Princely Umanmielen, Trevis Gipson
Third string: Cam Gill, Thomas Incoom
Fourth string: Nick Hampton, Isaiah Smith
Not great, Bob.
There is at least one path where Carolina gets a boost from within. If Umanmielen makes a real second-year jump, he could push his way into the starting lineup alongside Phillips. Jones also brings something to the table after a solid 2024 season in Minnesota, where he logged 7.0 sacks and 12 quarterback hits, even if his overall NFL production has still been uneven.
Even so, the Panthers may not be done shopping. The front office likely needs outside help to shore up the group, and at the moment Joey Bosa and Leonard Floyd stand out as the best available options in free agency.
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For Carolina, the move is less about tearing anything down than about refining how the group operates after a year of learning each other. General manager Dan Morgan has backed Canales for making the kind of tough call that can define a staff, and the hope inside the building is that the adjustment helps the offense stay sharper, more collaborative, and better prepared for the expectations that come with Year 2. [Read more 🡒]