Chris Brazzell’s first NFL season is already over before it ever got off the ground.
The Carolina Panthers’ third-round pick will undergo season-ending surgery on a torn LCL, according to The Athletic’s Joe Person. What had initially looked like a shorter recovery with a non-surgical approach changed after a second opinion, and the Panthers and Brazzell opted for surgery instead.
Brazzell was hurt Wednesday during a 7-on-7 rep and had to be carted off the field, as reported by the Charlotte Observer’s Mike Kaye.
“The initial plan for Chris Brazzell’s LCL tear was a non-surgical route, which would have sidelined him for up to two months. He would have missed all of camp and been added to the mix in October, more than likely. https://t.co/CCMVaSmpdN
- Joe Person (@josephperson) July 30, 2026”
It’s a brutal turn for a player who had been building real momentum since arriving in Carolina. Brazzell, drafted in the third round this spring, turned heads in minicamp and rookie workouts earlier this summer. ESPN even labeled him the Panthers’ biggest surprise player in late June.
“The Panthers got some side-eye from critics when they drafted a wide receiver in the third round, with Tetairoa McMillan, the 2025 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, already on the roster. But the 6-foot-5 Brazzell, a lengthy playmaker, is making believers out of Carolina fans as an impact player in OTAs and minicamp,” ESPN writes.
He was also earning praise from Bryce Young.
“You would’ve thought he’d been in a pro-style system throughout his whole life,” Panthers QB Bryce Young said during minicamp, via Sleeper Panthers on X. “He’s coming in, understanding splits.
Understanding landmarks. Understanding route timing, route tempo, where to be at the right time.
He’s playing with extension. I’ve been super impressed with the professionalism, the ability to learn stuff, the ability for everything to translate.”
Brazzell’s college path took him from Tulane to Tennessee ahead of the 2024 season. He managed 333 yards and two touchdowns in his first year in Knoxville, then exploded in 2025 as one of the SEC’s top receivers. Playing with Joey Aguilar at quarterback, Brazzell finished with 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns on 62 catches, good for the second-most receiving yards in the SEC last season.
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