Well, that’s one heck of a way to kick off training camp. The Carolina Panthers, reigning NFC South champs, just got hit with an absolute gut punch on day one, losing one of their top edge rushers, Nic Scourton, to an ACL tear in the very first summer practice. Talk about devastating news to start the year! It’s super early, yeah, but you gotta wonder what this means for a defense that needs to step up.
Bryce Young’s Big Season and Those Pesky Questions
ESPN dropped their list of players to watch in Carolina, and obviously, fourth-year starting quarterback Bryce Young is at the top. He’s coming off his best season yet in 2025, tossing for over 3,000 yards and 20 touchdown passes, which is huge! He even led them to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. That’s real progress for the former No. 1 overall pick, and you know he’s looking to build on that.
But let’s be real, there are still some major questions swirling around him as a franchise guy. His EPA per dropback was a rough -0.08, third-worst among QBs with at least 500 dropbacks, and his QBR of 47.6 ranked 25th in the league. Young’s development isn’t just a story, it’s *the* story for the Panthers in 2026. How far they go, how far he goes, it’s all tied together. He’s the biggest X-factor, no doubt.
Umanmielen Steps Up, Tremble Needs to Flash
With Scourton out for the season, the spotlight just got a whole lot brighter on second-year outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen. He flashed some potential as a rookie, but only put up 1.5 sacks. Now, he’s got more help with the Panthers bringing in edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who was tenth in QB pressure rate among players with at least 200 pass-rush snaps, plus inside linebacker Devin Lloyd is effective on blitzes. That sleepy pass rush finished third worst in the league with only 30 sacks last year, so Umanmielen taking a big step forward with more playing time is now absolutely critical. He’s gotta be that breakout candidate!
Then there’s Tommy Tremble, representing what ESPN calls the worst tight end depth chart in the NFL. Look, Tremble, Ja’Tavion Sanders, and Mitchell Evans are solid blockers. We can give them that. But “solid” isn’t gonna light up the scoreboard, especially when Tremble has never topped 250 receiving yards or three touchdowns in his career. Sanders has only two TDs since getting drafted, and Evans is still too new to judge. Carolina needs a playmaker at tight end, bad. There are even rumblings about a trade to boost Young’s passing game options. While finding more edge help is a priority now with Scourton down, tight end is screaming as their biggest offensive need going into the season.
So, the Panthers have their work cut out for them. They need Young to silence the doubters, Umanmielen to be a monster without Scourton, and someone,anyone,to show they can actually catch the ball at tight end. It’s a long season, but these early challenges are already setting the tone.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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