Bryce Young, Panthers Lose Pair of Key Players Ahead of Preseason

CHARLOTTE, N. C. — After enjoying the most successful season of the Bryce Young era, where the Panthers punched their ticket to the NFL playoffs (and nearly knocked off the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card round) by coming out on top of an embattled NFC South with an 8-9 record, the brass in Carolina entered the spring looking to continue their improvement and growth.

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The Panthers continued to add weapons for Young and build up their defense, adding tackle Monroe Freeling, defensive tackle Lee Hunter, and wideout Chris Brazzell II through the draft while signing edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd in free agency.

Amid building hype and excitement, the buzz in the Carolinas was curbed as it was announced that a pair of key players on both sides of the football will miss significant time this season.

Tuesday, the team announced that veteran right tackle Taylor Moton was diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung last month and will miss time in the regular season.

Another loss came within the next 48 hours for the Panthers, as second-year edge rusher Nic Scourton went down with a knee injury late into Thursday's session of training camp. It was later confirmed that Scourton suffered an ACL tear and will miss the entirety of the 2026 season. The former Ole Miss Rebel tied for a team-high five sacks in his rookie season.

With Moton missing significant time and left tackle Ikem Ekwonu already being out for the year with a ruptured patellar tendon that he suffered in January, the Panthers will turn to off-season additions Monroe Freeling and Rasheed Walker to protect the ends of the offensive line.

Without the vet Moton to hold down the right side of the offensive line, Young may be under even more pressure from opposing pass rush than he was last year — an already high clip at 24% of his dropbacks.

If Freeling can adjust to facing NFL pass rushers quickly, and Walker can have a strong season, then Young could have ample time in the pocket. If not, then Young may have to continue to grow and develop under pressure.

The loss of Scourton hurts a defense that finished in the bottom five in the league in sacks, as the Panthers and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will turn to newly-signed Jaelan Phillips, second-year Princely Umanmielen, Derrick Brown, and rookie Lee Hunter to lead the attack on the defensive line.

The revamped Carolina defense should give Young more breathing room on the offensive side of the football, but the loss of Scourton is a big blow to a unit looking to break out in 2026.

Bryce Young and the Panthers return to action on Thursday, August 6, in their first preseason matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

For more Alabama Baseball, Basketball, and Football content from Simon Besnoy, follow him on Twitter at @SimonBesnoy and stay tuned to Tide1009.com for daily news.