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Caden Prieskorn Caden Prieskorn Signs with Carolina
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 4:00 PM
The Panthers signed Prieskorn to a contract Thursday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: The addition of Prieskorn gives the Panthers some added depth in a TE corps currently led by Tommy Tremble and Ja'Tavion Sanders. An Ole Miss graduate, Prieskorn was the MVP of the 2023 Peach Bowl after totaling 10 receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns. |
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Suffered ACL tear
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 3:42 PM
Scourton (knee) suffered a torn ACL injury in practice Thursday and will miss the 2026 season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: The 2025 second-round linebacker had a productive rookie campaign, totaling 47 tackles (20 solo), including 5.0 sacks, across 17 regular-season games. With the starting pass rusher unable to help the Panthers defend the NFC South title, Patrick Jones, Princely Umanmielen and Trevis Gipson likely will be asked to step up and assist the defense throughout the 2026 season. |
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Jonathon Brooks Jonathon Brooks Full-go on Day 1
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 12:39 PM
Brooks was a full participant in a training camp practice for the first time in his career Thursday and impressed Carolina's coaching staff with his performance, Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today Panthers Wire reports.
Analysis: "He feels great, he feels strong, he looks fast," head coach Dave Canales said of Brooks, who has been limited to three NFL appearances through two seasons due to a pair of ACL tears. "He looks like the guy that I remember, and I'm really excited for that." Brooks and Trevor Etienne both mixed in with the first-team offense at Thursday's practice, along with Chuba Hubbard, per Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer. The Panthers selected Brooks out of Texas in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. |
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Tetairoa McMillan Tetairoa McMillan Practicing to start camp
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 10:57 AM
McMillan (ankle) participated in Thursday's training camp practice, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: McMillan was in and out of practice during the spring due to ankle soreness, but he's ready to roll for the start of training camp now that pads are on and the season is inching closer. According to Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network, McMillan is expected to see more opportunities out of the slot this season after the Panthers used a third-round pick on outside weapon Chris Brazzell. McMillan added "eight or nine pounds of muscle" over the offseason, per Wolfe. The reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, McMillan will look to build on his 70-1,014-7 regular season from last year. |
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Injures knee in practice
Thu, Jul 23, 2026, 10:28 AM
Scourton was carted off the field with a right knee injury during Thursday's practice, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Analysis: Coach Dave Canales confirmed after practice that Scourton will undergo further testing on the injured right knee, per Joe Person of The Athletic. A second-round pick last year, Scourton appeared in all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, making eight starts, and piled up 47 tackles (20 solo), including 5.0 sacks, on 68 percent of the defensive snaps. He's expected to play a more prominent role in his second season and is a defender Carolina can't afford to lose to a serious injury off the edge. |
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Beginning career at RT
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 8:33 PM
Freeling will start the 2026 regular season at right tackle, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: Freeling played left tackle primarily at Georgia before the Panthers selected him 19th overall in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, but he will switch to the opposite end of the offensive line to begin his NFL career. The 6-foot-7, 315 pound athlete certainly has the size to hold his own in the league, and he will get a shot to fill in for Taylor Moton (illness) at right tackle while Moton recovers from a blood clot. With Ikem Ekwonu (knee) still recovering from offseason surgery to repair a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee, Carolina is expected to be without both of their starting offensive tackles to begin 2026. |
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Placed on PUP list
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 8:24 PM
Ekwonu (knee) was placed on the physically unable to perform list Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official website reports.
Analysis: Ekwonu suffered a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee in the Panthers' 34-31 loss to the Rams in the wild-card round in January, so his placement on the PUP list comes as no surprise. General manager Dan Morgan said that the offensive lineman is "attacking" his rehab and that he's "really proud of him (Ekwonu) and where he's at right now." Ekwonu is fighting an uphill battle to play during the 2026 campaign, but Morgan expressed that there is some "optimism" that the 25-year-old will be able to return during the season. |
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Starting camp on NFI list
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 7:58 PM
Brown (undisclosed) will begin training camp on Carolina's non-football injury list, Steve Reed of the Associated Press reports.
Analysis: It's not immediately clear what type of injury Brown is dealing with, and there's no concrete timetable for his return. In the meantime, rookie second-rounder Lee Hunter figures to get more looks with the first team on the interior of the defensive line. |
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On track to return soon
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 6:38 PM
General manager Dan Morgan said Wednesday that Horn (foot) is expected to come off the NFI list "in a matter of days," per the league's official site.
Analysis: Horn started training camp on the Panthers' non-football injury list after suffering a cut on one of his feet, but it sounds like it won't keep him sidelined for too long. Carolina is likely just playing things safe with their top cornerback, who is coming off his second straight Pro Bowl season. |
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Starting camp on PUP list
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 6:20 PM
Wharton (neck) will begin training camp on the Panthers' active/PUP list, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Wharton underwent a procedure on his neck back in May, and he's still not ready to return to the practice field with training camp now underway. As long as he remains unavailable, LaBryan Ray will be a candidate to see more work with the first-team defensive line. |
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Chris Brazzell Chris Brazzell II Competing with Legette
Wed, Jul 22, 2026, 11:47 AM
Brazzell is slated to compete with Xavier Legette for wide receiver reps during training camp, Anthony Rizzuti of USA Today reports.
Analysis: Brazzell, a rookie third-rounder, will compete with a 2024 first-round pick in Legette for No. 3 wide receiver opportunities behind Tetairoa McMillan (ankle) and Jalen Coker. Per Rizzuti, Brazzell impressed during spring and summer workouts with Carolina, and if he's able to keep up that momentum during training camp it wouldn't be out of the question for him to jump up the depth chart and surpass Legette, who has failed to live up to expectations through his first three seasons. Brazzell totaled a 62-1,017-9 line across 12 games in 2025 at Tennessee, where he earned All-American Third-Team and All-SEC First-Team honors. |
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Placed on NFI list
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 2:32 PM
The Panthers placed Guilbeau (undisclosed) on the non-football injury list on Tuesday.
Analysis: Guilbeau will be eligible to come off the NFI list at any point in training camp, once deemed healthy enough to practice. The undrafted rookie out of Texas will work to compete for a reserve role in Carolina's secondary once healthy. |
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Headed to NFI list
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 1:08 PM
The Panthers announced Tuesday that Horn (foot) will be placed on the non-football injury list this week in advance of training camp, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: Horn is dealing with a recent foot laceration that required stitches, but he's expected to be cleared to retake the field early during training camp. Carolina announced that Moton, however, is expected to miss regular-season time. As long as Horn is sidelined, all of Akayleb Evans, Robert Rochell, Corey Thornton, Will Lee and Chau Smith-Wade will be candidates to benefit from increased reps. |
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To miss regular-season time
Tue, Jul 21, 2026, 1:02 PM
The Panthers announced Tuesday that Moton (illness) will be placed on the non-football injury list due to a blood clot, and that he will miss regular-season time, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Analysis: Moton will be forced to miss at least four regular-season games if he is not activated by the time rosters are reduced to 53 players in late August. If Carolina believes the starting right tackle could return before mid-October, however, the team could activate him during training camp. Rookie first-rounder Monroe Freeling could get a chance to start Week 1 due to Moton's health issues. |
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Ryan Fitzgerald Ryan Fitzgerald Aims to build on strong rookie year
Tue, Jul 14, 2026, 10:47 PM
Fitzgerald is set to open the 2026 campaign as Carolina's primary kicker following a standout rookie season, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.
Analysis: After entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent, Fitzgerald won Carolina's kicker job in training camp last year and held the role through the campaign, making 24 of 29 field-goal attempts and 27 of 30 extra-point tries over 17 regular-season games. Even more impressively, he tied for the league lead with four game-winning FGs and ranked third in opponents' average drive start (a measure of his effectiveness on kickoffs). Fitzgerald's rookie season also included two made field goals of 55-plus yards, so he's essentially checked all the boxes to being an effective kicker and isn't expected to have any competition for the starting role heading into the campaign. |
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Chuba Hubbard Chuba Hubbard Set to reclaim key backfield role
Tue, Jun 23, 2026, 7:34 PM
Hubbard approaches training camp in a position to secure the lead role in Carolina's 2026 backfield, Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer reports.
Analysis: With last year's rushing leader Rico Dowdle now with the Steelers, Hubbard -- who looked good this spring -- per Kaye, should have an opportunity to bounce back from a forgettable 2025 campaign in which injuries contributed to him logging just 511 yards (on 134 carries) in 15 regular-season contests after racking up 1,195 rushing yards (on 250 carries) in 2024. Also in the mix for backfield work this season will be Jonathon Brooks -- who is rebounding from back-to-back ACL surgeries -- as well as 2025 fourth-rounder Trevor Etienne, with AJ Dillon, Anthony Tyus and Miles Davis also on hand. Assuming Hubbard can avoid the injury bug, he figures to see steady volume out of the gate this coming season, but if Brooks is able to re-prove his health he could cut into Hubbard's workload down the road. |
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Jalen Coker Jalen Coker Signs three-year extension
Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 6:20 PM
Coker and the Panthers agreed on a three-year, $35 million contract extension with incentives up to $41 million Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Analysis: Coker was entering a contract year after signing his exclusive-rights free-agent tender with Carolina in April, but he will now be under contract for the next few seasons. The wide receiver has combined to catch 65 of 89 targets for 872 yards and five touchdowns over 22 regular-season contests in his first two NFL campaigns. He is set to enter the 2026 season as the Panthers' primary slot receiver, and he'll look to take a step up in production after his big payday. |
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Xavier Legette Xavier Legette Sheds weight, down to 221 pounds
Thu, Jun 11, 2026, 11:16 AM
Legette said Thursday that he's down to 221 pounds after losing 7-9 pounds in the offseason, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Legette also told reporters that he tried to "bulletproof" his problematic hamstrings this offseason. He's missed only three games since the Panthers took him 32nd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, but recurring hamstring issues have limited his practice time -- and potentially impacted his in-game performance. Averaging 27.7 receiving yards per game and 5.8 yards per target through two NFL seasons, Legette may now have to compete for the No. 3 WR job during training camp. Rookie third-round pick Chris Brazzell headlines the potential competition, with John Metchie and Jimmy Horn being the dark-horse candidates. |
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Tetairoa McMillan Tetairoa McMillan On track for training camp
Wed, Jun 10, 2026, 2:02 PM
The Panthers expect McMillan (ankle) to be ready for the start of training camp, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Analysis: McMillan missed some time during OTAs due to what was initially labeled a foot issue, but it is now being dubbed ankle soreness. He participated in practice during the first day of mandatory minicamp Tuesday, but per Sheena Quick of Fox Sports Radio 1340, the 2025 first-rounder is not dressed for practice Wednesday. McMillan himself said Wednesday that he currently feels good and expects to be ready for training camp in July, Kaye reports, an indication that his reps at minicamp may simply be being capped as a precaution. According to Joe Person of The Athletic, head coach Dave Canales said that Carolina's plan is for McMillan to take part in two of the team's three minicamp practices, so the wideout should be back on the field Thursday. |
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Progressing in recovery
Tue, Jun 9, 2026, 9:27 PM
Ekwonu is progressing well from the knee injury he suffered in January, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Ekwonu said he is "crushing it" in rehab as he works his way back from a ruptured patellar tendon in his right knee. The 2022 first-round pick is expected to return to the field at some point during the upcoming campaign. |
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