The Panthers lost outside linebacker Nic Scourton to a right knee injury in the team’s first training camp practice on Thursday. They didn’t waste any time bringing in a replacement on the roster.
The Panthers have agreed to terms with Cam Gill, Greg Auman of Fox Sports reports.
Gill, 28, played for the Panthers in 2024, totaling 22 tackles and four quarterback hits in 10 games.
Gill most recently played for the United Football League’s Louisville Kings. He recorded a league-best 11 sacks in 10 games and won the league’s 2026 Defensive Player of the Year.
He has played 50 regular-season games in his career with the Bucs and Panthers, totaling 51 tackles and 2.5 sacks.
Panthers Clips
The first day of Panthers training camp saw running back Jonathon Brooks on the practice field.
That’s a significant development for the 2024 second-round pick. Brooks made a late debut as a rookie because he was recovering from a torn ACL and his run ended when he tore the same ACL again in his third game.
Brooks missed all of last season while recovering and said in April that he was feeling close to 100 percent after an extended rehab period. On Thursday, head coach Dave Canales said Brooks resembled the player that the team was so high on when he came out of Texas.
“Really looking forward to, just the hard work that JB has had to do over the last couple of years to get him to this point,” Canales said, via the team’s website. “He feels great. He feels strong. He looks fast; he looks like the guy that I remember, and I’m really excited for that. But more so just, for a guy to go through things and to be able to have the emotional and mental resiliency to go through that training twice, to get himself back, this is a celebration, and you can feel the gratitude in him; you can feel the focus and how important this opportunity is for him.”
The Panthers have Chuba Hubbard and Trevor Etienne back from last year’s team, but Rico Dowdle moved on to Pittsburgh after leading the team in rushing and that should leave the door open for Brooks to grab a share of the backfield work if he continues to impress the coaching staff.
Panthers outside linebacker Nic Scourton did suffer a right knee injury during the club’s first training camp practice on Thursday, head coach Dave Canales confirmed in his press conference after the session.
“They’re going to look at that and get some imaging, and we’ll let you know once we have more [information],” Canales said.
While the nature of the injury appeared serious given that Scourton was emotional as he was carted off the field, Canales did not want to speculate on its severity.
“I’m hoping for the best,” Canales said. “So, we’ll just get the full imaging before we make any announcements that way.”
If it turns out that Scourton will be out for a lengthy period, Canales noted he has confidence in the club’s group of edge rushers.
“We’ve got guys,” Canales said. “That’s why we keep bringing in depth, and talent, and different guys. You know, Jaelen Phillips is in that room, Pat Jones is back, Princely Umanmielen is coming along.
“We’ve got a whole group of guys that we’re counting on. So, if it comes to that, we have guys that we trust and are going to ask to do different things. But let’s hold off on that until we know what’s going on.”
It’s Carolina’s first day of training camp, and the club is already dealing with an injury to a key player.
Via multiple reporters on the scene, outside linebacker Nic Scourton suffered an apparent right knee injury during 11-on-11 drills. He was carted off of the field, albeit in the front seat.
Scourton was emotional as he left the field, with several players coming over to console him.
Scourton was a second-round pick last year and put together a solid rookie season, tallying 5.0 sacks, seven tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits in 17 games. He was on the field for 68 percent of Carolina’s defensive snaps in 2025.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales is slated to speak to the media after practice concludes.
The Panthers have played at Bank of America Stadium since 2004 and they will continue playing there for years to come.
The team and the bank announced a multi-year extension of the naming rights agreement on Thursday. That agreement is one of the longest-running naming rights deals in the league and it comes as a significant renovation of the stadium takes place.
Funding for the project was established in 2024 when the city of Charlotte agreed to spend $650 million of the $800 million renovation. On Thursday, the Panthers announced that owner David Tepper will spend an additional $500 million toward the project. Tepper Sports and Entertainment has also agreed to pay for any overages in the now $1.3 billion venture.
“The long-term extension with Bank of America reflects the strength of our partnership and our shared commitment to the Carolinas,” Tepper said in a statement. “For over three decades, Bank of America Stadium has helped create lasting memories for our fans and we’re excited for them to see what’s ahead. Our goal is to create experiences that enhance the passion and energy of the region while transforming this corridor into a weekend destination for world-class sports, entertainment and community events.”
In addition to upgrading the stadium, the project will also include the construction of a 4,400-seat entertainment venue. The Panthers will remain at home through the renovation, which will focus on interior work in 2026 before moving on to fan-facing areas in 2027.
The Panthers are set to open the season without either of their starting offensive tackles from 2025, but General Manager Dan Morgan didn’t seem worried about that during a Wednesday press conference.
Carolina signed Rasheed Walker as a free agent in March because they knew left tackle Ikem Ekwonu had a long rehab ahead of him after tearing his patellar tendon, but news this week that right tackle Taylor Moton is dealing with a blood clot in his lung came as a surprise. Moton is expected to be out into the regular season and that puts first-round pick Monroe Freeling on track to start on that side of the offensive line.
Freeling played left tackle at Georgia and he appeared set to play an apprentice role as a rookie, but Morgan said he feels comfortable with how things are currently taking shape up front.
“I think we’ll be covered there,” Morgan said, via the team’s website. “We feel good about it, and I know T-Mo will definitely support Monroe there at right tackle and teach him all he knows. So, yeah, we feel good about it. I think that’s why depth matters so much in this league. And drafting Monroe and taking the best player available, it happened to be a tackle, it worked out really well for us. So we feel really good about him. We’re confident in him, and I know he’s going to attack it and he’s going to be out there competing.”
The Panthers also have a new center in Luke Fortner and the offensive line will have to gel over the coming weeks for the team to get off on the right foot come September.
The Panthers’ roster went down to three quarterbacks when Will Grier retired earlier this month.
The plan is now to hold that number at the position through training camp.
In his Wednesday press conference, General Manager Dan Morgan told reporters that Carolina has “no plans” right now to bring in a fourth QB.
“Obviously, wish Will and his family the best,” Morgan said. “In terms of his career, just playing as long as he did — just wish him the best moving forward.”
So, Carolina will go through training camp with Kenny Pickett and Haynes King behind starter Bryce Young at quarterback.
Grier, 31, had rejoined Carolina as a free agent in April. The Panthers had brought him into the league as a third-round pick back in 2019. But after participating in the club’s offseason program, Grier decided to hang up his cleats.
Grier started just two games in his career, both of which came as a rookie for the Panthers.
He also spent time with the Cowboys, Bengals, Patriots, Chargers, and Eagles.
The Panthers are ready to start practicing at training camp, but left tackle Ikem Ekwonu isn’t ready to join them on the field.
Panthers GM Dan Morgan announced on Wednesday that Ekwonu will go on the physically unable to perform list to open camp. Ekwonu tore his patellar tendon during January’s playoff loss to the Rams and the nature of the injury means there’s still more rehab ahead for the 2022 first-round pick.
Morgan told reporters that Ekwonu is in a good place with that rehab and that he’s optimistic about having the tackle back during the regular season, but did not set any timeline for return.
The Panthers also put right tackle Taylor Moton on the non-football injury list this week because of a blood clot in his lung. Moton is expected to be out into the regular season, which could leave Rasheed Walker and 2026 first-rounder Monroe Freeling as the team’s top options at tackle.
Morgan also announced that defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton will go on PUP due to a neck injury and that defensive lineman Bobby Brown is headed to NFI with a hamstring issue. Cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau was waived off the non-football injury list.
Training camp season is just about here.
Veteran players from the Cardinals and Panthers are due to report to camp on Wednesday, which will make them the first two teams to have their full squads in place this summer. They have the earliest start date in the league because they will be taking part in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on August 6.
The Panthers will open up camp with right tackle Taylor Moton and cornerback Jaycee Horn on the non-football injury list. Moton is sidelined by a blood clot in his lung and the team expects him to play this season, but he is set to be out into the regular season. Horn is recovering from a cut on his foot and is due back much sooner.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett’s status will be the big question once the Cardinals begin practicing. He did not practice during the spring while looking for a revised contract and has still not agreed to one, so his participation will be something to watch this week.
The Seahawks and Patriots are next up on the reporting list. They will have their veterans in camp on Friday and all 32 teams will be ready to go on July 28.
The Browns made a change to their cornerback group before training camp gets underway next week.
They announced the signing of Damarri Mathis to their active roster. They waived cornerback Dom Jones with a failed physical designation in a corresponding move.
Mathis was a Broncos fourth-round pick in 2021 and spent three years with the team before being claimed off of waivers by the Panthers last August. Mathis tore his ACL a short time later, however, and missed the entire season.
Mathis had 18 starts in his 43 appearances for the Broncos. He had 103 tackles, three tackles for loss and nine passes defensed in those games.
