Former Tennessee Vols wide receiver Chris Brazzell was carted off the field at Carolina Panthers training camp on Wednesday after going down with a non-contact knee injury.

Brazzell, who was selected in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, had missed the Panthers’ previous two practices while dealing with soreness in the same knee.

The initial fear, of course, was that Brazzell had suffered a torn ACL.

Fortunately, that’s not the case.

But it’s still a significant injury.

According to The Athletic’s Joe Person, Brazzell sustained a moderate LCL tear in his left knee. The former Vol is expected to miss up to eight weeks.

Person also added that the injury is believed to be unrelated to Brazzell’s knee soreness that he was dealing with earlier in the week.

Panthers rookie WR Chris Brazzell sustained a moderate LCL tear in his left knee and is expected to miss up to eight weeks, per a league source with knowledge of the situation.
Brazzell's injury is believed to be unrelated to his earlier knee issue.

— Joe Person (@josephperson) July 29, 2026

This obviously isn’t ideal for Brazzell, but it’s better than a torn ACL which would’ve wiped out his entire rookie season.

The eight week timeline has Brazzell returning to action in early October, assuming there are no setbacks in his recovery.