Pat Jones II looking to re-establish himself as Panthers’ starting edge rusher after Nic Scourton’s torn ACL confirmation
The Carolina Panthers never got to see what they truly had in veteran outside linebacker Pat Jones II after suffering a season-ending injury in 2025. Now, Jones has a shot to re-establish himself as a starting caliber player following Nic Scourton’s injury.
The Carolina Panthers suffered a devastating blow on the first day of training camp when edge rusher Nic Scourton suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, ending his 2026 season before it even got started.
“Just a horrible loss for us,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said after Friday’s practice. “Just as a young guy to be able to be a leader because of how he represents himself. He torn his ACL yesterday, he’ll have surgery pretty quickly in the next couple of weeks and start his rehab. All of the guys are supporting him.”
Scourton was expected to be a breakout player for the Panthers defense as the starting edge rusher opposite Jaelan Phillips. Now, Carolina will look to other options to fill that void, and veteran pass rusher Pat Jones II has a real opportunity now to prove why the Panthers signed him in the first place.
Pat Jones II gets a second chance to make his mark in Carolina
Jones signed with the Panthers ahead of the 2025 season on a two-year, $15 million deal. However, he only made it four games as a starter before suffering a serious back injury that forced him to undergo season-ending surgery. If anyone understands what Scourton is going through right now, it’s Jones.
“It’s not fun. Me personally, I know how that feels from last year, especially when you feel like you’re about to have a big year and then something like that happens,” Jones told reporters. “All you can really do is be there for him and help him out as much as you can.”
In the meantime, Jones was emotional discussing his recovery process and took in the moment after walking onto the field fully healthy at the start of training camp on Thursday. And now, he finds himself in position to claim the starting job opposite Phillips.
“It was definitely a long journey, longer than I thought,” Jones explained. “It feels good to be out here, it gives me a brand new perspective on how I just look at the game and how much I appreciate it a lot more.”
Panthers can now get back some of their investment with Jones’ new opportunity
Going back to his last full season with the Minnesota Vikings in 2024, Jones played 15 games with one start and recorded 7.0 sacks. That production speaks volumes about what he can do when healthy. He has proven he has what it takes to be a high-level player off the edge, and the Panthers desperately need that kind of production after losing Scourton for the year.
“I’m hoping to show more,” Jones said. “Really just come out healthy and just show everybody what I could really do. I was in Minnesota for a long time behind a lot of great players most of my career. So, it felt like last year was like my chance to really show everybody. I feel like I started to heat up [before the injury happened]. It hit me at a hard time.”
That approach puts a lot of weight on Jones’ shoulders, but it also gives him the opportunity to re-establish himself as a legitimate starting-caliber edge rusher in this league. The physicality he plays with and the pass-rush ability he showed in Minnesota suggest he has the potential to be much more than a stopgap solution.
“We look for block destruction, we look for that violence and aggressiveness at the point of attack. That’s what Pat really brings,” Canales said. “He plays with a high motor with the effort that he shows. Nic Scourton certainly plays the same way, but to have multiple guys that way, it sets the tone for the whole group in terms of how they finish plays.”
Physicality wasn’t the only thing Jones showed during his shortened first season in Carolina that excited the coaching staff for what he could provide in this scheme.
“Pat’s got versatility because he can play first and second-down, but he also has inside and outside rush ability on third-down in a known pass situation,” Canales explained. “It’s something he’s done for a while in his career. That’s really valuable. It’s just a question of how we mix in the rest of the group.”
For the Panthers, Scourton’s injury is a brutal setback for a defense that was banking on his potential breakout. Still, Jones’ presence on the roster at least provides a proven option who can step in and contribute right away. He just needs to stay healthy and build on the flashes he showed before his back injury cut his 2025 campaign short.
It might not be immediate for Jones to shake off the rust from missing most of last season, but the opportunity is there. Time will tell whether he can seize it and give the Panthers the reinforcement they need opposite Phillips heading into the 2026 regular season.