The Carolina Panthers are just days away from kicking off their 2026 season. The team will take on the Chicago Bears in a battle between two playoff teams from a year ago.
Unfortunately, even though no games have been played, there are already some notable injury situations for the Panthers. Edge rusher Nic Scourton and rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II are out for the season, while both starting tackles are expected to miss at least a few games.
After practice on Wednesday, head coach Dave Canales provided another injury update: Outside linebacker Pat Jones II will not play in Week 1. Jones apparently aggravated his back injury suffered last season.
As a result, second-year edge rusher Princely Umanmielen is getting a golden opportunity.
Umanmielen Could Keep Starting Spot
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The Panthers drafted Umanmielen in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. As a rookie, Umanmielen played in 16 games and collected 24 tackles, two tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks.
The edge rusher didn’t get enough snaps on defense to receive a Pro Football Focus grade, but he was credited with nine pressures during the year. There were some nice flashes, but the rookie didn’t get as many opportunities as many expected.
This offseason, it seemed like Umanmielen could be on the verge of falling out of the rotation. Scourton led the team in sacks last year and seemed like a quality breakout candidate in 2026. The team also paid big money to bring in Jaelan Phillips, so the two edge rusher spots appeared to be locked up.
Of course, we know Scourton ended up suffering a season-ending injury. After that, Umanmielen and Pat Jones II battled for the starting spot. Umanmielen had an impressive summer and probably outperformed the veteran, but Jones was listed as the starter on the initial depth chart.
Now, with Jones set to miss this game, Umanmielen will end up starting opposite Phillips anyway. This is the perfect audition for the Ole Miss product to show that he can handle a larger role.
Umanmielen had an accomplished college career, and there’s reason to think he can be a starting-caliber defender in the NFL. Over his last two collegiate seasons, Umanmielen racked up 17.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss.
Meanwhile, Jones has been a disappointment in Carolina. The Panthers signed the veteran to a two-year deal ahead of 2025, but this back injury limited him to just four games. There was reason to think Jones would be a solid addition, as he was coming off a seven-sack campaign with the Vikings in 2024.
The hope was that Jones would be healthy and ready to go, but this reaggravation changes things. Now, it’s entirely possible that Umanmielen could take hold of the job and never look back.
