Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears will open training camp in full next week, but there have already been some significant developments that loom large for them, namely regarding their opponent for Week 1 of the regular season, the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina, like the Bears, features a former No. 1 overall pick at quarterback and is coming off a playoff appearance in 2025.
On Thursday, though, the Panthers got some bad news that is invariably to the Bears’ benefit.
Bears Get Major Update on Panthers Before Season-Opening Showdown
Panthers Will Be Down 3 Starters vs Bears
The Bears and Panthers will not square off until September 13, but the latter has already endured a significant loss that will linger not just until that matchup, but for the duration of the 2026 campaign.
Second-year pass rusher Nic Scourton went down with an apparent injury during the Panthers’ first practice of camp.
After going for further testing, Scourton and the team’s fears were confirmed.
“Tests revealed #Panthers LB Nic Scourton suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, sources tell me & @RapSheet,” ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe posted on X on July 23. “Brutal blow for Carolina D & Year 2 rising pass rusher who was expected to make huge impact opposite Jaelan Phillips.
“Nic Scourton is such an important piece to Panthers D. His production, motor will be hard to replace. You could see impact on teammate reax.”
Scourton, a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, had 5.0 sacks as a rookie.
This is the second major loss that the Panthers have suffered in their trenches, and their third this calendar year. Carolina lost left tackle Ikem Ekwonu to a ruptured patellar tendon in January, and starting right tackle Taylor Moton has blood clots in his lungs.
“Carolina drafted Georgia OT Monroe Freeling in Round 1 and signed former #Packers OT Rasheed Walker to a 1-year deal,” “NFL Spotlight” host Ari Meirov noted on X on July 21.
Walker notably fared well against the Bears during the 2025 regular season, per PFF.
However, he posted below-average run and pass-blocking grades during their showdown in the NFC Wild Card. Walker has started 48 of the 51 games he has played in over the past three years. He is hardly someone the Bears can count on taking advantage of.
Bears Navigating Their Own OL Injury Concerns
The Bears have their own questions at left tackle. 2025 second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo is also recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon suffered in January. The expectation is that he will miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season.
Former starter Braxton Jones served as LT1 during the offseason program.
As the Bears prepare to report for training camp, the Panthers have already provided a reminder about the greatest challenge every team faces at this time of the year. That is making it to the regular season as healthy as possible.
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