Panthers Rookie Brazzell Tears LCL, Out Up to 8 Weeks
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- Chris Brazzell II suffered a moderate LCL tear in his left knee on a noncontact play during a 7-on-7 drill at Panthers practice Wednesday and is expected to be sidelined for up to eight weeks while he seeks a second opinion.
- Brazzell, competing for the Panthers' WR3 role, had already missed two practices earlier in the week due to soreness in the same knee; coach Dave Canales said he "felt weird on it, sat down" and couldn't put weight on his left foot before being helped to a cart.
- Nic Scourton is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL last week, and backup tight end Mitchell Evans was diagnosed with a low ankle sprain after being carted off Tuesday — the latest blows in a training-camp injury wave.
- Carolina will open the regular season without both starting offensive tackles, Taylor Moton (blood clot/lung) and Ickey Ekwonu (knee), while starting guards Damien Lewis (calf) and Robert Hunt (back) have also missed practice time.
- Brazzell, a third-round pick out of Tennessee, ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine and posted 62 catches for 1,017 yards and nine touchdowns for the Volunteers in 2024.
- The Panthers drafted Brazzell to pair as a deep-ball complement with last year's Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan, Jalen Coker, and Xavier Legette in a young receiving corps still developing.
Why it matters: The defending NFC South champions will open the regular season without both starting offensive tackles and now without a third-round rookie they specifically drafted to stretch defenses. Brazzell's eight-week absence pushes a thin, young receiver room deeper into unproven depth and adds to a training-camp injury list that has already cost them a top pass rusher for the year.
