5 Nic Scourton Replacements the Carolina Panthers Must Pursue Now

The Carolina Panthers suffered a monumental blow on the first day of training camp. Nic Scourton went down with a leg injury that looks quite awful. He was poised for a massive breakout alongside Jaelan Phillips.

Given the fact that he and his teammates were all distraught and that he could put no pressure on his right knee, it is safe to assume something season-ending. A torn ACL or MCL is highly likely, though we don't know that for sure yet.

It depletes what was shaping up to be a solid pass rush. Now, it's Phillips, Princely Umanmielen, Trevis Gipson, and Pat Jones. The Panthers need a reinforcement, and they need one fast.

Jadeveon Clowney

Nic Scourton had five sacks as a rookie in Ejiro Evero's system. Sitting on the free agent heap is an edge rusher who had 5.5 sacks in Evero's system: Jadeveon Clowney. The veteran is not as good as Scourton, but the Panthers could do far worse than bringing him back a year after cutting him.

Haason Reddick

Speaking of former Panthers who could come back, Haason Reddick is available, too. He wasn't as good recently as Clowney, but the Panthers don't necessarily need someone to come in and rack up five sacks. They just need some help replacing Scourton in the aggregate, which Reddick can contribute to.

Kayvon Thibodeaux

Kayvon Thibodeaux may sound like a long-term answer to a short-term problem, but he's playing on his fifth-year option. The New York Giants say he's not available, but they have a surplus of edge rushers, and the Panthers have a need. Bringing him in for one year allows him to reset his value and help the Panthers. And if the Panthers want to keep him, you can never have too many edges.

Joey Bosa

Is Joey Bosa past his prime? Absolutely. Is he washed up? Probably. Would he still be a nice, cheap depth addition to a Panthers front suddenly reeling? Yes. Bosa can come off the bench and still impact the game, allowing everyone ahead of him to stay fresh. There are certainly far worse options on the market.

Josh Sweat

Josh Sweat already saw his name pop up in trade rumors. The Arizona Cardinals are rebuilding, so they'd likely be happy to get some draft capital for Sweat. The Panthers don't necessarily need to go all-out for an edge of his caliber, but he is a good player who could be available. Sometimes, that's what matters more than future roster calibration.

Add us as a preferred source on Google