One Crucial Panthers Player Poised to Step Up in Wake of Injuries

The 2026 season opener for Dave Canales’s club is just nine days away. The Carolina Panthers will host the Chicago Bears in a clash of teams that rebounded from 5-12 finishes the previous season to win division titles in 2025.

Earlier this week, Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus singled out 10 players who need to rise to the occasion this upcoming season after not making a real impact a year ago. When it comes to Canales’s team and specifically defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s unit, Locker’s focus is on second-year pass rusher Princely Umanmielen.

Panthers will be without 2025 rookie standout Nic Scourton

Scourton and Umanmielen — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“The Panthers have been victimized by injury arguably more than any other team before the season has begun,” stated Locker, “losing both starting tackles for the initial weeks of the year as well as second-year edge defender Nic Scourton due to a torn ACL. Now, players like Umanmielen will be asked to do even more.”

Carolina will be relying on 2026 free-agent addition Rasheed Walker and rookie Monroe Freeling to fill the voids left by left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and right tackle Taylor Moton, respectively. Meanwhile, the Panthers will need a whole lot more from a player who played in 17 of the team’s 18 overall games this past season but never made a start.

Edge Princely Umanmielen didn’t make much of an impact as a rookie

“A third-round pick in 2025,” explained Locker, “Umanmielen had a tough time acclimating in his rookie campaign. Over 235 snaps, he posted just a 49.5 overall PFF grade. Umanmielen’s PFF pass-rush and run-defense grades both fell below the 24th percentile as well. Down Scourton and his 37 pressures, Umanmielen will be tasked with offering complementary pass-rush next to big-ticket addition Jaelan Phillips.”

The 6’4”, 244-pound product who spent 2024 with Ole Miss (after 4 years at the University of Florida) finished his debut season in the NFL with 20 defensive stops, 1.5 sacks, four QB hits, and a forced fumble. He also added four tackles and a fumble recovery on special teams. With the Rebels, he totaled 37 tackles, 10.5 sacks, and a forced fumble while returning a fumble for a touchdown.

Princely Umanmielen needs to step up his game this season

Every pass rush rep from Panthers edge Princely Umanmielen in preseason week 2#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/DsVY6rrlF9
— The Real Ball Watcher (@thaRBW) August 16, 2026

Of course, Scourton enjoyed a solid rookie campaign which saw him play in every game, with eight starts. He finished with 47 tackles in 17 regular-season outings, tied for the team lead in sacks (5.0) with Derrick Brown and totaled nine quarterback hits—second only to Brown (11) on the club.

The Panthers’ pass rush made some strides this past season but this is still a club that has totaled the fewest sacks in the league (89) since 2023. The addition of Phillips is huge, but Canales needs Umanmielen to take a big step forward after a disappointing rookie season.

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