The Carolina Panthers just can't seem to catch a break ahead of the 2026 NFL season. Not having Ikem Ekwonu for the beginning of the year was an unfortunate given, but the Taylor Moton news hit incredibly hard before head coach Dave Canales' team hit the field for padded practices at training camp.
And the blows kept coming when Carolina finally got between the lines, as young star edge rusher Nic Scourton cruelly tore his ACL on the first day of practice. Not only is this a gut-wrenching loss for the Panthers' defensive front, but also for the morale of a team relying on a great young overall presence.
Replacing Scourton will be impossible, especially at this point in the offseason. Calling an old friend like Yetur Gross-Matos may be the best that the Panthers can do, seeing as it isn't Dan Morgan's style to give up capital in a trade. So, Carolina has some thinking to do about how to mitigate this disaster.
No line of thinking, however, should lead them to Von Miller, who is undoubtedly the "best," or at least most notable, option currently on the open market.
Carolina Panthers can't let Nic Scourton injury lead them down the road to Von Miller
Let's look at the bright side with Miller: He still recorded nine sacks last season on a Washington Commanders line that didn't provide him much help. And Miller is uniquely motivated to move up the all-time sacks list, as he has broadcast multiple times this offseason.
While Miller could certainly show youngsters like Princely Umanmielen a thing or two, and he'd be a great resource for Jaelan Phillips and Patrick Jones II, the Panthers need someone who fits their timeline a bit better. Miller is 37 years old, after all.
Yes, he and Ejiro Evero overlapped for a year with the Los Angeles Rams, but that isn't enough to move the needle. Carolina has a young core that needs every rep it can get, and in the long run, the Panthers would be better off letting other players develop than squeezing what they can out of Miller.
Again, there is no replacing Scourton, so Evero's group must do so in the aggregate. Throwing an aging veteran into the mix, particularly after padded practices have already started, doesn't exactly scream "cohesion."
Carolina is better off hedging its bets on the $120 million investment it made in Phillips, seeing if Jones can bounce back, and giving Umanmielen a longer runway to build off a rookie year in which he wasn't particularly impressive overall but certainly had his moments.
Plus, with a strong interior pass rush and a secondary that is equipped to make opposing quarterbacks hold the ball, the Panthers don't need a Von Miller-like investment in the room. Add a younger player, a depth piece or a rental who has more experience with the coaching staff.
But just don't go down the Von Miller route.
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