Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales made his desire to get his younger players more involved abundantly clear to his staff. Whether this comes to fruition or not is anyone's guess, especially on the defensive side of the football.
Ejiro Evero typically likes to rely on experienced players. If he's worked with them previously, that's even better. Unfortunately for the defensive coordinator, it hasn't brought anything like the required standards since his arrival.
The Panthers' run defense was an abomination once again in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They gave up 200 rushing yards, and their pass-rush was almost non-existent. That immediately resulted in calls from fans to give more playing time to the rookie duo of Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen.
Carolina Panthers must get rookie edge rusher Nic Scourton more involved in Week 2
Dan Morgan traded up twice on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft for Scourton and Umanmielen. They impressed over the summer, although the second-round pick's momentum was halted by a punctured lung during joint practice with the Houston Texans.
Scourton recovered quickly, but was only on the field for 18 snaps at EverBank Stadium. His 57.7 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus ranked 76th out of 134 qualifying edge defenders. The Texas A&M product's 52.6 run defense grade ranked 111th.
It was far from perfect. Even so, the flashes suggest that Scourton is more ready for significant responsibilities than Umanmielen. And the No. 51 overall selection is looking forward to earning more playing time once trust in his capabilities increases.
"I'm just told to be ready to go when it's time. So I think I'll play a little more snaps once I earn that trust."Nic Scourton via Panthers.com
That time should be now.
The Panthers are already free-falling after losing so convincingly to the Jaguars. Fans are becoming increasingly frustrated after years of perennial underachievement throughout David Tepper's ownership. Evero is taking some serious heat as expected, and speculation is growing about the defensive coordinator's future — even in the short-term — if significant improvements aren't made.
Evero isn't known for adjusting effectively. He's convinced of his contentious 3-4 base scheme, even if the same poor results keep coming up. His overreliance on veteran players will also be his undoing, so giving Scourton more playing time against the Arizona Cardinals could be worth its weight in gold.
Let's be honest, things couldn't get much worse. And who knows, perhaps it will come with a breakout from Scourton that nobody will see coming.