Panthers Sign Cam Gill After Nic Scourton Suffers Knee Injury at 1st Camp Practice

Q: With their star pass rusher out, did the Panthers just find his replacement in the UFL?

Not exactly. The Panthers moved quickly by signing Cam Gill after Nic Scourton’s right knee injury, but Gill looks more like an immediate depth and rotation answer than a true one-for-one replacement. Scourton was a major part of Carolina’s plans. The 2025 second-round pick had five sacks, 47 tackles and nine quarterback hits as a rookie, tied for the team lead in sacks, and was expected to start opposite Jaelan Phillips in 2026. His injury, reported as a torn ACL pending a second opinion, removes one of the defense’s most important young edge rushers. Gill does bring a strong recent résumé. He was the 2026 UFL Defensive Player of the Year after posting 11 sacks in 10 games for the Louisville Kings, along with 12 tackles for loss, 39 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He also already knows Carolina’s system after appearing in 10 games for the Panthers in 2024. But his NFL production has been modest compared with his UFL breakout. Across 50 regular-season NFL games with multiple teams, Gill has 51 tackles and 2.5 sacks. That suggests the Panthers are betting on his current form and familiarity, not that they have definitively replaced Scourton’s projected impact. The more realistic view is that Carolina found a credible emergency option from the UFL, not a proven long-term substitute. Gill gives the Panthers experience and pass-rush help, while the bigger burden now shifts to Phillips, Patrick Jones II and Princely Umanmielen.

3 articles · Updated · NBC Sports · Jul 23

Cam Gill agreed to terms with Carolina on Thursday, giving the Panthers an immediate roster replacement after outside linebacker Nic Scourton hurt his right knee in the team's first training camp practice.
Gill, 28, arrives after a dominant UFL stint with the Louisville Kings, where he posted a league-best 11 sacks in 10 games and won the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year award.
Carolina already knows Gill from his 2024 stint with the club, when he logged 22 tackles and four quarterback hits across 10 games.
Across 50 NFL regular-season games with the Panthers and Buccaneers, Gill has totaled 51 tackles and 2.5 sacks as Carolina moves quickly to shore up edge depth.