Panthers starter not expected to play in Week 1 matchup vs. Bears
Carolina Panthers starting outside linebacker Pat Jones II is back on the road to recovery.
Jones was listed as a non-participant for Wednesday’s practice, with head coach Dave Canales citing the issue as a back injury. Canales told reporters that the setback is not related to the injury and subsequent surgery that kept Jones out of the team’s final 14 games of the 2025 campaign, describing it as “just an aggravation of a different side of it.”
“We were able to get ahead of it, treat it,” Canales stated. “We do not expect him to play this week. But he’ll be week to week, and we’re hoping that we can get him turned around pretty quickly. But again, with those issues, we gotta be smart about this and make sure that we’re bringing him back with the right cadence and making sure he’s ready to go.”
The Panthers signed Jones to a two-year, $15 million pact in the spring of 2025.
With Jones likely out of Sunday’s regular-season opener against the Chicago Bears, Carolina’s group of available outside linebackers includes Jaelan Phillips, Princely Umanmielen, Trevis Gipson, Thomas Incoom and Jeremiah Moon—who was signed back to the practice squad this morning.
Here’s Wednesday’s full injury report:
- OLB Pat Jones II (Back) | Wednesday: DNP
- DL Bobby Brown III (Back) | Wednesday: Limited
- RB Jonathon Brooks (groin) | Wednesday: Limited
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers starter not expected to play in Week 1 matchup vs. Bears