Panthers confirm season-ending injury for LB Shaq Thompson following loss to Bengals

Need more Panthers news? Get exclusive insights into the Carolina Panthers this upcoming season with our free Access Panthers newsletter. Every week on Monday and Saturday. Sign-up here.

The Carolina Panthers are dealing with another season-ending injury on defense.

Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson was carted off the sideline during the second half of Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. On Monday, the team confirmed that Thompson tore his Achilles during the Panthers’ fourth game of the season.

Thompson, 30, was the only active permanent captain on the field during the Week 4 matchup. Defensive end Derrick Brown has been on injured reserve since Week 2 due to a season-ending knee injury. Special teams ace Sam Franklin has been on injured reserve since the cut-down deadline in August due to a broken foot. Offensive captain and QB Bryce Young was benched following Week 2 in favor of veteran Andy Dalton.

With Thompson missing the remainder of the season, this is the second consecutive campaign to see Thompson’s year end in September at Bank of America Stadium. He sustained a broken fibula in last year’s home-opener in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints.

Thompson’s location of injury is also notable because he has been the locker room’s loudest critic of the team’s home turf, which was implemented in 2021. Thompson and others have spoken about the safety impact of turf versus grass, with the latter being the nearly universal preference for NFL players.

Thompson sustained his injury against Cincinnati — which was initially categorized as a heel ailment — while dropping into coverage against the Bengals, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. The injury didn’t occur on contact, as Thompson was nowhere near his teammates or opponents in coverage. He limped off the field and spent several minutes in the team’s medical tent on the sideline before being driven off the sideline on the back of a cart.

Fellow starting linebacker Josey Jewell (groin/hamstring) left the field on the same drive due to injury. Both veterans were replaced by rookie Trevin Wallace — the team’s third-round draft choice — and Claudin Cherelus — a special teams ace — for the rest of the game.

According to head coach Dave Canales, Wallace and Cherelus will replace Thompson and Jewell for the foreseeable future. Wallace, in particular, is destined for a bigger role.

Thompson is in the final year of his contract with the Panthers. He previously reworked his deal and took a pay cut prior to the 2023 season.

Quick hits

▪ Canales said the team won’t open up the 21-day practice windows for running back Jonathon Brooks (knee/NFI) and outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum (quad/PUP) this week. However, Canales said he expects to see cornerback Dane Jackson (hamstring/IR), tight end Ian Thomas (calf/IR) and defensive end Jaden Crumedy (ankle/IR) in practice in Week 5.

▪ The Panthers made a trio of practice squad moves on Monday. The team re-signed wide receiver/returner Deven Thompkins and tight end Stephen Sullivan to the practice squad and released wide receiver Sam Pinckney from the practice roster. Thompkins and Sullivan were both injured during training camp. They both received injury settlements which had timelines that expired on Sunday, enabling them to rejoin the team. Pinckney was signed last week to make up for the loss of Adam Thielen in practice.

▪ The following rookies made their NFL debuts on Sunday against the Bengals: C Andrew Raym, CB Shemar Bartholomew, WR Jalen Coker and DB Demani Richardson. All four players were undrafted in April, and Raym, Coker and Richardson spent the entire offseason — including training camp and the preseason — with Carolina.

▪ Pass rusher Thomas Incoom played 11 snaps on defense, while defensive end DeShawn Williams played 26 snaps on defense. Both were elevated from the practice squad on Saturday. Both are likely to play in the coming weeks with the Panthers’ injury woes.