A year of growing pains just got a lot more painful for the Carolina Panthers.
As first reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Monday, inside linebacker Shaq Thompson sustained a tear of his Achilles tendon in yesterday’s 34-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The 30-year-old defender will now miss the remainder of the 2024 campaign, making this the second straight season in which his efforts have been cut short by injury.
So, what does this mean for the Panthers and for Thompson moving forward?
Here are three takeaways from the loss of yet another team leader:
Capt’d out
In addition to being an unquestioned leader, Thompson was voted as one of four team captains for the 2024 season. The other three? Quarterback Bryce Young, defensive lineman Derrick Brown and safety/special teams ace Sam Franklin Jr.
But now that Thompson is down, Carolina probably won’t have any of their captains on the field for the foreseeable future. Young has been benched in favor of veteran Andy Dalton, Brown sustained a season-ending injury of his own and Franklin Jr. is still recovering from the broken foot he picked up during training camp.
The Panthers may not be able to hand out any more of those ‘C’ patches, but they will need some vets to step up in the vacated leadership roles on the field—especially for the sake of their struggling defense.
Trev-in
Speaking of stepping up, rookie linebacker Trevin Wallace seems to be the favorite to replace Thompson in the starting lineup.
The third-round pick turned quite a few heads this offseason, displaying his eye-opening athleticism during spring and summer workouts. While Thompson has been rock-solid, even in 2024, he does not have the big-play ability that’s brewing up in the promising 21-year-old.
Wallace was drafted, presumably, as the succession plan to Thompson. That succession plan, however, is set to begin a bit earlier than expected and could see the youngster bring a fresh and much-needed spark in the takeaway department.
Is this it?
We may have seen the final snap for Shaq, at least in Carolina.
Thompson is slated to become a free agent at season’s end, putting his future with a changing organization in question. The Panthers certainly value Thompson’s presence and play, but an 11th year in black and blue feels rather unlikely given the team’s direction.
If this is indeed it for Thompson, who has already vowed to return to the field, the Achilles tear is an unfortunate end to what’s been an admirable and well-respected run in Charlotte for the 2015 first-round pick.
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