Panthers’ Shaq Thompson looks set to miss the season with a torn Achilles tendon: source

The Carolina Panthers believe linebacker Shaq Thompson has torn his Achilles tendon and will miss the remainder of the season, a league source said Monday.

Thompson suffered the injury during a non-contact play in Sunday’s 34-24 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He was carted to the locker room.

Thompson admitted his injury on Instagram on Monday.

Thompson was named the team’s best player (79.5) in the loss to Cincinnati, according to Pro Football Focus. He recorded five tackles and 1 1/2 fumbles in the Week 4 loss. Through the first four games of the 2024 season, Thompson was the team’s leading tackler (35). He was also the team’s leading tackler in 2022. Thompson played in just two games last season after suffering a broken fibula in Week 2.

The top-rated Panthers in Week 4 vs. the Bengals:

🥇 Shaq Thompson – 79.5
🥈 Andy Dalton – 79.1
🥉 Diontae Johnson – 71.5
🏅 Chuba Hubbard – 69.5
🏅 Jadeveon Clowney – 69.1

(at least 25 snapshots) pic.twitter.com/B0GaOSdLOD

— PFF CAR Panthers (@PFF_Panthers) September 30, 2024

What it means for Thompson and the team

The 30-year-old Thompson is one of the last ties to the Panthers’ 2015 Super Bowl team, when he played alongside Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis as a rookie. Thompson has never been to a Pro Bowl, but he is one of the Panthers’ emotional leaders and had four consecutive 100-tackle seasons from 2019-2022. However, this is the second straight year Thompson has suffered a season-ending injury in September: The 2015 first-rounder broke his fibula in Week 2 of 2023.

Thompson, the Panthers’ senior position player, will serve as injured reserve alongside Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown, leaving a gaping hole in the middle of Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 defense. Because Thompson has voidable years at the end of his contract, he will become a free agent after this season. — Joseph Person, Panthers beat writer

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How do the Panthers replace him?

General manager Dan Morgan may actually have to replace both interior defenders after Josey Jewell left the Bengals’ game with groin and hamstring injuries. The extent of Jewell’s injuries is not yet known. At the end of Sunday’s game, the two inside spots were filled by Claudin Cherelus, who is more of a special teams player, and rookie Trevin Wallace. The Panthers will look for outside help but expect to see what they have in Wallace, a third-round pick out of Kentucky whose snaps have been limited so far. — person

Shaq Thompson has been the loudest advocate for the Panthers to bring turf back to BoA Stadium.
It will be interesting to hear whether he thinks the turf played a role. https://t.co/PC3N2BUQqm

— Joe Person (@josephperson) September 30, 2024

Required reading

(Photo: Matt Kelley/Getty Images)