Report: Panthers starter undergoes neck surgery, out indefinitely
The Panthers may be without one of their starting defensive lineman to begin the 2026 season.
The Carolina Panthers may be without a starting defender for at least some of the 2026 season. According to Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer , defensive lineman Tershawn Wharton recently underwent neck surgery and is expected to begin the summer on the physically unable to perform list. Per Kaye, Wharton may still play at some point this upcoming campaign.
After losing out on former Philadelphia Eagle and current New England Patriot Milton Williams in free agency last spring, the Panthers pivoted and signed Wharton to a three-year, $45 million deal. He spent his first five seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, making 22 starts over 81 career regular-season contests. Wharton’s first campaign in Carolina was marred by injury, as he missed eight of their 18 games due to hamstring and toe issues.
He ended up starting in each of his 10 outings, recording 38 combined tackles and a pair of sacks. Outside of Wharton, the Panthers’ depth chart along the defensive line includes Pro Bowler Derrick Brown, 2026 second-round pick Lee Hunter, fellow 2024 free-agent signee Bobby Brown III, Cam Jackson, LaBryan Ray and Jared Harrison-Hunte. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Report: Panthers DL Tershawn Wharton to miss time after neck surgery