Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that Jones reported “a little bit of tightness” on Sunday night, but after coming in Monday, he was sent for tests that revealed the extent of the damage.
“It’s a big one for us,” Canales said. “I know it may come as a shock because he was playing such awesome football throughout that game and was able to get through it, but it was something that as we continue to evaluate it and go through our process, popped up on us and we thought the best thing for him at this time was to make sure that we address that.
“It was something that it was something he woke up with Monday and he was in he was in a really bad spot, and so we just did the full evaluation and the imaging and all the things that go into that, and he was really upset and clearly because when he’s in there he’s such an impactful player for us, but I wanted to make sure that we did the right thing for Pat and and of course you know everyone in his camp, his family and his agent and people involved there making the right decision for Pat.”
Canales didn’t get into the specifics of the rotation behind him, but Scourton started the two games Jones missed with a hamstring injury earlier this year (Weeks 3 and 4). They also have Umanmielen (who has played mostly on passing downs but seen increased action against the run lately), special teamer Thomas Incoom, and practice squad outside linebacker Boogie Basham, who was activated for one game earlier this year.
“Great opportunity for all those guys to step in, and guys that we’ve been counting on who’ve been growing in their roles for second down, rush packages, all those things,” Canales said. “So fortunate to be able to have those guys have to play early. DJ missed a couple of games, so they stepped in and had their roles, and each week they keep improving. Every practice is a milestone. You can only imagine, at this point in their careers, adjusting to a system, adjusting to the NFL, each practice is a milestone, and every individual period is important, and every game certainly. So another great opportunity for those guys to come out and help the team.”