Tershawn Wharton only played in nine games during his first season with the Carolina Panthers, and it appears as though he won’t return to the field any time soon. Originally entering the league as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft, the Missouri S&T product spent his early years as a rotational depth piece on a talented Kansas City Chiefs defensive line. With Chris Jones and Derrick Nnadi ahead of him on the depth chart, he didn’t have the opportunity to truly break out until 2024.
Appearing in 17 games while making 10 starts, the defensive tackle finished the season with 6.5 sacks, 29 tackles, seven tackles-for-loss, 11 quarterback hits, and a 60.8 PFF grade. While Kansas City continued to use him in a rotational role, he helped the Chiefs reach yet another Super Bowl. The Carolina Panthers bet that he could maintain that production in a larger role and signed Tershawn Wharton to a three-year, $54 million contract. Unfortunately, toe and hamstring injuries limited him to just nine games during his first season with the team, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll return to the field any time soon.
Tershawn Wharton Injury
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Tershawn Wharton Injury Update: Panthers DT Out Indefinitely (Neck)
According to Joe Person of The Athletic, Tershawn Wharton is “out indefinitely” after receiving neck surgery this past month. This report came relatively out of the blue, as the two-time Super Bowl champion did not have a reported neck injury during the 2025 season. However, some issues clearly popped up, and Carolina and Wharton had no choice but to immediately address the issue.
While Tershawn Wharton is nowhere close to returning to the field, Person added that he is expected to play at some point in the 2026 season. Neck injuries are obviously incredibly severe by nature, but the fact that Carolina still expects Wharton to play is good news for his long-term future.
Carolina will hopefully get a better version of Tershawn Wharton when the defensive tackle eventually returns to the field, as he did not impress during his first season with the team. Limited to nine games by a series of injuries, the longtime Chief finished his first season in Carolina with two sacks, 36 tackles, two tackles-for-loss, three quarterback hits, and a 43.0 PFF grade, the 115th-best mark out of 127 eligible players. Again, it’s worth mentioning that this came in a small sample and Wharton was likely playing through multiple injuries, but it’s still not what the Panthers signed up for.
The NFC South Race
If the Panthers can get the Kansas City version of Tershawn Wharton down the stretch, it could go a long way in helping this team repeat as NFC South champions. While Carolina won the division and hosted a playoff game, they did it with an 8-9 record, which probably won’t be good enough to claim the NFC South in 2026. Fortunately, the defense should be better thanks to big-name additions like edge rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd. The offense, meanwhile, should see some growth as Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan, and Jalen Coker have another year of experience under their belts.
Unfortunately, the rest of the division has reason for optimism as well. The New Orleans Saints won four of their last five games with quarterback Tyler Shough under center, and now he has a full offseason to prepare as the starting quarterback and has another first-round weapon in Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson. The Atlanta Falcons, meanwhile, upgraded at head coach by hiring Kevin Stefanski. Tershawn Wharton won’t singlehandedly win the division for the Panthers, but he could solidify the trenches and help Carolina hold their own against stronger competition.
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