Former Vikings Pass Rusher Lost for the Season
The Carolina Panthers’ season is steadily climbing to the tune of a 3-3 record after six games, but they’ll embark on the rest of the ride without former Minnesota Vikings pass rusher Patrick Jones II.
Down in Carolina, with the Panthers, one ex-Vikings outside linebacker will hit the shelf for the rest of the 2025 regular season, a sad blow.
Jones II hit injured reserve on Wednesday, signaling the end of his first year outside of Minnesota.
Bad News for Ex-Vikings EDGE Patrick Jones II
The Panthers will need different sources to rush the passer.
Patrick Jones II to IR
Unfortunately, that’s all she wrote on Jones II’s fifth season in the pros.
Panthers.com‘s Darin Gantt wrote Wednesday, “Panthers head coach Dave Canales said that outside linebacker Patrick Jones II would miss the rest of the season because of a back injury that will require surgery. Canales said after Jones had imaging done Monday, the determination was made that he’d need surgery. Jones played the full game Sunday against the Cowboys, but was the only player held out of practice on Wednesday.”
“The 27-year-old Jones missed two games earlier this year with a hamstring. He had a key sack late into the win over the Dolphins earlier this year. Without him, rookie Nic Scourton will step into a more prominent role in the defense. The second-rounder has steadily played more snaps as the year progressed. He started the two games Jones missed earlier this year against the Falcons and Patriots.”
With 161 snaps to his name this season, Jones II had tabulated a 62.2 Pro Football Focus grade, 10 pressures, and a sack.
Sights Turn to 2026 for Jones II
Jones II signed a two-year, $10 million contract back in March, making him one of Minnesota’s main free-agent departures from the 2025 offseason. He’s under contract for one more year in Carolina, so he’ll use the next 10.5 months to heal and set his sights on a return at the start of the 2026 regular season, assuming he encounters no major setbacks.
In the meantime, the Panthers’ defense ranks 20th in the NFL per DVOA, now forced to consult other solutions for Jones II’s spot, especially as he had performed quite well during his first month and a half with a new team.
The Panthers’ OLBs without Jones II
Those solutions, if they’re in-house, Carolina has about five options. Here’s the OLB room after Jones II’s IR fate:
- D.J Wonnum
- Nic Scourton
- Princely Umanmielen
- Thomas Incoom
- Boogie Basham (Practice Squad)
- Patrick Jones II (IR)
Otherwise, if Carolina believes in its heart of hearts that it can contend for a playoff spot, the league’s trade deadline is 20 days away. General manager Dan Morgan could ship a mid- or late-round draft pick elsewhere for a mid-tier pass rusher.
On the free-agent market, these players remain available:
- Tyus Bowser
- John Cominsky
- Carl Lawson
- Yannick Ngakoue
- Janarius Robinson
- DeMarcus Walker
Career with the Vikings
Minnesota drafted Jones II in Round 3 four years ago during former general manager Rick Spielman’s final hurrah. He stuck around for the duration of his rookie contract, used mostly as a reserve EDGE and popping up every now and then for consistent stretches.
Jones produced 24 quarterback pressures and 7 sacks in 2024, emerging as one of Minnesota’s more unexpected bright spots on defense. Alongside Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard, he performed so well that rookie pass rusher Dallas Turner saw fewer opportunities than expected — a testament to how productive the veteran rotation became as the season unfolded.
Panthers.com on Life after Jones II
The aforementioned Gantt wrote about the Panthers’ revised OLB plan, “Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, the team’s second- and third-round picks, were assigned veteran mentors as soon as they walked in the door, so they’ve gotten to know Jones and D.J. Wonnum at a deep level for people who have been together such a short time.”
“So for Scourton, news like this hits in a way that supersedes the added responsibilities on defense he has to take on now. They’ve spent enough time together that they know each other’s habits. And Scourton said that after getting to know Jones the way he has, it didn’t surprise him that he finished the game.”
It now works out well that Carolina used two of its first three draft picks in April on pass rushers — Scourton and Umanmielen.
“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,” Gantt continued.
“After playing a total of 40 snaps in his first two games as he adapted to the league, Scourton had to immediately ramp that up, playing a combined 100 in the next two as a starter. Even with Jones back the last two weeks, he was still on the field around 60 percent of the time, and said with those reps, he’s feeling much more certain in his movements than at the beginning of the season.”
The Panthers play at the New York Jets this Sunday and are expected to win by a point or two.
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