Carolina Panthers training camp opened this week with a scare. Right tackle Taylor Moton will start camp on the reserve/non-football injury list after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his lung, the team announced Tuesday.
Doctors found the clot in late June. Moton was put on blood thinners right away. According to the Panthers, he’s responding well to treatment and getting checked daily by the team’s medical staff.
He’s expected to miss the start of the regular season. The team says he should return to the field at some point in 2026.
Moton has been the steady piece up front in Charlotte for nearly a decade. Since Carolina took him in the second round of the 2017 draft, he’s started 128 of the 145 games he’s played. Last season he started 15 of 16 games, missing time with a knee injury in Week 9 against Green Bay but still logging three special-teams snaps that week. He’s played opposite left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who is also working back from injury this offseason.
Blood clots in the lung, known medically as pulmonary embolisms, have sidelined other NFL players in recent seasons, including Saints receiver Chris Olave. Players on the reserve/NFI list must miss at least four regular-season games before they’re eligible to return, according to Yardbarker.
Carolina isn’t walking into camp without a plan up front. The team signed veteran left tackle Rasheed Walker in free agency and used its first-round pick on Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling, moves that now look timely with two projected starters sidelined to open camp.
Horn Also Starts Camp on NFI List
Moton wasn’t the only projected starter held out. Cornerback Jaycee Horn will also open camp on the NFI list after cutting his foot badly enough to need stitches. Unlike Moton’s situation, Horn’s absence is expected to be short. The team said he should be back early in camp.
Horn, a two-time Pro Bowler, started all 16 games he played last season and set a career high with five interceptions. Carolina still has options behind him, including veteran Mike Jackson and rookie Will Lee, a fourth-round pick.
Cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau was also placed on the reserve/NFI list, the team confirmed.
| Player | Position | Status | 2025 Stat Line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Moton | RT | Reserve/NFI — blood clot | 15 of 16 games started |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | Reserve/NFI — foot, expected back early | 16 starts, career-high 5 INTs |
| Jaylon Guilbeau | CB | Reserve/NFI | — |
Around the League: Dolphins Lock Up Jordyn Brooks
Miami made its own camp-week move. Linebacker Jordyn Brooks agreed to a three-year, $51.3 million extension that includes $35 million guaranteed, agent Erik Burkhardt told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Schefter posted the news on X: “Miami Dolphins and LB Jordyn Brooks have agreed to a 3-yr $51.3 million extension with $35m guaranteed, per @ErikBurkhardt of @RocNationSports.” —
Miami Dolphins and LB Jordyn Brooks have agreed to a 3-yr $51.3 million extension with $35m guaranteed, per @ErikBurkhardt of @RocNationSports.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 21, 2026
Brooks earned his first All-Pro nod last season after leading the league with 183 combined tackles. He’s now the third Dolphins “pillar” locked up this offseason, following extensions for running back De’Von Achane and center Aaron Brewer, according to ESPN.
Other Camp Moves
- Lions: Tight end Sam LaPorta, who had surgery last season for a herniated disc, has been fully cleared for training camp, according to ESPN.
- Dolphins: Third-round pick Chris Bell, still working back from a torn ACL suffered in college, was placed on the active/non-football injury list.
- Patriots: Running back Terrell Jennings joined the active/NFI list, while tight end CJ Dippre and linebacker Harold Landry were placed on the active/physically unable to perform list.
- Browns: Cleveland signed cornerback Damarri Mathis and waived cornerback Dom Jones after he failed his physical.
- Seahawks: Seattle signed cornerback Brandon Johnson.
