Coach Todd Bowles said Monday that Nelson suffered a sprained knee in Sunday's loss to the Panthers, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Nelson played just three defensive snaps against Carolina before departing with the injury. On the season, the veteran edge rusher has recorded 38 tackles (21 solo), including 3.0 sacks, and a pair of pass breakups, including one interception. Chris Braswell and Jason Pierre-Paul will be candidates for increased playing time if Nelson needs to miss any further game action.