The Carolina Panthers lost Nic Scourton to an ACL tear.
Carolina Panthers LB Nic Scourton suffered a torn ACL during Thursday's practice.
He was placed on injured reserve before practice Friday morning in a somber move.
While speaking to reporters about the Scourton injury, Panthers head coach Dave Canales became emotional.
"Just a, a horrible loss for us," Canales said, via Panthers.com. "Just as a guy, as a leader, as a young guy to be able to be a leader because of how he represents himself. But all the guys are supporting him. We have guys who have been through this, and they've all just said, we got him, and we'll be following along with him."
Scourton had a productive rookie season. He put up five sacks, 20 solo tackles, seven tackles for loss and nine QB hits.
Carolina drafted Scourton with the 51st overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The 21-year-old played in all 17 regular-season games in 2025, helping the Panthers win the NFC South.
"Just an outpouring of love and care for their guy," Canales said. "Especially when a guy like Nic comes in as a rookie and works the way he works and adapts great habits, study habits, work habits on the field, everything that we dream about in terms of the front office, the types of guys that we want here. Nic embodies that and makes plays on Sundays.
"But just his impact on his teammates, the bond that they're creating in that rush room, in the outside linebacker room with (position coach) AC Carter, it was special. And then, of course, it was the other positions too, and guys that came out and know how hard he's been working and how excited he was for this season. I was really, really happy to allow that moment, that opportunity in practice where we could go on to the next drill or we can take this time right here to, to go and make sure we send him some love, as we know he's got a road coming back."
This is a major loss for the Panthers, who have a tough 2026 schedule. They face the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.
Even though the Panthers won the NFC South title last season, they finished with a sub-.500 record and needed help in Week 18 to win the division. Canales and Co. must prove next season that they didn't just benefit from playing in the league's weakest division.
