Scourton suffered an injury during the first day of practice, and his outlook for the 2026 season is in question.
The Carolina Panthers suffered a devastating injury during Day 1 of training camp.
Rising star and outside linebacker Nic Scourton, was seen in clear pain after suffering a lower body injury and had to be carted off, according to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe.
Wolfe reported that Scourton was unable to put any pressure on his right leg, indicating its significance. He was in tears as he was driven off, while teammates were clearly emotional.
Ian Rapoport followed up that Scourton will undergo an MRI this afternoon to determine the severity. Head coach Dave Canales opted not to speculate on the severity of the injury, however.
Yet, given the reactions from both Scourton and the team, the mind immediately goes to the worst-case scenario.
For a team like Carolina that snuck into the playoffs last season, and was hoping to build off its success, the loss of Scourton is a massive blow.
Scourton, a Purdue product before transferring to Texas A&M in 2024, was a second round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and made an incredible impact in his rookie year. He totaled five sacks with 47 total tackles, nine quarterback hits, seven tackles for loss, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
Carolina was prepared to roll out Scourton on a highly improved linebacker core after dishing out hefty contracts to newcomers Jaelan Phillips and Devin Lloyd.
Scourton quickly became a favorite for Canales this past season, with him saying that Scourton was one of Carolina’s hardest workers in practice.
“I think that’s just kind of who I am,” Scourton told Panthers.com. “You know, I practice hard. You know I work hard too, because I feel like that’s where you get better, and that’s how it translates. Obviously, I mean it’s just, it’s a lot, the transition from the NFL to college is a lot, and I mean I’m just trying to keep those same habits and standards that I had in college that made me a good player, so I guess it’s kind of always been me.”
The Panthers’ preseason begins early on August 6 against the Arizona Cardinals for the NFL Hall of Fame game.
