Nic Scourton left the field with a right knee injury on the first day of Panthers training camp. Jared C. Tilton / Getty ImagesJuly 23, 2026 Updated 12:07 pm EDTCHARLOTTE, N.C. — Carolina Panthers pass rusher Nic Scourton went down late during Thursday’s practice — the first of training camp — during team drills while rushing around the edge against the first-team offense.Players immediately went to a knee as trainers gathered around Scourton and examined his right knee. The cart then came out for Scourton, who had his head in his hands as he was being taken off the field. Before the cart left the practice facility, coach Dave Canales and every player on the field — including injured players not in uniform — hugged or shook hands with Scourton.“Honestly I haven’t (seen the play), I was looking at the other side of the field. I just heard him go down,” Canales said after practice. “They’re going to take him to get imaging this afternoon and we’ll have more information.”
Scourton was slated to start opposite free-agent acquisition Jaelan Phillips. If they lose him for any length of time, the onus will be on Patrick Jones and second-year player Princely Umanmielen to step up as pass rushers.Last season as a rookie, Scourton — the second-round pick out of Texas A&M — tied Derrick Brown for the team lead with five sacks. He played in all 17 games, starting eight, and finished with 47 tackles and seven tackles for loss.“You hate to see it anytime anybody gets injured,” rookie offensive tackle Monroe Freeling said. “I didn’t really see what happened, but I’m praying for him and I’m hoping he gets better. The whole team just kind of rallied around him and it just gives us more reason to fight to be a better team.”“They care about each other,” Canales said of the players surrounding Scourton. “Whenever you’re in a group of people doing something hard together, it has a way of creating a special bond. Between all the workouts and going through a full season and offseason and all that, it means something to the guys. I’m proud of that.”This story will be updatedJul 23, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
