Panthers pass rusher Nic Scourton injured, carted off field during first training camp practice

Mike Kaye, The Charlotte Observer on Jul 23, 2026

Published in Football

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nic Scourton failed to make it through the final whistle of the Carolina Panthers’ first training camp practice on Thursday in Charlotte.

The second-year outside linebacker suffered a right knee injury during a team drill and remained stationary on the field for several minutes as his right leg was examined by trainers. He was eventually transported from the field to Bank of America Stadium in the front seat of a medical cart.

Before he was transported off the field, the entire roster approached the cart to console Scourton. Head coach Dave Canales initially stopped drills while Scourton was being looked over by trainers and then stopped team drills on another field to make sure Scourton was checked on by his teammates.

“Obviously, it just happened — don’t know all the details,” quarterback Bryce Young said. “But Nic’s our brother. When you see someone down, it’s just — first off, it’s just human nature — we all care, we all free for him. Obviously, as athletes, we’re all just praying for him. We all are there for him. It speaks to how we all are in the locker room.”

Following practice, Canales declined to speculate on the injury, but did confirm that Scourton will undergo imaging on his right knee. Canales said he would provide an update when possible.

“You hate to see it any time somebody gets injured,” rookie right tackle Monroe Freeling said. “I didn’t really see what happened, but I’m praying for him and hoping he gets better. And the whole team is just going to rally around him and just gives more of a reason to fight to be a better team.”

Scourton, 21, co-led the Panthers with five sacks as a rookie last season. The pass rusher, who split his college career between Purdue and Texas A&M, was a second-round pick in 2025, and he worked his way up the depth chart to become a mid-season starter as a rookie.

Scourton entered his second training camp as a starter opposite high-priced free-agent addition, Jaelan Phillips. If Scourton were to miss time, he’d likely be replaced by veteran Pat Jones, who was limited to four games last year due to a notable back injury. The team also has 2025 holdovers Princely Umanmielen, Thomas Incoom and Trevis Gipson to fill out the outside linebacker depth chart.