Not that you need to remind anyone who's been a fan of the Carolina Panthers after 2018—but when it rains, it pours. And just in case the fanbase had forgotten that fact, they had a heap of devastating news right at the start of this summer's training camp.

Second-year outside linebacker Nic Scourton was carted off the field on Thursday morning due to a knee injury. The 21-year-old, in what was described as a tough scene, was in tears as teammates comforted him prior to his departure.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Cameron Wolfe, tests have revealed that Scourton has sustained an ACL tear in his right knee. Per Rapoport, Scourton will undergo surgery in the coming weeks.

This would only be the latest blow in the injury department for the 2026 Panthers.

Only a few days prior, the team announced that right tackle Taylor Moton has been recovering from a blood clot in his lung. Moton's health is obviously more important than any of this, but he's expected to miss time into the regular season.

Oh, and Carolina is also dealing with setbacks to left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, defensive linemen Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown III and cornerback Jaycee Horn.

Just so we can keep it all straight, here's everything (injuries and placements) all in one spot:

• LT Ikem Ekwonu: Patellar tendon rupture (physically unable to perform list)

• RT Taylor Moton: Blood clot (non-football illness list)

• DL Tershawn Wharton: Neck (physically unable to perform list)

• DL Bobby Brown III: Hamstring (non-football injury list)

• OLB Nic Scourton: ACL tear (reported)

• CB Jaycee Horn: Toe (non-football injury list)

So, we're looking at five key pieces at the line of scrimmage currently out, plus their best defensive back and one of two proven cornerstone pieces for that unit.

While this an unqualified bummer, the silver lining around that gloomy cloud is that the Panthers have done a good job of investing resources at these positions regularly.

The situation at offensive tackle would be a total disaster waiting to happen if Carolina had not used a first-round pick on the always unsexy offensive tackle market, taking Monroe Freeling at 19th overall this past spring. They also got veteran left tackle Rasheed Walker at a sweet bargain in free agency.

Carolina has also continued to invest in their defensive trench, grabbing Texas Tech's Lee Hunter in the second round of the 2026 draft. His presence is already paying off with Wharton and Brown sidelined.

There's only so much an executive can do with this kind of bad luck this early in the year, but general manager Dan Morgan's team-building strategy is already being vindicated in some of the most important places.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Major injuries piling up fast for Panthers early in 2026