Panthers lose star edge rusher after first training camp practice

The New Orleans Saints saw one of their NFC South rivals significantly weakened on the defensive side on Thursday. Carolina Panthers edge rusher Nic Scourton suffered an ACL injury during practice with the team on Thursday and will miss the entire 2026 NFL season. This was first reported by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. The Athletic's Joseph Person observed Scourton being carted off during team drills at Panthers practice on Thursday. Trainers were focused on Scourton's right knee. Later in the day, it was determined that Scourton had suffered an ACL tear that will cost him his entire season.

After earning a first team All-SEC selection in 2024 with the Texas A&M Aggies, Scourton was drafted 51st overall in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Scourton tied for the 2025 Panthers team lead with 5 sacks as a rookie. He had 15 pressures and 9 QB hits while adding a forced fumble and 7 tackles for loss among his 47 total stops. In two games against the Saints last season, Scourton had 1.5 sacks and 5 QB pressures. New Orleans won both games. However, the Panthers would win the NFC South with an 8-9 record before going on to lose to the Los Angeles Rams, 34-31, in the first round of the NFL playoffs.