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Panthers’ worst fears with Nic Scourton injury have been confirmed
Panthers’ worst fears with Nic Scourton injury have been confirmed
Michael MoraitisThu, July 23, 2026 at 8:46 PM UTC·2 min readJust one practice into training camp, the Carolina Panthers received a devastating blow for the 2026 NFL season thanks to an injury to edge rusher Nic Scourton.
According to NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe and Ian Rapoport, tests revealed Scourton suffered a torn ACL, which will keep him out for the entire 2026 season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementScourton suffered the injury during the Panthers’ first training camp practice on Thursday.
It was immediately clear that Scourton suffered a significant setback. He was reportedly in tears as he was carted off the field, and his teammates showed clear concern.
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A devastating blow for Panthers
The loss of Nic Scourton amounts to a massive hit for a Carolina Panthers’ defense that finished the 2025 season with 30 sacks, the third-fewest in the NFL.
A second-round pick of the Panthers in 2025, Scourton was the team’s most productive edge rusher during his rookie campaign with five sacks. A strong finish Indicated he was primed to break out in Year 2.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementNow, barring a second opinion providing a stunning result, we won’t see Scourton on the field again until 2027, as the recovery time for a torn ACL is typically about nine months.
With Scourton out, the Panthers now have to lean more heavily on their big-ticket free-agent acquisition, Jaelan Phillips, who signed a huge four-year, $120 million contract this offseason.
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What’s next for Panthers
When it comes to who will replace Scourton, that will be up for grabs between veteran Patrick Jones and second-year edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, but both of those players are question marks.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementJones only played in four games due to a back injury last season and has tallied more than the five sacks Scourton had in 2025 once in his five seasons.
Umanmielen was a third-round pick of the Panthers in 2025 and posted just 1.5 sacks during his rookie campaign, so the jury is still out on him.
The Panthers are likely to make an addition via trade or free agency. After all, this is a team with playoff aspirations.
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Some of the most prominent names left in free agency include Haason Reddick, Joey Bosa, Von Miller and Jadeveon Clowney.