Scourton tears ACL as Panthers open training camp
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- Nic Scourton tore the ACL in his right knee during team drills on a wet field on the Panthers' first day of training camp Thursday, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Cameron Wolfe, and will seek a second opinion.
- Canales said the injury occurred as Scourton appeared to be engaged in a block with an offensive lineman; the entire roster and coaching staff walked over to hug Scourton individually before the cart took him to the training room.
- Scourton had been a key starter coming off a strong rookie season, finishing with 47 tackles, 5 sacks, and 9 quarterback hits across 17 games (8 starts) on Carolina's 15th-ranked defense.
- Bryce Young, who was near the play, praised Scourton's emergence as a defensive leader and energy-bringer in practice, while Canales expressed confidence in the team's depth to absorb a potential long-term absence.
- The Associated Press contributed to the report, and CBS Sports ran the same lead — torn ACL on Day 1 of camp — confirming the diagnosis as the consensus framing across coverage.
Why it matters: Carolina loses a rising defensive starter (5 sacks as a rookie) on the very first day of camp, forcing Canales to lean on depth he has been stockpiling. Every roster player stopping to hug Scourton before he left the field underscores both the human toll and the leadership vacuum the team must now fill at outside linebacker.
