The Panthers placed Scourton (knee) on injured reserve Friday.
Scourton tore his ACL during the first practice of training camp, ending his 2026 season before it began. Cam Gill was added to the roster in the wake of Scourton's injury. The Panthers will also continue to monitor the edge-rusher market for additional help at the position.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Suffers ACL tear
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Scourton (knee) suffered a torn ACL injury in practice Thursday and will miss the 2026 season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The 2025 second-round linebacker had a productive rookie campaign, totaling 47 tackles (20 solo), including 5.0 sacks, across 17 regular-season games. With the starting pass rusher unable to help the Panthers defend the NFC South title, Patrick Jones, Princely Umanmielen and Trevis Gipson likely will be asked to step up and assist the defense throughout the 2026 season.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Injures knee in practice
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Scourton was carted off the field with a right knee injury during Thursday's practice, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Coach Dave Canales confirmed after practice that Scourton will undergo further testing on the injured right knee, per Joe Person of The Athletic. A second-round pick last year, Scourton appeared in all 17 regular-season games as a rookie, making eight starts, and piled up 47 tackles (20 solo), including 5.0 sacks, on 68 percent of the defensive snaps. He's expected to play a more prominent role in his second season and is a defender Carolina can't afford to lose to a serious injury off the edge.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Productive rookie campaign
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Scourton recorded 47 total tackles (20 solo), including 5.0 sacks, one pass defensed and one forced fumble across 17 regular-season games in 2025.
Scourton, a 2025 second-round pick from Texas A&M, emerged as Carolina's most productive pass rusher during his rookie campaign. He led the team in pressures (34), tied for the team lead in sacks (5.0) and ranked second on the defense in tackles for loss (seven). Among rookie edge rushers, Scourton led the group with 47 total tackles while finishing with the third-most sacks as well. He was a major reason for the Panthers' defensive improvements this season and is expected to remain the team's top edge rusher following the 2025 playoff run.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Notches sack vs. Seahawks
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Scourton tallied four total tackles (one solo), including 1.0 sacks, and forced a fumble during Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Seahawks.
Scourton was one of three Panthers to get after the quarterback during Sunday's loss, notching a strip-sack on Sam Darnold in the second quarter that set up a game-tying field goal. Scourton, a 2025 second-round pick from Texas A&M, has now tallied 42 total tackles, including 4.5 sacks, one pass defensed and one forced fumble over 16 appearances this season. He's expected to remain a crucial part of Carolina's defensive line in the Week 18 matchup against the Buccaneers.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Production contunes ticking up
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Scourton recorded five tackles (three solo) with one tackle for loss in Sunday's 30-27 win over the Falcons.
Scourton has topped 70 percent of defensive snaps in three straight games, a threshold he had reached only twice in his first eight contests. He's also been a disruptive force of late, logging a sack and a tackle for loss across his last two games.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Sacks Shough in Week 10 loss
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Scourton posted four tackles (two solo), including 1.0 sacks, during the Panthers' 17-7 loss to the Saints on Sunday.
Scourton took down Tyler Shough for an eight-yard sack early in the fourth quarter, which resulted in a turnover on downs for the Saints' offense. The rookie second-rounder is now up to 3.0 sacks on the season, all of which have come over his last four games.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Continues producing in Week 8
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Scourton recorded five total tackles (two solo), including 0.5 sacks, during Sunday's 40-9 loss to the Bills.
The 2025 second-round pick from Texas A&M continues to impress while filling in for the injured Patrick Jones (back). Across the Panthers' last two games, Scourton has logged seven pressures and 2.0 sacks, emerging as one of the team's top edge rushers. He's expected to continue starting opposite D.J. Wonnum in the Week 9 matchup against the Packers.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Breaks out vs. Jets
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Scourton tallied two total tackles (one solo), including 1.5 sacks, during Sunday's 13-6 win over the Jets.
With Patrick Jones (back) expected to miss the remainder of the season, Scourton drew a start and played a larger role on the Panthers' defense in Week 7. The 2025 second-round pick from Texas A&M made a huge impact rushing the passer, tallying six pressures and 1.5 sacks. He's now recorded 11 total tackles, including 1.5 sacks, and one pass defended across his first seven NFL games. Following Sunday's performance, Scourton is expected to remain an integral part of the Panthers' pass rush as the season progresses.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Resumes practicing
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Scourton (chest) returned to practice Wednesday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.
Scourton suffered a collapsed lung Aug. 16 and was considered week-to-week at the time. However, he returned to practice fairly quickly and received around 50 percent of the reps. While that's a positive sign for his Week 1 availability against Jacksonville, it will be worth monitoring his practice participation in the coming week.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Likely to sit Saturday
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Scourton (illness) is not expected to play in Saturday's preseason game against the Texans, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Scourton isn't in line to play Saturday due to heat-related symptoms. The rookie second-rounder was able to overcome a hamstring injury to play in the Panthers' preseason opener against the Browns, when he played 17 snaps (16 on defense, one on special teams) while recording two total tackles, including a sack. Scourton should have enough to time to recover to be available for the Panthers' preseason finale against the Steelers on Thursday.
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Panthers' Nic Scourton: Carolina adds standout pass rusher
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The Panthers selected Scourton in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 51st overall.
Scourton (6-foot-3, 257 pounds) could prove one of the better picks of the second round after a standout college career at both Texas A&M (2024) and Purdue (2022-23). Scourton was dominant as a true sophomore at Purdue, logging 10.0 sacks and 15 total tackles for loss, and in his 2024 junior season he totaled 5.0 sacks and 14 total tackles for loss while teammate and 17th overall pick Shemar Stewart produced only 1.5 sacks and 5.5 total tackles for loss. Stewart is definitely the better athlete between himself and Scourton, but Scourton's skill-set grade could prove uniquely high.
