Nic Scourton failed to make it through the final whistle of the Carolina Panthers’ first training camp practice on Thursday in Charlotte.
The second-year outside linebacker suffered a right knee injury during a team drill and remained stationary on the field for several minutes as his right leg was examined by trainers. He was eventually transported from the field to Bank of America Stadium in the front seat of a medical cart.
Before he was transported off the field, the entire roster approached the cart to console Scourton. Head coach Dave Canales initially stopped drills while Scourton was being looked over by trainers and then stopped team drills on another field to make sure Scourton was checked on by his teammates.
“Obviously, it just happened — don’t know all the details,” quarterback Bryce Young said. “But Nic’s our brother. When you see someone down, it’s just — first off, it’s just human nature — we all care, we all feel for him. Obviously, as athletes, we’re all just praying for him. We all are there for him. It speaks to how (close) we all are in the locker room.”
Following practice, Canales declined to speculate on the injury, but he confirmed that Scourton will undergo imaging on his right knee. Canales said he would provide an update when possible.
“You hate to see it any time somebody gets injured,” rookie right tackle Monroe Freeling said. “I didn’t really see what happened, but I’m praying for him and hoping he gets better. And the whole team is just going to rally around him and just gives more of a reason to fight to be a better team.”
Outside linebacker Nic Scourton takes part in Carolina Panthers Organized Team Activities on Tuesday, June 2, 2026. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez [email protected]
Scourton, 21, co-led the Panthers with five sacks as a rookie last season. The pass rusher, who split his college career between Purdue and Texas A&M, was a second-round pick in 2025, and he worked his way up the depth chart to become a mid-season starter as a rookie.
Scourton entered his second training camp as a starter opposite high-priced free-agent addition, Jaelan Phillips. If Scourton were to miss time, he’d likely be replaced by veteran Pat Jones, who was limited to four games last year due to a notable back injury. The team also has 2025 holdovers Princely Umanmielen, Thomas Incoom and Trevis Gipson to fill out the outside linebacker depth chart.
‘He looks like the guy I remember’
Running back Jonathon Brooks took part in the first training camp practice of his career as rain poured down on the field outside the Panthers’ headquarters. He missed the previous two summers following back-to-back ACL surgeries on his right knee.
The 2024 second-round pick was given several teams reps with the first-team offense as he dipped and dodged defenders in a limited-contact drill. He did take a mild hit from new inside linebacker Devin Lloyd after being targeted in the flat by Young, but he showed no signs of struggle afterward.
Brooks cut between defenders with little issue throughout the morning. He also looked quick as he bobbed and weaved with the ball in his hands.
“He feels great, he feels strong,” Canales said. “He looks fast. He looks like the guy that I remember. And I’m really excited for that, but more so, just for a guy to go through things and to be able to have the emotional mental resiliency to go through that training twice. To get himself back, this is a celebration. You can feel the gratitude on him. You can feel the focus and how important this opportunity is to him.”
Brooks is expected to be a regular contributor in the backfield, even with Chuba Hubbard serving as the presumed starter. Second-year running back Trevor Etienne also got his fair share of reps, and he worked with the starters as well in the running back rotation.
Quick hits
- Young looked mostly sharp Thursday as he targeted several receivers in team drills. His best throw of the day might have been an immediate toss to rookie Chris Brazzell over the middle.
- Late in practice, following Scourton’s exit, Young did get intercepted by safety Lathan Ransom. From The Charlotte Observer’s vantage point, it looked like the ball sailed a bit on Young and Ransom collected it like a center fielder.
- Canales didn’t provide updates on defensive end Turk Wharton (PUP – neck), right tackle Taylor Moton (NFI – blood clot) or left tackle Ickey Ekwonu (PUP – knee). He did reiterate that he is optimistic about Ekwonu’s return this season.
- Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, outside linebacker Thomas Incoom and inside linebackers Trevin Wallace and Bam Martin-Scott were all fully cleared to participate in camp after being limited during the offseason program.
- Panthers owner David Tepper was in attendance at practice. Team legends, Josh Norman and Jonathan Stewart, also attended the workout.
This story was originally published July 23, 2026 at 12:13 PM.
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Mike Kaye
The Charlotte Observer
Mike Kaye writes about the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. He also co-hosts “Processing Blue: A Panthers Podcast” for The Observer. Kaye’s work in columns/analysis and sports feature writing has been honored by the North Carolina Press Association (NCPA). His reporting has also received recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE).Kaye previously covered the entire NFL for Pro Football Network, the Philadelphia Eagles for NJ Advance Media and the Jacksonville Jaguars for First Coast News. Support my work with a digital subscription
