Panthers Coach Provides Update on Nic Scourton's Injury

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales has provided insights into the injury sustained by rookie Nic Scourton during a recent practice session.

Initially, Scourton, 20, was thought to be experiencing heat-related symptoms after a joint practice with the Houston Texans on August 14. Canales described the incident, stating, “It was a very physical play,” and noted that Scourton was having difficulty breathing, which led to concerns about heat exhaustion.

“He was getting tired and all that, so we kind of cooled him down,” Canales continued. “But we couldn’t get him to respond good enough to where we felt comfortable about putting him back into practice.”

Following the practice, Scourton was transported to Memorial Hermann Medical Center in Houston for further evaluation. It was there that medical professionals confirmed he had suffered a collapsed lung.

Canales revealed that Scourton remained at the hospital on Thursday before making the journey back to Charlotte, North Carolina, accompanied by family and an athletic trainer. He arrived home on Saturday.

Regarding Scourton's potential return to the field, Canales stated, “It’s really week-to-week with those types of things.” He added, “I’ve heard from trainers, from different coaches, where a guy played the next week. So we’ve got to be smart on that one and let you know where we’re at once we get back to Charlotte.”

As of now, no additional information has been released concerning Scourton’s condition.

Scourton was selected by the Panthers in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Shortly after the draft, tight end Mitchell Evans expressed enthusiasm about Scourton joining the team. “Dude is a certified baller. He’s strong, fast, he’s got it all,” Evans remarked in a video shared on the Panthers’ official Instagram account in April. “He’s gonna be a good teammate to go against in practice and get better every single day, but I would hate to game plan against him because it was tough for us.”

In May, Scourton celebrated his draft achievement by posting photos from a football field on Instagram, writing, “The next step! Thank you God and thank you @panthers for this opportunity! Jeremiah 29:11!”

Later that month, he shared images showcasing his new blue-and-black uniform with the number 11, captioning it with excitement: “💨 don’t feel real got my mind racing.”