Update on Nic Scourton's First Day of Training Camp

Unfortunate news out of Carolina on their first day back to practice - 2nd year edge rusher Nic Scourton has been confirmed to have torn his Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). This comes after reports of his being carted off at practice surfaced earlier. Coach David Canales did not comment nor speculate on the injury at the time, but the diagnosis is now confirmed. He will still look for a 2nd opinion on the injury with outside doctors before jumping into surgery.

Scourton was expected to be a big part in the Panthers defense this season. He, along with former draft mate Princely Umanmielen, were ready to take big jumps in playing time and production. Scourton recorded 5 sacks and 47 total tackles as a rookie. He is still only 21 years old. The news is unfortunate for both the team and the player. It is difficult to rebound from a torn ACL at any position, but that is emphasized at positions that require a lot of lower body torque such as lineman or receivers. Recently, Micah Parsons suffered the same injury at the end of his first campaign with the Green Bay Packers.

Defensive Outlook Without Scourton

The Panthers take a big hit here. Scourton is a promising young phenom who dominated at the college level. He was slated to start on their early depth chart. They did sign former Dolphins and Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips to a massive deal. Phillips has also torn his ACL and Achilles in years past, so his health is always in question. Depth-wise, the team still has Princely Umanmielen, a raw but athletic pass rusher who can provide some support as a tackler in the open field. Carolina also has Patrick Jones, the former Minnesota Viking who has provided much needed depth for both clubs in recent years. This isn’t the end of the Panthers season, as if a starting quarterback went down this early, but Scourton was a starter and a good one at that.

His timeline is likely 10 months. When a player injures their ACL, surgery is required to repair the tear or rupture. After the surgery, a player can walk 2 months post operation, but it is a difficult road back during the phase of strengthening the ligament and being able to push off that knee. It is a tough recovery, but players such as Packers wideout Christian Watson have been able to return to peak form without a hitch after an ACL injury.

We wish Scourton a speedy recovery at The Asterisk Sports and are very excited to see him back in action next year.