Nic

Scourton

This was expected after it was reported on Thursday that Scourton suffered a torn ACL in the team’s first practice. Scourton reportedly sought a second opinion on his injury, but the decision to place him on injured reserve on Friday officially signals the end of his season. The second-year pass-rusher was expected to make a nice leap this season after popping up for five sacks as a rookie, but will now spend this season rehabbing in preparation for 2027.

Scourton will reportedly seek a second opinion, but if the ACL tear is confirmed, he will have surgery in the coming weeks. Scourton tied for a team-high five sacks as a rookie last season, while ranking second in quarterback pressures (36). Hopefully, a full year of rehab can help him return to form in 2027. Panthers EDGEs Patrick Jones and Princely Umanmielen could compete for the starting role with Scourton sidelined.

Per Wolfe, Scourton was in tears as he left the field and the entire team gathered around the cart before he exited practice. Scourton will undergo testing for the injury, but the optics are unfortunately concerning. A 2025 second-round pick, Scourton totaled five sacks across 17 games, eight of which were credited as starts. He was set for a larger role this year, but that may have to wait.

Scourton suffered a collapsed lung just over a week ago and has been sidelined ever since. The rookie pass-rusher appears to be trending toward a return and could even be on track to play in Week 1 against the Jaguars if he’s able to log enough practices leading up to game day.

According to Canales, Scourton’s injury was worse than initially feared, and the rookie pass rusher is expected to miss some time. We don’t yet know the exact duration, but it sounds like Scourton could be at risk of missing the Week 1 opener against the Jaguars. We should have more insight on his injury and recovery timeline soon.

Scourton (6’3/257) had an elite 90.9 pass rush grade with 42 pressures in 2023 for Purdue before transferring to A&M. While he performed admirably earning First Team All-SEC accolades, Scourton’s pressure rate dropped from 17.1% to 12% and his 80.6 pass rush grade was a 10% drop from the previous season. Dense frame that is tough to move in the run game, allowing him to eat blocks and clog rush lanes. Loves to set up blockers by running the loop a few times before deploying a sharp inside spin move that won 54.8% of the time. Secondary moves utilize a spirited hop/chop with ample use of hesitations to keep blockers off balance so he can get inside their pads and push the pocket. He gets stuck on blocks if his initial salvo doesn’t land and has fairly tight hips which affects flexibility. Billed at 280 pounds during his college career, he lost 20+ pounds since the season in order to improve his draft stock. Scourton is an adequate power rusher with functional quickness and agility, but doesn’t have the freaky bend and acceleration NFL teams covet in a full-time Edge player.