The Carolina Panthers were given a significant health scare when rookie edge rusher Nic Scourton suffered a collapsed lung during joint practice against the Houston Texans. Thankfully, the second-round pick is made of stern stuff.
Scourton left the practice field and spent the night in a Houston hospital before returning to Charlotte. The Panthers officially listed him as week to week, but it could have been a lot worse. And the first-year pro made a huge statement of intent during practice in front of the media on Monday.
Although the former Texas A&M standout wasn't participating fully with his teammates, he was doing work on the sidelines. This involved nothing more than running and general conditioning work, but it was much better than what Panthers fans had in mind just a few days after the incident.
Carolina Panthers issue promising outlook for Nic Scourton after health scare
Head coach Dave Canales was highly encouraged by Scourton's progress. While the Panthers will take every possible precaution during this step-by-step process, the significant improvements made in a short space of time cannot be anything other than promising.
"Huge improvement. Significant improvement, he was actually running today. They were monitoring really closely, checking his oxygen levels, everything. Huge improvements. That guy's 20 years old, so he he bounced back pretty quick. The hope is to just continue to just progressing daily and get him more and more work."Dave Canales via Panthers.com
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— Carolina Blitz (@KeepBlitzin) August 18, 2025
This is outstanding news. Scourton looks well on the road to recovery, but his status for Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars remains unclear. The Panthers won't put him on the field unless they are 100 percent convinced that there won't be any further issues. However, this is a positive step to raise hope of his return sooner rather than later.
Scourton's left a tremendous impression this summer. The Panthers thought enough of the edge threat to trade up and acquire him at No. 51 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft. He's already working hard to repay this faith, so the setback is hopefully nothing more than a bump in the road.
It was a scary incident for all involved. Thankfully, all signs are now pointing up for Scourton, although this remains a wait-and-see scenario before confidence increases regarding his return.
This is only going to make Scourton more eager to succeed. He looked well on track to secure a prominent role on the edge rushing rotation, perhaps even securing a starting role right out of the gate. Almost having this snatched away will bring an even hungrier attitude moving forward.