Panthers Coach Discusses Nic Scourton’s Collapsed Lung Injury During Practice

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales is providing an update on rookie Nic Scourton’s recent injury.

Canales, 44, stated that Scourton, 20, was initially diagnosed with heat-related symptoms following a joint practice with the Houston Texans on Thursday, August 14.

“It was a very physical play,” Canales commented on the practice, as reported by ESPN on Saturday, August 16. “It was presenting like heat exhaustion because he was having difficulty breathing.”

He continued, “He was feeling fatigued, so we tried to cool him down, but we didn’t get a response good enough to feel comfortable putting him back into practice.”

Canales disclosed that the NFL player was taken to Houston’s Memorial Hermann Medical Center for observation, where it was later confirmed that Scourton suffered from a collapsed lung.

According to Canales, Scourton was at Memorial Hermann on Thursday before being driven back to Charlotte, North Carolina, with family and an athletic trainer. He arrived on Saturday.

Regarding Scourton’s potential return to the football field, Canales noted that it’s “really week-to-week with those types of things.”

“I’ve heard from trainers and other coaches about players who returned the following week,” Canales remarked. “We need to be cautious on this and will update you once we’re back in Charlotte.”

Currently, there are no additional updates on Scourton’s condition.

The edge-rusher was picked by the Panthers in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Just days later, Panthers tight end Mitchell Evans expressed his enthusiasm about bringing Scourton to the team. (Evans, 22, was also drafted by the Panthers in 2025.)

“This dude is a certified baller. He’s strong, fast, he’s got it all,” Evans said in a video posted by the Panthers’ official Instagram account in April. “He’s going to be a great teammate to practice against and improve every single day, but I would hate to game plan against him because he’s tough to deal with.”

The following month, Scourton celebrated his new opportunity by sharing multiple photos from the football field. “The next step!” he wrote via Instagram in May. “Thank you God and thank you @panthers for this chance! Jeremiah 29:11!”

Latter that month, Scourton posted several images showcasing his new blue-and-black uniform featuring the number 11. “💩 don’t feel real got my mind racing,” he captioned the Instagram post.