Rookie pass rusher Nic Scourton of the Carolina Panthers is expected to miss time after suffering a collapsed lung during Thursday’s joint practice. Head coach Dave Canales provided an update on Saturday, clarifying that what initially appeared to be heat exhaustion was later identified as a more serious injury.
Scourton was evaluated by the Panthers medical staff at the team hotel when his symptoms did not improve. He was then transported to a local hospital and spent Thursday night under observation. Due to his condition, he did not travel with the team to NRG Stadium and instead returned to Charlotte by car with athletic training staff and family members, arriving around kickoff.
“It was a very physical play,” Canales said. “It was presenting like a heat exhaustion, because he was having trouble breathing. He was getting tired and all that, so we kind of cooled him down we couldn’t get him to respond good enough to where we felt comfortable about putting him back into practice.”
Canales noted that Denny Kellington, vice president of player health and performance for the Panthers, has been providing updates on Scourton’s recovery. The timeline for his return is currently described as “week to week.”
Scourton, a second-round draft pick, had shown promise during training camp. Last week, he made an impact by covering over 70 yards on one play before reaching Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
