CHARLOTTE — As a medical cart carried second-year linebacker Nic Scourton towards the gate, a horn blew three times, generally signaling the end of practice.

There were supposed to be 20 minutes left on the script, as the Carolina Panthers opened their first day of 2026 training camp, but given the numb nature that had overtaken almost 90 guys on the field, Dave Canales knew his team needed a chance to speak with their teammate.

"I just know how much these guys mean to each other," explained Canales after the rainy opening session. "And I can go up in front of the guys and preach the fact that we lead with love and respect and connection and relationship, and while we could certainly move the drill and keep the practice going, we had enough time.

"(VP of football operations) Jeff (Brown) and I kind of talked about how we had enough time in practice to just get a kickoff, and everybody come up, and make sure they send him some love. Who knows what it is (with the knee), but it's a chance for the guys to connect, and I wanted to make sure they had a chance."

Scourton, the second-year linebacker, was injured in a late-practice rep, having to be helped off with a right knee injury. Canales said they will get imaging on Scourton's knee Thursday afternoon to find out more.

In the moment, though, all that mattered to the Panthers' roster was surrounding Scourton with love and hugs, literally and figuratively, as he was taken to the athletic training room.

"I'm proud of the fact that the first thought in guys' minds isn't, 'Are we going to have Nic for the season? It was, 'How is Nic?' And guys are checking on him," bragged Canales of his team. "They care about each other. Whenever you're in a group of people, doing something hard together, it has a way of creating a special bond, and between all the workouts and going through a full season and an offseason and all that, it means something for the guys, and I'm proud of that."

Bryce Young, who refused to leave Scourton's side as trainers initially tended to the linebacker, also gathered his teammates after practice to pray for their friend and make sure they were together as he exited.

"Don't know any details, but Nic's our brother," said Young. "When you see someone down, it's just, first off, it's human nature. We all care, we all feel for him. Obviously, as athletes, we're all just praying for him. We all are there for him. It speaks to how we all are in the locker room. But obviously early, don't know anything or anything like that. We're just praying."

While the severity of Scourton's injury is unknown for now, and therefore a potential timeline for return, when it comes to the football side of things, Canales feels the Panthers are in a good position to get work done with the pass-rusher position.

"We got guys; that's why we keep bringing in depth and talent and different guys," said Canales. "It's Jaelan Phillips in that room, Patrick Jones II is back and Princely Umanmielen's coming along, and we got a whole group of guys that we're counting on.

"And so, if it comes to that, we have guys that we trust, and we're going to have to do different things. But let's hold off on that until we know what's what."

Injury updates on multiple players

Canales was asked about the status of tackles Taylor Moton, Ikem Ekwonu, and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who will have absences that extend into the regular season.

Ekwonu suffered a torn patellar tendon in the playoff loss, and Canales noted that's generally a 9-12-month rehab: "Somewhere in that zone I just know that he's doing really well in his rehab."

Moton's on blood thinners for a blood clot discovered in late June and will be out of contact until that's cleared up, though he's here and taking part in a coaching capacity. Wharton's recovering from neck surgery, and Canales said they're all "itching to get back."

He also added that cornerback Jaycee Horn's absence would be short after he suffered a cut on his toe that required stitches.

"He was backpedaling, and there wasn't a lot of change of direction, just trying to be smart with it because it's pretty fresh," Canales said. "But we're optimistic we'll get him back in the next couple of weeks."

Canales said offensive lineman Brady Christensen "looked good" in his first practice back after tearing his Achilles midseason last year. "He looks as strong as ever, and he's excited."

A number of the players who were limited during OTAs, including Tetairoa McMillan, Trevin Wallace, Bam Martin-Scott, and Thomas Incoom, were cleared and participating fully as well.

Canales encouraged by offseason participation

While the Scourton injury obviously clouded the day, there were things Canales was encouraged about. And that started before camp began.

Canales said after talking to vice president of player health and performance Denny Kellington and director of performance Josh Hingst, he was impressed with the group that stayed here throughout the offseason, which included the usual suspects like Chuba Hubbard but also newcomers like Phillips.

"Heard some great things about this summer offseason," Canales said. "Josh and Denny talking about the group that was here working together, unprecedented in my 17 years in the NFL. To hear that there was, I think the most we had one day during the summer was about 36 guys.

"What does that mean? I don't know. I just know that they like being here. They like being together, working together, and I know that that means something. A lot of guys were in other places training hard as well. So, this is nothing against that, but I do know that that's something special that we're doing something here, and I really give Josh and Denny, and the crew a lot of credit, because those are the guys that they're primarily working with, and they have that trust for them to get prepared for the season."

Jonathon Brooks shows spark in run game

Running back Jonathon Brooks had a couple of pop plays in practice Thursday, showing the kind of spark they hoped for when they took him in the second round of the 2024 draft, before a second ACL tear kept him off the field all of last season.

"Really looking forward to, just the hard work that JB has had to do over the last couple of years to get him to this point," Canales said. "He feels great. He feels strong. He looks fast; he looks like the guy that I remember, and I'm really excited for that. But more so just, for a guy to go through things and to be able to have the emotional and mental resiliency to go through that training twice, to get himself back, this is a celebration, and you can feel the gratitude in him; you can feel the focus and how important this opportunity is for him."

Argentina's close games a lesson for Carolina

The Panthers made a habit of getting in close games last season, pulling off last-minute walk-off wins, late-game thrillers, and nail-biters more often than not. As they learn and grow from those intense matchups, Canales is pointing towards another team who played with the same style on an even grander scale: Lionel Messi and the Argentina World Cup team.

"Watching Argentina and watching the resiliency in the finish, the way that they were able to finish strong in most of their games — till the last one. They played with a lot of passion, and they never made an assumption about who's going to win the game early on in the first half or even in the 70th minute," shared a passionate Canales.

Argentina, looking to defend their title and in Messi's last appearance, had four games that came down to one goal, with the final goal scored in stoppage time.

"They didn't make an assumption even if they were behind," continued Canales. "You just keep playing. And what a great message and something that I try to share with our team. Let's not make an assumption on what's going to happen, good or bad, with this game. Let's just keep playing until there's no time left. So that was a really good example and a lesson for all of us."

Beyond just Argentina, the World Cup as a whole, featuring 48 teams who come together periodically over four years and are made up of guys who can even be on rival club rosters, is an example of the best part of sports. It's a lesson Canales will absolutely impart to his own team.

"It's really inspiring to see a group of guys come together, who all play on different teams most of the rest of their careers, who can rally together in pursuit of a goal," preached the coach. "That part certainly will be used in our team meetings, our Saturday night meetings, and just the ability in a short amount of time to all be connected on a common goal; that was exciting."