The Panthers got another lively day at training camp Monday, and the energy never really dipped - for better and for worse. There were strong defensive reps, a sharp session from Kenny Pickett and, once again, a skirmish that pushed things close to the edge without spilling into anything major.
The biggest flashpoint came when Lathan Ransom tried to lay a hit on Jonathon Brooks during a run. Bryce Young took exception, and things escalated from there as he and Mike Jackson exchanged words.
An offensive lineman jumped into the mix, and at one point someone took a shot to the head. It was one of several camp altercations the Panthers have had so far, though none of them have turned into anything serious.
That kind of edge can be useful at this stage, and Carolina has clearly been willing to keep the intensity high. Still, Young’s involvement stood out, especially with Nick Scott and Jackson later having a long conversation with him after practice. That sequence made the leadership dynamic on the field impossible to miss.
There was plenty happening beyond the fight. Corey Thornton showed up with a strong defensive play, leaping to knock away a deep Pickett throw that was aimed at Trevor Etienne in team drills.
The defense, in general, had a productive day on the ball. Devin Lloyd forced a fumble, Cam Miller broke up a pass, and so did Jackson after the earlier dust-up, along with Bam Martin-Scott and Thornton.
Pickett’s practice was one of the more encouraging developments for Carolina. After a lot of attention has centered on Haynes King and the idea that he could take the QB2 job from him, Pickett answered with a strong session while King is recovering from his injury. That came on the heels of the Hall of Fame Game, where the competition picture had already started to sharpen.
The linebacker battle is getting more interesting too. Dave Canales said there is an open competition between Trevin Wallace and Claudin Cherilus for the LB2 job, a notable shift considering Wallace had seemed like the clear favorite because there hadn’t been much behind him to push for the spot. The fact that Cherilus is now in the mix says plenty about Wallace’s position entering his third year in the NFL.
There were also a few one-on-one moments that stood out. Jimmy Horn Jr. beat Tre’von Moehrig to the end zone and made a nice catch in individual drills.
On the other side, Jaycee Horn was beaten by Jalen Coker, who hauled in a Bryce Young sideline throw. That was the feel of the day overall: receivers winning some matchups, defensive backs answering in others, and the Panthers getting a little bit of everything as camp keeps building.
In Other News...
Former Panthers Center Cade Mays Hit With Another Tough Setback
Cade Mays first season in Detroit has hit a rough patch, with the former Panthers center now dealing with a wrist injury after signing a three-year contract with the Lions this offseason. The setback is another difficult turn for a lineman who has been trying to carve out a bigger role after stops with Carolina and the Giants, and it immediately puts his availability in question for a good stretch of the season.
Dan Campbell said Mays will miss a significant amount of time, and the injury is serious enough to sideline him for about eight to 10 weeks. There is still a path back later this season, but not anytime soon, which leaves the Lions to shuffle their center depth while Mays works through another frustrating interruption in what was supposed to be a fresh start. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Young Got Caught Up In Panthers Camp Tension
Training camp was bound to get a little chippy eventually, and it did on Aug. 10 when Bryce Young found himself in the middle of a physical altercation after a play in which safety Lathan Ransom went after running back Jonathon Brooks. The exchange pulled in cornerback Mike Jackson and an offensive lineman, turning one snap into the kind of sideline dust-up that tends to grab attention even when it barely registers as more than camp heat.
Nick Scott brushed it off as the sort of physicality that comes with a competitive practice, and head coach Dave Canales offered the same broad view of the day, calling it physical and competitive without getting into the specific play that set things off. For the Panthers, the bigger takeaway is less about a scuffle than the tone around it, with camp intensity already showing up early as players push through a practice setting where tempers can rise as quickly as pads start popping. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Young Is Giving Panthers Fans A Reason To Believe Again
Bryce Young has made training camp and the early preseason feel a little different around the Panthers, mostly because he looks more comfortable and more decisive than he did a year ago. The improvement has shown up in the way he is carrying himself and in how the team views him, with Carolina treating him as a quarterback on the rise even though his game snaps have still been limited.
The next chance to see more of that progress comes in Buffalo, where Young is expected to get a larger workload in the preseason game. For a Panthers team still sorting out its long-term picture under center, every additional rep matters, especially with no second contract talk yet and more time still needed before the front office has to make any major calls. [Read more 🡒]