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Panthers’ Xavier Legette learns a lesson, WR competition heats up and more ‘Unguardable’ with ‘freaky lateral quickness’: Hunter Renfrow returns to where he broke out

Link to article CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nothing mattered more to the Carolina Panthers in their exhibition opener than the crisp play of quarterback Bryce Young during a 73-yard touchdown drive on the second of two series for the first-team offense. But that’s not to say the rest of the game was meaningless. So there was a lot for Dave Canales and his coaching staff to comb through from the loss to the Cleveland Browns, which Canales indicated wasn’t quite as bad as the 30-10 final score would suggest. Climbers WR Jalen Coker - "Leaned out" in the offseason with a stricter diet and training regimen, maybe some impressive snags including a TD and a one-handed catch negated by a penalty, and logged five special teams snaps after playing a total of 31 all of last season. CB Corey Thornton - Showed up against the pass as well as the run and is competing for CB3. EDGE Nic Scourton - Made Canales' favorite play of the game when he hustled to force Shedeur out of bounds for a 1yd loss. S Lathan Ransom - Was second on the team in tackles against CLE and seems inevitable to take Nick Scott's starting position. Fallers S Nick Scott - Has been helping Moehrig with calls but made a critical special teams error and seems destined to be overtaken by Ransom or Richardson sooner rather than later. Special teams - Negated a 46yd kickoff return with holding penalties, had too many men on the field on a Browns punt, and gave up 46yds on two punt returns. CB Shemar Bartholomew - Was one of the guys called for holding that negated the 46yd return, has been passed by Thornton on the depth chart, slipped on a play that went for a 19yd completion, and was a step slow on an in-breaking route that turned into a 12yd TD (but did have a nice PBU). Back-up offensive tackles - Nijman and BC got beat bad on third and long to give up a sack, and Nijman also was called for a facemask penalty that wiped out a 34yd one-handed catch by Coker.

Link to article Because of the fieldhouse construction at the practice fields, Saturday marked the only opportunity for fans to see the Panthers in person during training camp — this summer and next. A good-sized crowd — more than 45,500 tickets were distributed — watched the rain stop just before the team took the field for the scrimmage-like practice. What they saw was mostly a microcosm of the first two weeks of camp — a steady performance by Bryce Young, some good and bad from rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan, and physical play by a defense that was the NFL’s worst in 2024. As the Panthers prepare to welcome the Cleveland Browns for a joint practice and preseason game this week, a look at seven things we’ve learned through the first two weeks. 1. Young is in a better place than last summer During training camp last year, Young was learning his second offense and working with his third play caller since the Panthers drafted him No. 1 in the spring of 2023. It didn’t help that his only reps in a preseason game came on the opening drive at Buffalo during the third exhibition. When Young looked listless and ineffective during a pair of blowout losses to begin the season, Canales benched him in favor of Andy Dalton. Fast forward to this summer, when Young has demonstrated a command of and comfort level in Canales’ system. That’s not to say he’s been on-point every practice: Nickel Chau Smith-Wade baited him into an end-zone interception last week. But Canales likes the way Young is running the offense, hitting most of his throws and making off-platform throws — his signature at Alabama and over the second half of last season. 2. Kicking competition is going to last a while longer The sense here has been that undrafted rookie Ryan Fitzgerald is the favorite to win the kicking job, and you wondered how long the Panthers would keep two kickers on the roster. But after Fitzgerald went only 1-of-3 on field goals during FanFest, it’s reasonable to think Canales will keep the competition open through at least the first preseason game or two. 3. Don't crown Princely just yet — and don't bury Ickey Princely Umanmielen, the third-round pick from Ole Miss, created a stir during the first practice by beating left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and inadvertently making contact with Young, causing him to fumble. Umanmielen got by Ekwonu on an inside move the following day, causing some consternation among fans on social media — which Umanmielen tried to shoot down by defending Ekwonu. It’s also worth mentioning that those plays came during shorts-and-helmets sessions, when defensive linemen typically have the upper hand. During Saturday’s full-pads practice, Ekwonu did a nice job locking his arms out against Umanmielen and protecting Young’s blind side. Still, you have to think Umanmielen — with his length, bend and explosive first step — is going to make an impact as a rookie. 4. Dan Morgan may have uncovered another undrafted gem Anyone who attended FanFest got a long look at undrafted cornerback Corey Thornton, who saw a bunch of first-team work with Jaycee Horn getting the night off. The Panthers love the 6-1 Thornton’s length and physicality, which was on display Saturday with his press-man coverage against McMillan, the first-round pick from Arizona. Thornton played four seasons at UCF before transferring to Louisville last year. He’s impressed coaches with how he goes about his business. 5. The Panthers also may have found a couple of dawgs The Panthers’ safeties weren’t particularly good at tackling last season. But Moehrig and Ransom don’t mind lowering their shoulders into teammates — sometimes when coaches would prefer they don’t. That was the case Saturday when Ransom, a fourth-round pick from Ohio State, came in high to hit receiver T.J. Luther in the end zone on an incompletion. That prompted a tackling lesson from Canales. “I love the physical play. (But) that’s gotta be a left shoulder hit,” he said. “You try to get your right shoulder across, your head will be involved. You will be getting mail from the league office. It’s an educational process.” 6. Panthers' receiving corps is deeper — and faster Young has more playmakers around him this year. That means even on nights like Saturday, when McMillan never got untracked, there are other guys to step up in the passing game. Xavier Legette caught a short throw from Young and took off through the middle of the defense for a 40-yard touchdown. Jimmy Horn, the sixth-round pick from Colorado, pulled down a pair of TD passes from Andy Dalton. 7. A few other young guys to watch Rookie running back Trevor Etienne made a nice cut Saturday to get to the second level, where a defender knocked the ball loose (it appeared to be after the play had been whistled dead). Etienne, a fourth-round pick and the brother of Jacksonville Jaguars RB Travis Etienne, is expected to displace Raheem Blackshear as a returner and No. 3 back. Bam Martin-Scott, an undrafted rookie from South Carolina, made a shoestring catch to intercept Jack Plummer late in FanFest. Martin-Scott seems like a lock to make the roster as a depth linebacker and special teams regular. Former Stanford WR Brycen Tremayne has made the most of his reps. The 6-4, 212-pounder spent the last two years on Washington’s practice squad, and should get opportunities in the preseason games.

https://x.com/panthersbreakd/status/1907131046207844529?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

https://x.com/alexzietlow05/status/1870162641580163552

Best of the offense 1. LG Damien Lewis: 90.0 2. QB Bryce Young: 79.2 3. WR Adam Thielen: 72.5 4. LT Ikem Ekwonu: 71.6 5. RB Jonathon Brooks: 69.5 Lewis’ 90.0 overall offensive grade is his highest as a Panther, as were his marks in pass blocking (86.5) and run blocking (91.9). He allowed zero pressures in 50 pass-blocking opportunities. Young’s 79.2 was his third-highest overall offensive grade in a start. He recorded a season-high 298 passing yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown.

https://x.com/panthersbreakd/status/1824522879121162517?s=46&t=xeIgh_-Vr2aKxBkBJdfnKA

Jones is more of a limited QB prospect and in the same mold as Teddy Bridgewater. https://nfltraderumors.co/nfc-notes-buccaneers-falcons-panthers-20/