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Franchised defensive end Julius Peppers wasn't at Panthers mini-camp, which began today on the team's practice fields.
That wasn't a surprise, given the fact that Peppers hasn't signed his contract tender yet and isn't required to be here.
But coach John Fox didn't seem too troubled by Peppers' absence and said he anticipates him being at training camp in July.
"I don't think this will keep him from training camp," Fox said. "That's kind of what I expect; that's when our season starts."
And did Fox think Peppers was missing anything important, with a new defensive coordinator (Ron Meeks) in place as the team starts offseason drills?
"No," Fox said.
-- Several players didn't take part in drills Friday, although they were there. Four of them had offseason shoulder surgery -- safety Chris Harris, linebackers Jon Beason and Na'il Diggs and defensive tackle Damione Lewis. Running backs DeAngelo Williams (hamstring) and Jonathan Stewart (ankle) also sat out, as did tight end Dante Rosario, who will have lower back surgery on Monday. Fox said he expected Rosario to be ready for training camp.
-- Rookie running back Mike Goodson left early with an illness.
-- Long snapper Jason Kyle, a free agent, still hasn't signed. There were three players out there auditioning for the job -- Nick Sundberg (an undrafted rookie from California), J.J. Jansen (with Green Bay last season) and Keith Gray (an undrafted rookie from Connecticut). -- David Scott
