Panthers observations: Teddy Bridgewater shows off his arm, team stands with the NBA
Before the Carolina Panthers practiced Wednesday night at Bank of America Stadium for what would’ve been its annual fan fest, coach Matt Rhule said the team talked about the Jacob Blake shooting.
Blake, a Black man, was shot seven times in the back by a Kenosha, Wisc., police officer Sunday. Rhule said many players were hurt and angry.
When asked Wednesday night how difficult it was to focus on football, Panthers linebacker Tahir White said, “extremely difficult.”
The Milwaukee Bucks boycotted their playoff game Wednesday, and the NBA postponed its remaining two playoff games of the night. In MLB, the Seattle Mariners boycotted their game, along with five MLS matches.
“A lot of our guys want to make sure they want stand with the NBA, as the NBA is making the decision that today is a day to step back and stop,” Rhule said. “In the end, I think talking to our guys, I think they felt like they want to do something impactful here moving forward and come together and really do something that makes a change.”
Tuesday’s practice was a mix of team drills and individual drills under the lights at Bank of America Stadium. Here are the highlights.
Moves
The Panthers announced Wednesday that they had signed wide receivers Cam Phillips and Darrell Stewart. Both players practiced Wednesday, meaning they’ve passed COVID-19 protocols.
Phillips, who was born in Charlotte, led the XFL in receiving yards, receiving touchdowns and receptions this season before the league shut down during the pandemic. He and Panthers backup quarterback P.J. Walker were teammates for the Houston Roughnecks.
To accommodate those moves, the Panthers waived cornerback Derrek Thomas with an injury designation, and put wide receiver Omar Bayless (knee) on the reserve/injured list. If Thomas clears waivers, the Panthers will put him on the reserve/injured list.
Injuries/Did not practice
Panthers center Tyler Larsen missed his third consecutive practice Wednesday with a strained left calf. He rode the bike and wore a red jersey during practice.
Cornerback Eli Apple was not at practice. Rhule said Apple had a tight hamstring, but hopes he will be back on Friday.
Highlights
▪ Teddy Bridgewater showed off his arm. He threw a 40-yard pass to Robby Anderson early in practice. The ball traveled at least 35 yards in the air.
▪ After finishing 1 of 5 on field-goal attempts Tuesday, Joey Slye a was perfect 3 for 3 Wednesday, including during a two-minute drill as time expired.
▪ Cornerback Donte Jackson lined up across from Robby Anderson on back-to-back possessions and prevented him from catching either pass thrown his way. He deflected one of the passes from Bridgewater.
▪ Defensive back Cole Luke intercepted Bridgewater in team drills. Christian McCaffrey bobbled a catch and Luke was there to make the grab. He ran it back to the other side of the field, although no one was chasing him.
▪ Defensive end Stephen Weatherly had a nice day, which included a sack.
Lowlights
▪ Rookie cornerback Stantley Thomas Oliver struggled in coverage. He was beat deep by wide receiver Ishmael Hyman for a long touchdown. Walker threw the pass.
▪ The Panthers ran a two-minute drill at the end of practice and struggled to move downfield. The defense kept everything in front of it, and the offense stalled at about the 35-yard line with 3 seconds left, forcing Slye to kick the field goal.
▪ Tight end Chris Manhertz dropped a would-be touchdown pass that hit him right in the hands.
Other notes:
▪ Bridgewater and Manhertz stayed behind after practice running routes. Bridgewater threw him a few passes and also demonstrated how to run certain routes.
▪ Defensive players throughout practice have worn either white or black jerseys. Rhule has said the jerseys are to create competition. The starters have typically worn the black jerseys, but there has been a lot of rotation among some of the black jerseys.
Wearing the black jerseys Wednesday were: LB Shaq Thompson, LB Tahir Whitehead, S/LB/CB Jeremy Chinn, LB Adarius Taylor, DT Kawann Short, DT Derrick Brown, DE Yetur Gross-Matos, DE Brian Burns, CB Donte Jackson, CB Troy Pride Jr., S Tre Boston, S Juston Burris.
▪ Kaare Vedvik and Joe Charlton split punts Wednesday night.
Schedule
The Panthers have an off day Thursday and will return to practice Friday.
This story was originally published August 26, 2020 at 10:20 PM.
