Panthers observations: As defense gets upper hand again, Kaare Vedvik gets opportunity
After a day off the field Thursday, the Panthers were back at it Friday morning, one of the hottest days of camp thus far.
With everything occurring on the field as the team sits two weeks out from its season opener, there is even more happening off of it. The team had a planned day of meetings Thursday, but nine NFL teams canceled practice the day prior as sports teams around the country respond to the police shooting of Jacob Blake. After Friday’s practice, Carolina defensive lineman Zach Kerr spoke about the conversations the Panthers have had about their response to brutality against Black people.
“I want people to understand that this is a human issue. This isn’t a sports issue, this isn’t an athletic issue. This is an issue that humans need to fix. We’ve talked about it, and that’s kind of my take on it,” Kerr said. “I do want people to realize that we are trying and we do care, just give us some time, because we’ve got a lot of stuff on our plates that we’re trying to figure out behind closed doors.”
INJURIES
▪ Linebacker Shaq Thompson (groin), defensive end Marquis Haynes (concussion protocol), cornerback Eli Apple (hamstring) were all wearing red jerseys prior to practice and did not participate.
▪ Offensive lineman Tyler Larsen (strained left calf) was not at practice. He has missed four straight days of practice.
▪ Rookie defensive tackle Derrick Brown is dealing with a nagging ankle injury. During a pass-rush drill toward the end of practice, he seemed to slide the ground and was looked at briefly by trainers.
MOVES
The Panthers signed cornerback Jameson Houston and defensive end Austin Larkin. Houston played for Rhule all three years at Baylor and was recently released by the Browns after they signed him as an undrafted free agent. He started 14 games last year and was honorable mention All-Big 12. Larkin was an undrafted free agent signed by the Cowboys in 2018 and has also played for Atlanta.
In corresponding moves, the team waived defensive back Cole Luke and defensive end DeVonte Lambert.
TOP PLAY
The Panthers’ fifth-round pick, and former XFL standout Kenny Robinson, hadn’t created much buzz in training camp, especially with the performance of second-round pick safety Jeremy Chinn. But Robinson made a couple of good plays during 7-on-7 drills Friday, including intercepting a Will Grier pass intended for wide receiver Marken Michel after rookie cornerback Troy Pride Jr. tipped the pass. Both rookies had a couple notable plays throughout practice.
HIGHLIGHTS
▪ The team was using both sides of the practice field during 11-on-11 drills with Grier- and P.J. Walker-led offenses going at the same time. The defense clearly won the day with multiple players getting in the action with interceptions and pass break-ups.
“Today was a whirlwind. We had two drills at once, so a lot of guys got a lot of balls, threw a lot of reps,” Rhule said. The head coach also described it as an “old school, throwback” practice.
▪ D.J. Moore hasn’t gotten a lot of mention during camp, and he deserves a shout-out. He has looked consistently good ahead of what should be a big season. He had a touchdown catch in traffic from Walker with rookies Robinson and Stan Thomas-Oliver in coverage.
▪ Punter/kicker Kaare Vedvik took all of the field-goal attempts for the first time, going 6-for-6 on the day. He also was responsible for all of the punting in practice. Punter Joe Charlton held for him on field goals with everyone watching his performance closely. It will be interesting to see who performs both kicking responsibilities in Saturday’s practice. This was the most Vedvik has done yet as the only competition for the team’s specialist jobs after he was claimed off waivers from the Bills last week.
Rhule said Friday it’s unlikely three specialists would make the 53-man roster, but that they could put one of those players on the 16-player practice squad, especially due to the uncertainites that COVID-19 presents.
▪ Linebacker Andre Smith intercepted a pass and then ran all the way from end zone to end zone to run it back with safety Tre Boston joining him halfway from where he was observing on the sideline. The team was using both sides of the field for 11-on-11 drills, so when he made it to the end zone, he crossed into a play being run, but he still dove in for the “score.”
▪ Cornerback Donte Jackson also caught an interception after linebacker Adarius Taylor tipped a pass from Walker that was intended for Moore on a short crossing route. After making the catch, Jackson bolted off towards the end zone.
▪ Undrafted free agent Myles Hartsfield put together another good day. The team has him working as a running back and a defensive back. Early in Friday’s practice, he almost intercepted quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who went 3/6 on the team’s opening 11-on-11 drive.
“(Hartsfield’s) a guy that’s having a great camp. He’s a guy that went undrafted. He kind of tried to figure out what position he was at Ole Miss and all that,” Rhule said. “But we knew him from high school, he was one of the best high school athletes I’ve ever seen.”
LOWLIGHTS
▪ Wide receiver Seth Roberts returned to practice after clearing the concussion protocol and was on the wrong end of more than one hard hits, including one by Jackson immediately after Roberts caught the ball.
▪ The Panthers have a lot of bruises and minor injuries that keep popping up. That’s normal for this time of year.
OTHER NOTES
▪ Panthers owner David Tepper was at practice Friday. He spent some time talking to pro scout Luke Kuechly.
▪ Rhule continued the tradition of resting multiple veterans throughout practice, like Boston and Bridgewater.
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
Rhule has been alluding to Saturday’s practice being a big day all week. At 10 a.m. the team will run a scrimmage at Bank of America Stadium. For some players, Rhule said, the practice will be similar to a “third preseason game” with the coaching staff wanting to get a good look at where the players stand in a game-like setting.
This story was originally published August 28, 2020 at 4:17 PM.
