Panthers offense continues to struggle as training camp nears end
Back at it — practicing in the heat of Spartanburg with just two training camp practices to go — and coach Matt Rhule admittedly made a jab at the Carolina Panthers receivers.
In the first of two joint practices against the Baltimore Ravens, the offense had plenty of drops, passes broken up and some off throws.
The reason for that? First, Rhule pointed to the talent of the Ravens defense, which has a strong secondary even without the talents of injured cornerback Marlon Humphrey, and then the fact that wide receiver Robby Anderson sat out due to a hamstring injury that took place during the joint practices against the Indianapolis Colts. Rhule said the injury shouldn’t be long-term.
Then he got to the play of some of the team’s receivers who were on the field.
“Some of these guys are getting a little tired. I say that — you guys know I always say no excuses — I’m saying that more as like a jab,” Rhule said. “A little sun out here today and all of a sudden (the players) felt a little tired, felt a little sorry for ourselves.
“I told some of our young guys, ‘You don’t get to like all the Instagram posts and then come out here and not practice well. What you did last week doesn’t matter, so it’s what you did today.’ (I) thought Sam (Darnold) was sharp today, he protected himself verses all the blitzes.”
Rhule leaving practice not pleased with the play of his receivers is not new. Multiple times after the completion of training camp practice over the last couple of weeks, the coach has left practice not pleased with the group’s production, including during the joint practices last week in Indianapolis.
Darnold’s play certainly wasn’t perfect, with multiple throws over his receivers’ heads, and more of the blame than Rhule puts on the quarterback probably is warranted. He finished the day going 19 of 39 in the team drills and 7-on-7s, after starting 6 of 8 on the first 7-on-7 drill, with zero turnovers. Most of his throws were short to intermediate, which has been common throughout training camp. Anderson has been the most common target when he does throw it deep.
With Anderson sitting out the day, veteran David Moore was on the wrong side of a couple of drops, as was tight end Dan Arnold, and rookie wideout Terrace Marshall had multiple passes bounce through his hands.
The Panthers did get the entire starting offensive line back in action with left Cam Erving and center Matt Paradis fully healthy, and Rhule complimented the ground game — including Christian McCaffrey showing his health to the Ravens with some of his usual moves. The running back broke off one run during 7-on-7 drills that left Ravens defenders watching as he darted past.
But with the same offensive problems repeating themselves, there is a need to get some of the problems fixed quickly with the start of the regular season almost three weeks away.
“We have a way to go (on offense), I think, from where we want to get to,” Darnold said after practice. “But we can get there. We just got to come in here day in and day out and keep working.”
DEFENSE AGAINST LAMAR JACKSON
It was a so-so day for the Panthers’ defense, which had some good moments, like when Brian Burns forced a fumble; and some bad moments, like when Lamar Jackson continued to find holes in the Panthers’ zone defense in 7-on-7 drills.
Burns’ forced fumble was the Panthers only forced turnover of the day. It came on a Ravens running play. Burns came off the right edge, hitting Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins at the line of scrimmage, jarring the ball loose.
Dobbins was angry with himself. After the play, he took off his helmet and threw it to the ground.
Jeremy Chinn also had a good play, deflecting a Jackson pass intended for one of his tight ends.
But for the most part, Jackson was accurate, often hitting intermediate passes to wide-open receivers.
The Panthers’ third-string defense was especially bad. It made backup quarterback Tyler Huntley look like Jackson, as he often scrambled out of the pocket without containment and hit open receivers.
NOTES FROM PRACTICE
▪ It wouldn’t be a joint practice without a training camp fight.
In 7-on-7 drills, rookie cornerback Keith Taylor tackled Ravens wide receiver Binjimen Victor, spinning him around in the air before he landed on the ground. One of Victor’s teammates took exception to the hit and pushed Taylor, and a skirmish ensued.
Both teams left their sidelines to confront each other, but there was nothing more than pushing and shoving.
“Two physical teams and tensions were just up,” rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn said. “We just can’t back down to nobody. We’ve got to show them we’re physical. We already know they are physical.”
Wednesday’s practice, however, was much more low key than the two joint practices in Indianapolis without the hard-hitting energy that the Colts introduced early in the first practice.
▪ Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu, who has impressed coaches in camp, also had a good play when he hit Ravens running back Ty’Son Williams in the backfield for a 3-yard loss.
▪ It’s unclear whether the starters will play Saturday. Both Darnold and Horn said they were unsure of whether they will play. Rhule said he wouldn’t make a decision until Thursday.
“I can’t wait to touch the field,” Horn said.
▪ Linebacker Denzel Perryman wore pads at practice for the first time since the first week of training camp. He only participated in warm-ups, and the hope is that he can do more Thursday.
▪ The Panthers are being cautious with the return of running backs Reggie Bonnafon and Rodney Smith. Bonnafon is dealing with a “chronic” injury and may be back to play in Saturday’s preseason game. Smith, who had the lead on the backup job behind McCaffrey, has a history of two ACL tears, so the team is bringing him back slowly. He may practice Thursday.
TRANSACTION
▪ The Panthers signed defensive tackle Walter Palmore to fill the open spot on the 85-man roster. Palmore has played with multiple NFL teams as an undrafted free agent of Missouri. He also was quarterback P.J. Walker’s teammate with the Houston Roughnecks in the XFL.
GREG LITTLE TRADE
The Panthers traded 2019 second-round pick left tackle Greg Little to the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday for a 2022 seventh-round pick. General manager Scott Fitterer spoke about the decision Wednesday, and said that the deal came together soon after Sunday’s preseason game.
“Greg’s a great young man, just talking to him, he was excited. Some people just need a change of scenery sometimes,” Fitterer said. “I think it’s gonna be good for Greg; we got something in return. ... I’ve been talking to (Dolphins GM Chris Grier) on-and-off for the last probably month and a half, two months, about several different things. They had some injuries, they called (Tuesday), and it really all happened fairly quickly.”
Fitterer, however, did leave open the possibility of the Panthers looking to add at the left tackle position. Right tackle Taylor Moton is the team’s No. 2 left tackle at the moment.
“’(Left tackles) are really hard to find. No one’s gonna cut any, so you probably have to trade for some.” Fitterer said. “But that’s a specific position that we’d like to upgrade.”
Depth at linebacker is also something Fitterer pointed to as something that the team is looking to address.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Obviously, I’ve had experience with it in the past, the last few years.”
— Former New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold on the importance of getting tackled to prepare for the season.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
The Panthers will have the final practice of training camp in Spartanburg at 8:30 a.m. Thursday vs. the Baltimore Ravens.
This story was originally published August 18, 2021 at 2:45 PM.
