As Panthers training camp ends and NFL regular season begins, here’s what we learned
Panthers training camp is officially over.
The dog days of preseason practices are gone. The Panthers set their 53-man roster on Tuesday and will begin their in-season schedule next week. At practice on Thursday, the last time observers were allowed in before the start of the season, players from the practice squad competed against the first-team starters.
“You only get one padded practice a week with the new rules (in the regular season),” Panthers coach Matt Rhule said. “So we gave them Saturday, Sunday off. We practiced Monday, Tuesday off, then practiced Wednesday and Thursday. It was good to get out there today. It was hot. We’ll watch the tape and get ready for Cleveland on Monday.”
A lot has changed since Carolina opened camp on July 27 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Thirty-seven players who started camp on the team are no longer on the active roster, though many who were cut this week returned to the practice squad.
Carolina started with four healthy quarterbacks. The Panthers are down to two: Baker Mayfield and PJ Walker. Practice squad quarterback Jacob Eason was signed on Wednesday. Sam Darnold was officially placed on injured reserve. He’ll miss a minimum of four weeks. Rookie Matt Corral had Lisfranc surgery earlier this week. General manager Scott Fitterer said former Panthers physician Robert Anderson performed the surgery.
Corral is still “very much” a part of the Panthers’ future plans. Fitterer said Corral will be as involved as possible during the season. Because he is on IR it is against league rules for him to practice while he rehabs. But Fitterer said he will wear an earpiece during practice and be at every team and quarterback meeting.
Mayfield and Corral were becoming close before he was injured. The rookie often was in Mayfield’s hip pocket soaking up free advice from the Panthers’ starting quarterback. That will soon continue. But Mayfield’s attention is on beating the Cleveland Browns.
He’s come a long way mentally, and also physically — most notably with his footwork — since joining the team in July.
Baker Mayfield and his footwork
It’s never easy, but Mayfield is getting used to tailoring his footwork to a new offense. He’s playing for his fifth offensive coordinator in five years. But quarterback coach Sean Ryan said Mayfield’s history has helped him pick up the Panthers system and specific footwork more easily.
“The footwork in this offense with the way we run things is so integral to play quarterback,” Ryan said. “Fortunately, Baker had a little bit of experience in this type of system. I do not want to say it came easy to him because he worked at it.”
Whether Mayfield is under center, faking play-action and rolling right, or in shotgun throwing quick game, his foot discipline this season will dictate his success.
Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo will put Mayfield in positions to make his own calls. He’ll have the freedom to decide what matchups are most advantageous and attack accordingly. But none of his presnap reads matter if his mind is not married to his feet. McAdoo wants his quarterbacks to be aggressive but always remain disciplined.
“We talk about it all the time,” McAdoo said. “Keep the system loose and the fundamentals tight.”
High expectations for secondary
Defensive coordinator Phil Snow more than believes in his unit. He thinks the Panthers can be one of the best defenses in football again.
The team has talent at all three levels, but its secondary is as deep as there is.
“You know, arguably we have the top three corners in the league as a group,” Snow said. “You could argue that we do.”
That group is led by second-year defensive back Jaycee Horn. He played in only three games last year before injuring his foot, but he’s back and ready to establish himself as a top cornerback not only in Carolina, but also in the NFL.
“He is one of the best players in the league and will be,” Snow said of Horn. “I’m looking forward to watching him.”
Horn can and will play all over the field. Depending on the situation, Snow can deploy Horn in the slot as a nickel corner while veteran Donate Jackson and former first-round pick C.J. Henderson anchor the outside.
Behind them is second-year cornerback Keith Taylor, who established himself as the No. 4 cornerback despite battling a hamstring injury most of camp.
More roster moves coming?
The Panthers have spent the past year revamping their scouting and evaluation department. Fitterer prioritized hiring more evaluators to create a more robust database. With his complete staff in place, Fitterer said the team has thousands of player profiles and evaluations archived. At a moment’s notice, Fitterer can access information about a player rather than scrambling for knowledge.
This new system helped Carolina acquire wide receiver Laviska Shenault when he was made available. It also helps Fitterer better survey the league for potential new additions.
Though the 53-man roster is set, Fitterer is not done tinkering. The team is still interested in a defensive lineman, possibly an edge rusher who can adequately defend the run.
“I think we are going to be active there and keep looking,” Fitterer said about adding a defensive lineman. “We’ve been impressed with (Amare) Barno. He does a lot of things naturally. He has so much bend to him. We like the guys here, but we’ll probably add one more guy. We just cannot force it.”
The team likes what Daviyon Nixon can do at both end and tackle. Undrafted rookie Marquan McCall impressed enough during camp to make the 53-man roster. He likely beat out end Darryl Johnson, who was cut and then claimed by Seattle.
