Panthers minicamp notebook: QB Bryce Young leads offense during strong day for defense
The Panthers’ defense turned in a handful of big plays on Tuesday during the first practice of mandatory minicamp.
Pass rusher Marquis Haynes, in particular, had a strong day as he consistently got into the backfield during 11-on-11 drills. Haynes had at least two would-be sacks during team drills, and it’d be fair argue that he had a third one that was a bit less obvious than the other two on rookie quarterback Bryce Young, who continued to lead the first-team offense.
While Young completed the majority of his passes during 11-on-11 drills, the defense — as a unit — did a nice job of forcing pressure and creating tough catches throughout the afternoon. Young had a ball batted at the line of scrimmage during his first session of 11-on-11 work, and a few minutes later, veteran backup Andy Dalton suffered the same fate in front of a crowded group in the trenches.
After the workout, head coach Frank Reich said that he expected to see plenty of batted balls because the defensive linemen can’t touch the quarterbacks in practice. So, instead of pass rushing on a consistent motor, the defensive linemen are getting their hands up to impact the play, which has led to batted balls.
Linebacker Frankie Luvu made an excellent play in coverage against Young as he jumped a route and knocked down a pass during an 11-on-11 rep. Safety Jeremy Chinn — who has had a strong offseason program performance in front of media — broke up a pass meant for wideout Adam Thielen in the slot during 7-on-7 work.
The play of the day for the defense was produced by rookie linebacker Bumper Pool. The undrafted defender made an opportunistic grab on a ball that bounced off the hands of undrafted running back Camerun Peoples. Pool intercepted the pass from second-year quarterback Matt Corral and celebrated the highlight play by returning the ball to the opposite end zone as his fellow defenders cheered him on.
The performance by the defense was notable because minicamp practices typically favor the offense because of the lack of contact. The previous media-attended practices fell in line with the typical offensive favoritism. But to start minicamp, it felt like the defense prevailed in a way it hadn’t earlier in the offseason program.
Young developing chemistry with weapons
Although the defense made its presence known on Tuesday, Young still had a handful of noteworthy connections.
Young showed off his chemistry with Thielen on a couple of throws, even as the veteran receiver bailed the rookie out on some off-the-mark tosses. Young has looked for Thielen quite often during the offseason program, and the veteran’s ability to get open across the middle will be an asset for Young in his rookie season. Thielen made a pair of diving catches on the day, and he probably had the best outing of any of the offensive playmakers during the workout.
Young targeted rookie wideout Jonathan Mingo on a tight toss over the middle during 11-on-11 drills. He also tossed a deep ball on a “go” route to wideout Terrace Marshall during 7-on-7 work. Marshall made an excellent adjustment with his body to haul in the ball against cornerback Keith Taylor in coverage.
Mingo and Marshall have worked with Young after practice during the offseason program, and the rookie quarterback’s timing with the pair has been evident in the limited practice availability the media has had over the past month.
In a funny moment that’s rarely seen on the practice field, Young essentially skipped stones with a completion during 7-on-7 drills. Young fired a dart over the middle to running back Chuba Hubbard and the ball bounced off his hands. The ball then ricocheted off tight end Tommy Tremble’s mitts and into the hands of wideout DJ Chark for a catch. On that one, Young was more lucky than good.
Injuries ahead of training camp
The Panthers are monitoring a handful notable injuries ahead of the break before training camp.
Safety Vonn Bell (hamstring) was sidelined for Tuesday’s workout. Fourth-round pick, guard Chandler Zavala (pec strain), missed his second consecutive practice in front of the media. Wide receiver Derek Wright — who made several impressive connections with Young during organized team activities — was seen with a cast on his right arm during practice, as he watched from the sideline.
Edge rusher Brian Burns (ankle), tight end Hayden Hurst (sports hernia) and cornerback Donte Jackson (Achilles) were all seen at practice, but none of them participated in team drills. Reich said after practice that Jackson is expected to return to drills for training camp in July. The expectation for Burns is that he will return in time for training camp as well.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn, who injured his left ankle last week, was not seen at practice. Like Jackson and Burns, Horn is expected to recover in time for training camp, according to Reich.
Wide receiver Josh Vann and offensive tackle Larnel Coleman were also held out of the practice. Starting right guard Austin Corbett (ACL), offensive tackle B.J. Wilson (Achilles) and defensive lineman Jalen Redmond (undisclosed) all appeared on the field but didn’t participate in drills.
Quick Hits
▪ Following practice, the Panthers announced that Mingo, the team’s second-round pick, agreed to terms on his four-year rookie contract. The terms of the deal weren’t immediately disclosed. Young is now the only remaining member of the Panthers’ 2023 draft class to not reach a contract agreement to this point.
▪ The Panthers hosted three tryout players during Tuesday’s workout. Cornerbacks Greg Mabin and Thakarius Keyes and veteran receiver-turned-tight end Jordan Matthews worked out with the team during the practice.
Matthews, a 2014 second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, has bounced around quite a bit over the years. After playing wideout for most of his career, he made the switch to tight end in 2019 with the San Francisco 49ers. He has appeared in 76 career games and produced 274 catches for 3,288 yards and 22 touchdowns during his career. If signed, he’d compete with Giovanni Ricci and Stephen Sullivan for a deep depth spot behind Hurst, Tremble and Ian Thomas at the tight end position.
Mabin has been in the league since 2017. He’s played for seven different teams throughout his run in the NFL. In 45 career games, he’s collected 64 tackles and seven pass breakups. Keyes, whose nickname is “BoPete,” briefly played for Reich in Indianapolis in 2021. He’s collected nine tackles in 13 career games. Keyes or Mabin could be signed to make up for the lack of bodies at cornerback with Horn and Jackson sidelined.
▪ The Panthers opened up a roster spot on Monday ahead of the workout. Defensive tackle Jalen Dalton, who was claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons last week, was waived after spending just four days with the franchise.
▪ Following practice, Young, Marshall and Mingo spent time with former Panthers wideout Steve Smith, who has been a frequent visitor throughout the offseason program. Marshall and Mingo also worked on their hands with trainers, playing catch roughly 30 minutes after the final whistle. Tremble and Hubbard also worked on over-the-shoulder receiving with each other during that same time frame.
▪ While Mingo and Marshall were working on the adjacent field, Burns and fellow pass rusher Yetur Gross-Matos worked with a pass-rushing dummy for roughly 20 minutes. Following that side workout, Burns complimented Gross-Matos’ adjustment to outside linebacker after spending his entire career as a 4-3 defensive end.
▪ Corral, the Panthers’ third-string quarterback, got an extended run during 11-on-11 work. His first two throws were to wideout Marquez Stevenson. The pair showed some chemistry on the pair of passes, as Corral led the deep-depth offense.
This story was originally published June 13, 2023 at 5:13 PM.
