‘Yes, he’s QB1’: Panthers top pick Bryce Young shines in first training camp session
The practice that every Panthers fan was waiting for ended with the sentence most of the country knew was a foregone conclusion.
“Yes, he’s QB1,” Panthers head coach Frank Reich said Wednesday about first overall pick Bryce Young following the first training camp workout at Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C.
Young — who took all of the first-team reps during an efficient Day 1 workout — completed 9 of 12 passes in 11-on-11 team drills in front of his parents, Craig and Julie. April’s top pick made a handful of highlight plays on the day that he was ultimately anointed as the true leader of the Carolina offense.
“That means a lot, that’s a huge blessing,” Young said about his promotion after practice. “I always trust the coaches, and I want to do everything I can to play whatever role I’m called on to help the team. So, that means a lot, and for me, it doesn’t change my approach. Just make sure I take things day-by-day. There’s a lot that I want to keep growing in, keep improving in and a lot to learn, and we’re all — as a team — in this together.”
Bryce Young has a strong first act
While Young faced the occasional pressure in the pocket during the non-padded workout, the rookie handled himself well behind the line of scrimmage and connected with several of his playmakers throughout the practice. Two of his three incompletions were essentially dead-ball plays, as he lofted a toss to the sideline to avoid pressure and threw another ball into the ground with no one open on a separate rep. His lone blemish throw during 11-on-11 work came on a pass that was batted at the line of scrimmage.
Among his nine completions were a handful of highlight plays. He did an excellent job of lofting a ball to the sideline for a diving Adam Thielen early on in practice. He also tossed a downfield, pin-point heave to wideout DJ Chark, who picked up speed to the ball to beat cornerback Keith Taylor for a catch of 35-40 yards and the offensive play of the day. Young fit the ball in a tight window between a safety and Taylor, and Chark rewarded him with a nice snag. Young also had a pair of nice laser throws across the middle.
With the Panthers constantly shuffling lineups during a fast and efficient day, Young didn’t really miss a beat (or a weapon) outside of the one ball that was blocked over the middle.
Linebacker makes defensive play of the day
Veteran inside linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill made an impressive interception early on in 11-on-11 drills. With backup quarterback Andy Dalton leading the second-team offense, Grugier-Hill pounced on the first pass of the period. Dalton tossed the ball over the middle and Grugier-Hill made a leaping grab.
Grugier-Hill, who signed with Carolina in the offseason, was with Reich in Philadelphia for two seasons. At the time, Grugier-Hill was known as strictly a special teamer. Since then, the veteran has bounced around and earned starting jobs with the Eagles, Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans.
Reich praised Grugier-Hill and his heads-up play following practice.
“Phenomenal interception — you guys saw it,” Reich said. “I was standing behind the offense, Kamu made a great anticipation play on the ball — big time play. I just think he’s playing with confidence — he’s just played a lot of football, he came into the league and really made a name for himself as a special teams player as a guy who you have to deal with on teams. But then he’s really taken that to a new level playing linebacker. So he plays fast, he’s instinctive, he’s smart and then he can make plays on the ball, like you saw today.”
Grugier-Hill is competing to be the third inside linebacker on the Panthers’ defense behind Shaq Thompson and Frankie Luvu. If he keeps making plays like Wednesday’s interception, he will run away with that job.
A dark horse pass rusher emerges
While he didn’t get much ink in the spring, practice-squad holdover Kobe Jones had himself an excellent Day 1 of training camp.
During his first 10 (or so) 11-on-11 reps, Jones — an edge rusher — collected two would-be sacks. He got to Young quickly on the second play of 11-on-11 work — but the staff let the play go and Young was able to find Thielen on a target for a completed catch.
A few minutes later, Jones sped quickly into the backfield against right tackle Taylor Moton and collected another “sack”.
With the Panthers facing plenty of questions at edge rusher, Jones could emerge as a dark horse. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound pass rusher from Mississippi State is quick and agile, and he looks the part on the practice field. With Amare Barno on the roster bubble, and third-round pick DJ Johnson looking like a long-term project, Jones could force the Panthers to keep five pass rushers or force someone else off the depth chart.
Jones is a player to monitor moving forward.
Another second-year player worth remembering
Second-year nose tackle Marquan McCall had a nice practice.
The 6-foot-3, 345-pound defensive lineman worked with the first-team unit to start training camp. He batted the Young pass at the line of scrimmage during 11-on-11 work, and he looked comfortable working inside while taking on minimal contact blocks.
Obviously, the padded practices will be the big test for McCall. But right now, he’s getting some serious looks in the trenches for the Panthers.
Injury updates: Spider-Burns is back
The Panthers had full attendance on the field on Wednesday.
Outside linebacker Brian Burns was a full participant after sitting out of the entire offseason program with an ankle injury. His participation was also notable because of ongoing contract negotiations with the Panthers.
Cornerbacks Jaycee Horn (ankle) and Donte Jackson (Achilles) were both in uniform and practiced to varying degrees. Wide receivers Derek Wright (wrist) and Damiere Byrd (undisclosed) also returned to practice after missing portions of the offseason program.
While right guard Austin Corbett (ACL) wasn’t dressed, the lineman, who is on the PUP list, still showed up on the field. His fellow PUP list teammates — Chandler Zavala (hamstring), John Penisini (calf) and Jalen Redmond (undisclosed) — were also present. Penisini and Redmond even did work off to the side with trainers.
Wide receiver Marquez Stevenson was seen on the field, but he did not participate in drills.
Update (5:20 p.m. ET): The Panthers announced the team waived Stevenson after the practice. There wasn’t a corresponding roster move.
Cade Mays still the guy at right guard
With Corbett sidelined, second-year lineman Cade Mays lined up at right guard, as he did throughout the offseason program. Mays is known for his versatility, but he impressed the front office with his work at right guard in last year’s finale against the Saints.
The Panthers also have veterans Justin McCray and Michael Jordan to use at the position. But it seems like Mays is the man to beat for the foreseeable future. He did a nice job on Wednesday.
Quick Hits
▪ Derek Wright had the juice on a deep ball from Dalton during 11-on-11 drills. He beat a defensive back to get open and caught a huge heave from Dalton for a play that would have probably gone for a touchdown in a game. Wright needs to have an excellent camp to make the roster, but plays like this will only help him, especially after missing mandatory minicamp with an injury.
▪ Dalton had a few nice throws on the day. Along with the pass to Wright, he fired an impressive dart over the middle to tight end Stephen Sullivan. He also connected with wideout Josn Vann on a tightly contested catch.
▪ Second-year quarterback Matt Corral only got three pass attempts in 11-on-11 work, but he completed all of them. He threw a dart over the middle to wideout Gary Jennings, tossed a ball in the flat to running back Camerun Peoples, and wrapped up his session with a completion to tight end Giovanni Ricci. It was a nice subtle start for last year’s third-round pick.
▪ Wideout/returner Damiere Byrd had a pair of nice catches. After missing a good portion of OTAs, Byrd rebounded with some nice work in team drills. He’s competing for the punt return job and a deep depth wideout role. With Stevenson sidelined, Byrd stepped up.
▪ Wideout Laviska Shenault has the versatility to be used in several ways by a creative play-caller. He was active with catches during the practice. Unlike his role in last year’s offense, look for Shenault to run an evolved route tree this year. Based on how he was used on Day 1, I think it’s okay to take him off the roster bubble. (For what it’s worth, this writer had him making the 53-man roster in his initial projection of the summer.)
More training camp reading:
▪ Bryce Young is built for starting role: 5 takeaways on Panthers rookies
▪ Panthers’ 53-man roster projection: How many RBs and WRs will Carolina keep after camp?
▪ Panthers training camp storylines: Young’s growth, Reich’s second chance top the list
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 2:14 PM.
