Panthers-Jets takeaways: Rodgers’ great start halted as Carolina defense finishes strong
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers greeted Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young on Wednesday before joint practice at Wofford College. While the two quarterbacks exchanged pleasantries, Rodgers and Young spent most of the workout on opposite fields.
Rodgers and the Jets’ offense faced off against pass rusher Brian Burns and the Panthers’ defense, while Young and the Carolina offense faced off against a New York defense that was missing top cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner.
Below, a look at how Carolina’s defense performed against one of the best quarterbacks in recent memory.
TRAINING CAMP PRACTICE RECAPS: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | Day 9 | Day 10
Rodgers starts fast, Panthers’ defense finishes strong
Rodgers came out firing on Wednesday. He hit wideout Corey Davis on an out route before launching an excellent ball to receiver Allen Lazard, who broke free down the right sideline for a touchdown. It looked like cornerback Jaycee Horn thought he had help in zone coverage and passed off his assignment (Lazard) in coverage. The only problem was that there was no safety help for Lazard, who caught the pass on a “go” ball and streaked to the end zone for a touchdown with safety Xavier Woods straggling behind to catch up.
Rodgers looked accurate and efficient as he tossed the ball around the field. He had a drop on a ball to fullback Nick Bawden, but the quarterback mostly kept the ball off the turf early on in 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 work.
The Panthers’ defense was also called for a couple of pre-snap penalties against Rodgers. Burns noted after practice that Rodgers also tricked him on a couple of play-action fakes during the workout.
Later in practice, Rodgers made a phenomenal sideline throw to a diving C.J. Uzomah, who laid out for the ball.
“I thought we were pretty good,” Rodgers said. “We didn’t, maybe, have the same type of energy — for whatever reason — to start practice, but I thought there were some good things, a lot of learning tape out there. But I thought it was good to be out there against a different defense. Thought we handled the front pretty well in run game. In pass game, there were some issues.”
After a brief special teams pause, both teams moved to the same field for two-minute drills. While Rodgers had been electric on the far side of the practice facility, the move to the field closest to the hill of fans in attendance seemed to turn the tide for the Panthers’ defense.
During his lone two-minute drill with the Jets offense, Rodgers went 1-of-3 on passes to his targets and the Jets were forced to punt.
Rodgers had a nice day against the Panthers’ defense, and his seemingly effortless ability to lead his receivers and create big plays was evident. The throws to Uzomah and Lazard were legitimate highlights.
Burns, Horn and Grugier-Hill make plays
While the Jets’ offense did a nice job against the Panthers’ defense early on, there were still some defensive highlights in team drills.
During an early 7-on-7 rep, Jets backup quarterback Zach Wilson tossed a side-armed pass to tight end Kenny Yeboah. The ball, which had great placement, bounced off the tight end’s hands and floated backward. Horn fielded the interception for an early turnover. The pick, which wasn’t Wilson’s fault, was one of the best plays made by the Panthers’ defense on the day.
Also, while Rodgers did a nice job early on, Burns got to him for at least two would-be sacks during 11-on-11 work. Burns did a nice job of getting around the right tackle (twice) and getting in on Rodgers without contact. The second would-be sack was particularly emphatic to the point that Burns did a bit of a sack dance after.
“It’s pretty nice to work the moves you’ve been working on this offseason in training camp with somebody new that hasn’t seen them,” Burns said after practice. “So pretty satisfying, I guess, when it works ... So, those are my game-time reps, for real. Yeah, it’s dope.”
Speaking of the defensive front, Shy Tuttle made an impressive leaping pass breakup on a Rodgers throw. Rodgers and the pocket were moving to the left and Tuttle kept his eyes up the entire time. When Rodgers released the ball, Tuttle swatted it both of his hands for a breakup.
During the two-minute drills, the Panthers’ defense forced three-and-outs against the Jets’ first- and second-team offenses. Linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill put an exclamation point on the joint workout with an interception of Wilson. Grugier-Hill caught the ball over the middle and slid to end the play. After the whistle blew, Grugier-Hill threw the ball up in the air.
“I thought the two-minute situations at the end were good,” Panthers head coach Frank Reich said. “I thought, on both sides of the ball, we executed well. It’s important to finish strong — we want to be able to finish games out. ...
“Kamu has been making plays all of camp. You guys have seen it. So, he makes another big play today.”
The pick was Grugier-Hill’s fourth of the summer after previously picking off Andy Dalton (twice) and Young in 11-on-11 work.
Quick hits
▪ Wideout Laviska Shenault, linebacker Frankie Luvu and rookie guard Nash Jensen all missed practice. Shenault and Luvu were both seen on the field in their practice jerseys, but neither took part in drills. Following practice, Reich said Luvu, Shenault and Jensen were held out as a precaution, and he downplayed their respective undisclosed ailments. All three players are having great summer performances, so their statuses — particularly those of Luvu and Shenault — are worth monitoring.
▪ Pass rusher Marquis Haynes (back) and guard Austin Corbett (PUP-ACL) were both on the field but didn’t participate in drills.
▪ Scary moment in two-minute drills: Young fired a deep shot to wideout Jonathan Mingo, who collided with safety Tony Adams and cornerback Brandin Echols right near the goal line. The pass fell incomplete and all three players took a bit to get back on their feet.
▪ Another scary moment took place during 7-on-7 work, as wideout Jason Brownlee caught a pass over the middle with his head and neck banging into the shin and/or knee of nickel corner Jeremy Chinn. Brownlee got to his feet on his own after a few seconds and returned to the offensive grouping awaiting reps.
▪ Pass rusher Justin Houston joined practice on Wednesday in pads. While this reporter didn’t notice him in drills, Houston was seen running sprints after practice in his pads.
▪ Cornerback CJ Henderson, who is having a nice camp, broke up a pass from Wilson to wideout Xavier Gipson during 7-on-7 work. Wilson fumbled a shotgun snap before picking it up and launching it to Gipson, who was deterred by Henderson in coverage.
▪ Jets running back Breece Hall and wideout Garrett Wilson did not participate in the workout but watched in their uniforms with the offense.
▪ Late addition linebacker Deion Jones had a couple of noticeable run stops on Wednesday. He has looked good this week and figures to be a notable role player in this defense.
More training camp reading at charlotteobserver.com:
▪ Panthers stock watch: Shenault, Marshall surge during camp, Haynes loses momentum
▪ Panthers safety Xavier Woods says everyone knows what he needs to improve on in 2023
▪ Under-the-radar Panthers defender wants to ‘take up space’ to benefit his teammates
▪ For Panthers offense to get better, this player must come back. But he’s not ready yet
▪ He’s a huge Carolina Panthers fan and podcaster. He’s also an inspiration
▪ How Panthers lineman went from loading Amazon trucks to signing with hometown team
