Panthers minicamp updates: Competitive practice features trash talk, big plays
A competitive first day of mandatory minicamp led to some jawing between the Carolina Panthers’ offensive and defensive players Tuesday in uptown Charlotte.
With both sides trading back-and-forth highlights, cornerback Jaycee Horn exchanged verbal taunts with running back Chuba Hubbard and quarterback Bryce Young. And while the animated antics — read: trash talk — occasionally bookended reps during team drills, the Panthers staged a relatively eventful workout from a football perspective.
“It’s been like that,” head coach Dave Canales said after practice. “Ever since we started practicing against each other. Particularly Chuba, Jaycee, Bryce. They’re all kinda going back and forth. The energy for us, it’s never about the opponent. It’s never about trying to dominate the opponent. It’s about bringing your best. And sometimes they just add their flavor, and that’s part of their personality.
“One of the things I think about this team: The better we coach, the better we set the foundation and have expectations, the more comfortable we see them, and we start to see their personalities. They start to really color what we do out here. So I love it.”
The practice started out a bit sluggish with a pair of drops by first-round pick, rookie wideout Tetairoa McMillan, and tight end Dominique Dafney. But once the offense settled in, the mid-afternoon workout became a showcase for the connection between Young and veteran wideout Adam Thielen. The duo, now in its third minicamp together, connected on a handful of highlight completions in traffic.
Young also made some quality throws to wideout Xavier Legette, despite last year’s first-round pick having to leave the field for a spell early in practice.
Clearly, Young had a good enough practice to draw the attention of Horn, who was leading a defensive unit that also had its fair share of big moments to begin the week.
Young DBs continue to make plays
The media has been invited to three total workouts during the offseason program thus far. In all three workouts, second-year nickel cornerback Chau Smith-Wade has made a big play. Tuesday, he broke up a pass from Young to veteran wideout David Moore. Young tried to fit a quick laser to Moore but Smith-Wade reacted quickly and forced an incompletion.
Cornerback Shemar Bartholomew, a fellow second-year player, also continued his streak of strong play in front of media. After ending last week’s open OTA session with an interception, Bartholomew was able to add another pick to his offseason program ledger with a nice play on a toss from backup QB Andy Dalton. The backup QB zinged a ball over the middle, and Bartholomew was able to snatch it out of the air ahead of the targeted receiver.
Bartholomew also had a pass breakup earlier in the workout on a throw from Dalton to wideout Dan Chisena.
“It’s comfortability,” Canales said. “It’s confidence. It’s understanding the scheme, knowing when you can take your shots. And then it’s their everyday drills. It’s just taking those drills, the agility (drills) that (passing game coordinator Jonathan) Cooley takes them through everyday, and making those things show up when they’re in a team setting, a 7-on-7 setting, so I really love seeing those guys take their chances. And again, another room that’s more and more competitive with Akayleb. With Chau. With Shemar. Really battling with those spots.”
The Panthers’ cornerback group has been a consistent topic among analysts and fans. While the team just paid Horn and Mike Jackson to be its starting duo, Smith-Wade, Bartholomew and others have been knocked for their inexperience.
However, with the way Smith-Wade and Bartholomew have performed during the offseason program, it’s easy to see why the Panthers haven’t attempted to cut into their reps ahead of training camp.
Rookie kicker has a nice day
Undrafted rookie kicker Ryan Fitzgerald had a strong showing to begin the week. The Florida State grad went 5-of-5 on a tighter-than-regulation goal post in practice. His top make came from around 57 yards out.
Fitzgerald is coming off a sensational final season with the Seminoles. He made all 13 of his field goal attempts last year, including five from beyond 50 yards.
Fitzgerald, who went undrafted in April, is competing with journeyman veteran Matthew Wright to replace Eddy Piñeiro at kicker. So far, so good for the rookie specialist.
Play of the day: The old-ish gunslinger has still got it
While Dalton threw a pick to Bartholomew during team drills, he also had some strong moments. His top play ended practice and will get the nod from The Observer as the play of the afternoon.
With wideout Hunter Renfrow streaking down the right sideline, Dalton heaved the ball into the air. Renfrow, who was in the area of three defenders, looked up as a Dalton’s dime toss hit him straight in the hands. The toss went for at least 40 yards as Renfrow caught the ball in stride for several more paces. Dalton fit the ball perfectly and it was an exciting way for the offense to cap the workout.
Injury updates: Coker, Wonnum get more work; Barno undergoes procedure
Wide receiver Jalen Coker (soft tissue) and outside linebacker DJ Wonnum (back) have progressed with their injuries since OTAs.
Coker, who participated in individual drills last week, worked in team drills Tuesday. He even had a highlight catch toward the sideline off a throw from Young in 7-on-7 drills. Wonnum, while wearing a practice jersey in front of the media for the first time this summer, took part individual drills.
The only two notable absences from practice were tight end Tommy Tremble (back) and outside linebacker Amare Barno (knee). Tremble has been sidelined throughout the offseason program after undergoing back surgery. However, Barno was a new absence, and Canales explained after the workout that the former draft pick underwent a knee procedure.
Canales explained Barno’s situation was similar to Tremble’s outlook in that the medical staff presented the player with an opportunity to deal with his discomfort. A team spokesperson later clarified that Barno’s clean-out procedure was done on his right knee — the same that underwent an ACL repair last year — but was unrelated to a previous injury.
Wide receiver Brycen Tremayne has yet to take part in an offseason workout in front of media. He was present on the field — without a uniform — on Tuesday. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown and right tackle Taylor Moton continue to be limited to individual drills.
Quick hits
▪ Longtime Panthers linebacker Shaq Thompson signed a one-year deal Tuesday with the Buffalo Bills. Thompson spent 10 seasons in Carolina before the front office acknowledged that he wouldn’t return in February. Thompson joins Buffalo to start the mandatory portion of their offseason program ahead of training camp.
▪ The Green Bay Packers released cornerback Jaire Alexander, a Charlotte native, on Monday. Alexander, a 2018 first-round pick, played in 78 games (76 starts) over seven seasons with the Packers. The two-time Pro Bowl selection has only been able to play in 14 combined games over the past two seasons due to injuries. He has appeared in more than eight games just once in the past four years. When healthy, though, Alexander has been tremendous, and the Panthers have a clear need for upgraded depth at cornerback.
The 5-foot-10, 196-pound defensive back wouldn’t fit the size type that defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero typically prefers, especially at outside cornerback. However, Alexander — if his medical check were to come back clean — would be a notable upgrade on the depth chart.
▪ Like Alexander, Germaine Pratt, a High Point native and NC State grad, was released in a cap-cutting move by the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday. Pratt, an inside linebacker, spent six seasons with Cincinnati, and played against Evero and Cooley in Super Bowl LVI when the two coaches won a ring with the Rams. Pratt, 29, was a team captain with the Bengals, and he could make sense as a veteran addition for the Panthers if the front office determines it needs upgrades at the position. Josey Jewell and Trevin Wallace are the current projected starters.
▪ While some teams use minicamp to stage tryouts for veteran players, the Panthers have decided to simply work with the roster that they have. The Panthers previously passed on signing all of their tryout players from May’s rookie minicamp.
▪ Make sure to follow Panthers beat writers Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) and Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05) on “X”, formerly known as Twitter, throughout the summer for the latest updates from minicamp and training camp.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that Smith-Wade broke up a pass by Dalton. The play was made on a throw from Young. The article has been updated.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 4:33 PM.
