Storylines heading into Carolina Panthers training camp beyond Bryce Young
As the Carolina Panthers charge into training camp, the most earnest of Panthers fans are probably anchoring their hopes for 2025 on two syllables:
And that’s totally understandable. It’s responsible, really. The third-year quarterback ended last year on such a resurgence that he’s not only delivered this team some modest expectations for the upcoming fall but has also changed the feel of open workouts this past spring and summer — with a confident Young finding his voice and using it, cutting it up with Pro Bowl corner and trash-talking-virtuoso-by-birth Jaycee Horn.
This offense will go as far as Young will take it. Head coach Dave Canales said as much over the summer. Full stop.
This begs the question: What else is there to say about Young and his offseason? Panthers fans, after all, know how well Young rounded out his final five games of 2024. They know how much this offseason has meant to the repairing of his relationship with his head coach going into the partnership’s second year. They know, simply, how utterly massive his 2025 will be.
So while it’s true that we at The Charlotte Observer will track every Young throw and report it in painstaking detail this training camp, it’s also true that there’s more to watch out for.
And that leads us here, to a list of 14 storylines we’ll have our eyes on in camp that do not include Young, in no particular order. Check them out.
Two biggest dates of training camp: Joint practices — duh!
Panthers rookies reported to Bank of America Stadium on Monday. Veterans reported Tuesday. And the camp begins Wednesday in the practice fields in uptown — this year without fans, as construction continues at the stadium and its surrounding facilities. And while camp will take place over the course of the next few weeks, without a doubt the two biggest dates on the training camp schedule will be the team’s two joint practices: Aug. 6 in Charlotte with the Cleveland Browns and Aug. 14 in Houston against the Texans.
The matchup with the Browns, above all else, will be entertaining, as the Browns have among the craziest situations at quarterback (they have five of them, including Shedeur Sanders) across the league. The matchup with the Texans will undeniably feature some memories of the 2023 draft with CJ Stroud and Bryce Young at the center of it. However, unlike last year, these practices won’t be the only glimpses of what this team could be; Canales confirmed that his starters will play in the preseason.
Tommy Tremble’s role, and his health
Tommy Tremble is starting training camp on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list, the Panthers announced Monday. Outside of this news there has been no update on the health status of Tremble since May, when Canales told reporters that the 25-year-old tight end underwent successful back surgery. Canales said at the time that Tremble would be ready to rehab by training camp in July, though an exact timeline remained unclear. He showed up on and off the injury report with hamstring issues throughout 2024. This will certainly be one of the first things Canales will be asked about injury-wise, as his absence or presence greatly affects the shape of the Panthers’ tight end room and thus the fabric of their offense. Tremble signed a two-year deal in March.
Any early, consequential reps for Nic Scourton or Princely Umanmielen?
The two rookies at the outside linebacker spot have been paired all offseason. Scourton was arguably the steal of the Panthers’ draft in Round 2 — his contract saga is officially resolved — and Umanmielen is probably the Panthers’ second-best value pick. Scourton is mad young with the advertised power of the Hulk; Umanmielen, conversely, is a bit more grown into his body at 23 years old and has a deep bag of moves ... but underestimate his power at your own peril. All this to ask: Will either of them shine and establish themselves as first- and second-down guys in training camp and in the preseason, over DJ Wonnum or Patrick Jones II? Will both of them do so? Time will tell.
Who will give the best rookie karaoke performance?
Each season, Panthers rookies stand up in front of the team and give a karaoke performance that could be memorable or awkward or awkwardly memorable. Young brought the house down with his rendition of Keyshia Cole’s “Love” in 2023. Trevin Wallace did a song so silly he didn’t reveal it after his own rookie performance in 2024. Canales, a rookie head coach last year, sang “Three Little Birds” by the inimitable Bob Marley. So who will endure in Panthers memory this year? The smart money is on Tetairoa McMillan; the rookie wide receiver has a proclivity for showmanship, as displayed during his ceremonial “Keep Pounding” drum hits.
Will the new personnel impact Ejiro Evero’s defense?
This league-worst defense was the focal point of free agency in March. The Panthers went out and got a tackle in Turk Wharton and another in Bobby Brown III (who they have initially put on the non-football injury list). They made a massive splash in acquiring hard-hitting safety Tre’Von Moehrig. They effectively replaced the departing Shaq Thompson with inside linebacker Christian Rozeboom — and on Tuesday, the team announced that they released veteran inside linebacker Josey Jewell. The question: Will all this personnel movement affect Evero’s scheme? Moehrig played a ton near the line of scrimmage in summer workouts and also all of last season as a Las Vegas Raider; how will that affect Evero’s package selections? More nickel? Will there be a rotation at pass rusher? Along the defensive line? NFL reporting rules certainly limit our reporting breadth at training camp, but fans can get a glimpse of the Panthers’ potentially new-look defense based on who’s making plays — and who’s playing at all.
Hunter Renfrow and his chances of making the team
Like the whole topic of Young, Hunter Renfrow’s likelihood of making the team has been discussed into oblivion. I gave him an 80% chance of making the team in June. That hasn’t changed. His play distribution will be interesting in the live practices with the Browns and the Texans; so will his presence on the active roster during the preseason. And the Renfrow question — and the accompanying “how many starting receivers will Carolina keep on its 53-man roster” question — affect literally every receiver not named McMillan or Xavier Legette or Adam Thielen.
Running back rush distribution reps
It’s hard to make extrapolations from training camp about the running back group. Mike Boone had a great preseason last year but was siphoned to the practice squad thereafter, for instance. Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders and Jonathon Brooks (though he was injured) didn’t play a single snap in last year’s preseason, and those three took every running back carry in the regular season until Week 16, when Raheem Blackshear got his shot. Still, the biggest thing we’ll see is how much Trevor Etienne and Rico Dowdle split reps — Hubbard, of course, is the unquestioned starter.
Is Raheem Blackshear the starting kick returner? Punt returner?
This is a consequential training camp for Blackshear, who signed a one-year deal this offseason and carved out a role for himself as a returner in 2024. Why is it big? Because the Panthers added a ton of guys with returning potential. Renfrow, for one. Rookies Jimmy Horn Jr. and Trevor Etienne, as other examples. David Moore was a reliable set of hands in the return game last year, too, and is “Canales’ guy.”
Ethan Garbers vs. Jack Plummer
Young is QB1. Andy Dalton is solidly QB2, given the team just re-signed the 37-year-old QB for two more years. The Panthers won’t keep a third QB on the active roster and will likely only keep one on the practice squad — so it’s either rookie Ethan Garbers out of UCLA or second-year Jack Plummer, who made the active roster for a game last year. These guys will play the bulk of the preseason; who plays more — and who plays better — will be a minor but still present storyline.
Ryan Fitzgerald vs. Matthew Wright
The kickers! Kicking drills to split up each practice will be fun. Ryan Fitzgerald, a stalwart at Florida State, has the edge through summer workouts over Matthew Wright, an NFL journeyman. But we’ll see.
Austin Corbett vs. Cade Mays
Who will start at center is the biggest — and really only — question along the offensive line. Both had remarkably similar Pro Football Focus grades in roughly the same amount of snaps at the center position a year ago. Both are versatile, too, so whoever gets the starting center role will also get a lot of reps at either guard spot, along with Brady Christensen. We’ll have as many updates on the Panthers’ offensive line as your heart desires.
Derrick Brown’s return to play
The defensive line underwent a massive face lift this offseason after a difficult 2024, as mentioned. But one of the biggest improvements will come thanks to a veteran getting healthy. Derrick Brown, the team’s sole Pro Bowler in 2023, missed all but one game in 2024 because of a torn ligament in his knee. He told reporters on June 12 that he “expect(s) to be out there in training camp — no load management.” General manager confirmed that Brown is cleared for all activities on Tuesday.
Will Tre’Von Moehrig’s versatility affect his safety mate?
“Will the Panthers add another safety?” It’s the single biggest question outside of Young’s predicted proficiency I’ve been asked this summer. And the answer is yes — but probably not until well after training camp begins, and realistically, not until after the 53-man roster is set. The team loves Demani Richardson and Moehrig and is really high on the potential of rookie Lathan Ransom, who got some runs with the 1s in summer workouts. Moehrig’s versatility puts him in a position to play the linebacker spot, to play the nickel, to do a little bit of everything. So having a third and fourth reliable safety — should the Panthers want to play in a two-safety set with Moehrig playing somewhere else — is a storyline worth monitoring this week.
Training camp hero possibilities
There are a few training camp heroes every year. Demani Richardson, for one, last season in Carolina. Turk Wharton was, too, but for the Chiefs in 2020. Another in Carolina was Terrace Marshall Jr., who was such a reliable training camp hero in his four offseasons in Carolina that his stock was consistently through the roof come Week 1 and then regularly dwindled thereafter — at times to the befuddlement of his coaches and even himself. Jordan Matthews was the best tight end in training camp last year by my eyes, but thanks to factors outside the veteran’s control, he spent the year toggling between the active roster and the practice squad. This year, some training camp names to keep in mind for hero status: WR Jimmy Horn Jr., TE James Mitchell and CB Shemar Bartholomew.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
