Carolina Panthers’ explosive plays in FanFest practice give fans reason to cheer
Jimmy Horn Jr. was getting lost in the moment before the most electric play of Saturday evening came. And who could blame him?
For the first time in his NFL career, he was on an NFL field, in front of a buzzing crowd getting their first glimpse of the Carolina Panthers this summer. And when the fans in Bank of America Stadium weren’t getting their jerseys signed by Chuba Hubbard, or taking selfies with Bryce Young, or playing catch with long snapper JJ Jansen — they were waiting for moments like the one that came in the first half of this year’s FanFest, with Horn waiting for a punt.
“I’m back there just vibin’, thinking I’m about to get me a punt,” Horn said. He smirked. “They then got some tricks up their sleeves.”
Then came the play: Horn, the rookie receiver — who has stood out for his quickness and who has quickly become a fan favorite for his personality — saw some trickery. Punter Sam Martin executed a fake punt and tossed the ball to an open rookie safety Lathan Ransom, who nearly took it 60-plus yards to the house. But Horn stepped in and made a touchdown-saving tackle from the 2-yard line.
So it was no touchdown — but the electricity was real.
And that was the enduring legacy of FanFest in Charlotte on Saturday:
The atmosphere, which was particularly bottled up considering fans for the first time in franchise history haven’t been able to see the Panthers practice during training camp because of ongoing construction on the practice fields.
And the explosive plays that brought the fans to their feet.
“It’s amazing,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said.
“For these guys, this is why they do what they do. You turn the lights on, and they go to another level. We push them every day in practice to get that kind of energy. But when we can get them in our stadium and get the energy from the fans, it becomes pretty special.”
Explosive plays highlight a good day from Bryce Young
The Ransom-Horn punt collision was one of many plays that got the stadium — which distributed 45,690 tickets, per the team — loud.
Several come to mind.
Two were supplied by Horn, this time as the rookie receiver he is. Both were crossing routes in the red zone and delivered by quarterback Andy Dalton.
Another was supplied by Xavier Legette, who caught a 15-yard pass on a crossing route on the second play of the first-team offense’s second possession and hurtled another 25 yards into the end zone, punctuating the play with his patented horse-riding celebration.
Canales ran that play down post-practice.
“I saw guys take bad angles on a reception,” Canales said of the play. “And he’s big and fast. He saw he had daylight, and he was able to get into the end zone, but I think it was a little bit of over-pursuit by the defense. That’s why these scrimmages are so important for guys to see. In a practice, you might not get the full finish that you might see in a game, so you gotta work on those angles.”
Canales added: “But I love seeing Xavier with the ball in his hands running full speed. That means the coaches are doing their jobs.”
Young’s delivery to Legette was right in stride. Young was accurate — and turnover-free — all day and was particularly creative.
Canales thought his third-year quarterback had a great day, he said.
“Absolutely,” Canales said when asked if he was happy with Young’s performance. “Just the operation of it all. Getting us out there. Flowing in and out of personnel. Some tempo involved in there. Hitting most of his throws. I think a couple he might’ve missed slightly. Even that touchdown he had at the end (to tight end James Mitchell), I wanted to get a fourth-down attempt there, but I think he’s going to take a big hit there and throw a touchdown on that play.
“He’s extending plays when he has to, but he was on time and on the money today.”
4 other plays that caught our attention
- The offense took the spotlight in the first half of FanFest, but on the half’s final play, interior defensive lineman Turk Wharton rushed through the line and flushed Young to the right. The third-year QB had to then throw the ball away. Wharton got his money this free-agency as a pass rusher, but he’s had a standout camp as a run defender.
- The tight ends have made big plays all camp. Ja’Tavion Sanders has been the name the team has called most. However in front of the crowd, it was 25-year-old James Mitchell who caught a highlight pass from Dalton on a third-and-21 for a first down. Cade Mays, who’s locked in a center competition, picked up a nice pass rush up the middle on the play.
- Late in the scrimmage, the defense jumped offsides and Young used that free play to air the ball out. He chucked it to Legette who was running a go-route with Mike Jackson in coverage. Jackson came up with the pass breakup and appeared to land on the second-year wide receiver, who came up gimpy. Adam Thielen told reporters afterward that he had a great view of the play and that it looked scary; Legette finished practice, however.
- The undrafted free agent that many fans are curious about is Bam Martin-Scott — and he made a play that satisfied them Saturday. That came in the form of an interception against Jack Plummer. The South Carolina Gamecock, after the play, ran to the end zone and was mobbed by his teammates.
One special moment
The Panthers “signed” 12-year-old quarterback Jase Garland for a day. Through the Make A Wish Foundation, Garland spent a day with the Panthers. He gave a press conference before the FanFest festivities and said the coolest person he met was Bryce Young. He also said he would be a 75 rating in Madden (humble!), and that he drew up a special play the Panthers would run.
And the team ran it. To perfection.
It was a handoff he took from Young — two-quarterback sets for the win! — and bullied into the end zone to punctuate practice. The play elicited the loudest cheers from the crowd all night.
“It’s special,” Canales said. “It’s Jace, but it’s also our greater Carolinas community. ... The guys don’t understand how big of an impact they can have just by spending a little bit of time, by spending some time with people, taking a picture with somebody, connecting with our fan base. Because they mean a lot to this town.”
Quick hits
- Cornerback Jaycee Horn and defensive end A’Shawn Robinson were given veteran days off. Horn and defensive end Derrick Brown (knee) were dressed in uniforms and pads but didn’t participate in drills.
- Outside linebackers D.J. Johnson (hip) and Nic Scourton (hamstring) and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (hamstring) didn’t practice due to injury.
- Kicker Matthew Wright was in full uniform, but it was Ryan Fitzgerald’s turn in the kicker rotation. Fitzgerald went 4 for 4 on extra-point attempts and 1 for 3 on field-goal attempts. Both of Fitzgerald’s misses came from 48 yards away. His first miss went wide right. His second miss hit the left upright in potential scrimmage-tying situation.
- Wide receiver David Moore, who has taken a bit of a backseat to the young receivers this summer, had a very active night, as he hauled in a handful of throws from backup QB Andy Dalton. Moore’s highlight of the night came on a “go” ball down the right sideline from Dalton.
- Moore outpaced cornerback Shemar Bartholomew and made a catch to the ground for a big gain.
- Tight end James Mitchell caught a deep ball in the middle of the field from Dalton. Fellow tight end Dominique Dafney caught a short touchdown pass from the backup QB as well.
Mike Kaye contributed reporting.
This story was originally published August 2, 2025 at 10:53 PM.
