The hottest practice of Carolina Panthers Training Camp in Spartanburg was also the feistiest, with a big crowd coming out for an eventful practice session filled with turnovers, hits, and big plays. While the temperature stayed well above 90 degrees in the sun, it became clear that the Panthers are ready to move past the drills and on to some real football action, even head coach Ron Rivera saying that the team was frustrated with not being able to ratchet it up one notch. That frustration came in many forms: a truck stick by linebacker Zeek Bigger on tight end Chris Manhertz; a two-minute-drill that ended with a pass from Derek Anderson falling incomplete in the endzone as “time” expired; even Jeremy Cash going low to tackle rookie running back Christian McCaffrey. The coaching staff was unhappy with Cash’s actions, immediately pulling the linebacker off the field after the play.
With quarterback Cam Newton making some light throws on the sideline with trainer Ryan Vermillion, his rehab from offseason shoulder surgery seems to be trending back in the right direction after Newton hadn’t thrown in a week. The crowd had perhaps it’s best reaction of the entire camp when Newton entered the game at wide receiver with Christian McCaffrey lined up at quarterback in the wildcat; McCaffrey took the snap and rushed the opposite way to a nice hand. Starters Kawann Short and Matt Kalil returned to full participation as the Panthers begin their preparation for their first preseason game on Wednesday against the Texans. As always, here are the storylines that we noticed today:
Top Two Receivers Time To Shine
Funch
Much has been made here about the players fighting for the fifth wide reciever spot, and while Kaelin Clay and Brenton Bersin have both played well the past two practices, with Austin Duke muffing a kickoff during drills today, the situation remains cloudy; the top two wide receivers impressed today, with Kelvin Benjamin exploiting a mismatch against the undersized Captain Munnerlyn for a leaping grab in the endzone during red zone drills, and Devin Funchess continuing to make his size and speed felt in the middle of the field, getting open and making catches throughout practice. It was worth noting that during individual drills, Funchess took the first reps that Benjamin usually gets. In fact, the order went like this: Funchess, Benjamin, Shepard, Byrd, Bersin, Clay, Duke, Frazier. Obviously, this is not a harbinger of the tentative depth chart, just an interesting tidbit.
Secondary Battle
Damian Parms
With Dean Marlowe missing practice with an undisclosed injury, safeties LJ McCray and Damian Parms got a few more reps and had up-and-down days, with McCray getting a sack on a safety blitz but looking overmatched when he had to cover tight ends one-on-one, and Parms looking lost a few times in coverage. It will be interesting to see if the late addition to the team Parms is able to overtake LJ McCray for what may be the last spot on the roster. At cornerback, Teddy Williams and Jeff Richards both played fairly poorly, Richards continuing his tendency to leave receivers open in his zone, and Williams consistently getting beat on the outside. Zack Sanchez returned from injury to play opposite Richards against the third stringers; he will have to improve his play during camp and preseason to make the roster.
On the positive side, James Bradberry and Daryl Worley continue their excellent camp, with Bradberry jumping a Russell Shepard out route for a pick-six, and Worley draping himself all over Devin Funchess on the opposite side of the field. If you haven’t heard much from Funchess and Benjamin this camp, it has a lot to do with the play of these corners. They have really made a leap from last season.
Fullbacks?
Darrel Young
While I think the Panthers may start the season with no fullback on the roster, Darrel Young’s performance in today’s practice may have me rethinking that stance, as the veteran fullback caught a pass in the red zone for a touchdown, and received no less than three targets. If there is a fullback on the roster in Week 1, it’s going to be Young. Ron Rivera said after practice that “we’ve got to find that guy that can be a fullback and an h-back for us in certain things we do on our offense.”
Be sure to follow us on twitter at @RRiotReport for constant updates as they happen. Have questions or want us to focus on a specific player or matchup? Let us know in the comments!
Previous Training Camp Reports:
- July 26, 2017
- July 27, 2017
- July 28, 2017
- July 29, 2017
- July 30, 2017
- August 1, 2017
- August 2, 2017
- August 3, 2017
- August 4, 2017
