Another session of quarterback Cam Newton jawing with his teammates. Another player needing to be helped off the field due to the humidity here in Spartanburg, SC. Another day of limited pads and no tackling. Another day of Carolina Panthers training camp is in the books. As we’ll be doing after each practice, here are the storylines we noticed through today’s afternoon practice.
Cam Slowly Coming Off The Leash
After saying today that he was “trying to get my swag back, get our swag back, just have fun,” Newton certainly lived up to that mantra, from talking some playful trash with Captain Munnerlyn to capping off practice with a long sideling touchdown pass to Greg Olsen over the outstretched arms of cornerback Daryl Worley. As has become customary after a big play, the quarterback took off his helmet and streaked down the field for a celebration, capping this one with his patented “give the ball to a fan” act. He also continued his rapport with new wide receiver Russell Shepard, who got behind the defense for a 35 yard score, the longest throw of the day for Newton before his rainbow to Olsen. Newton also took some checkdowns to Christian McCaffrey, including a play where the offensive line gave him lots of time, he went through his entire progression and hit McCaffrey in the flats. McCaffrey promptly made a cut and picked up a chunk of yardage.
Run CMC Run
Speaking of McCaffrey picking up chunks of yardage, the electric rookie from Stanford was again a focus on offense, receiving multiple checkdown passes in the flats which he was always able to turn into positive gains. Whether or not his shiftiness will evaporate when defenders can actually tackle him remains to be seen, but the reality is, McCaffrey has lived up to the hype, at least as much as possible during no-pads practice. He also received his share of handoffs during the session, but if you want to read a lot into that, don’t. Jonathan Stewart has been taking handoffs from Cam Newton for six years, he probably doesn’t need the practice. The first rounder also was in the rounds of punt and kick returners, but there’s again, not much to read there; five other players took their turns in the special teams role.
Fifth Wide Receiver Spot Wide Open
While the top four spots are settled, it would appear that the race for fifth wide receiver is wide open, with Austin Duke appearing to take the early lead; however, Damiere Byrd had a better day today, proving his worth on special teams as a punt and kick returner and catching a ball across the middle before accelerating to the endzone with linebacker Luke Kuechly following him the whole way. Byrd also took the pitch from Christian McCaffrey on a reverse and blew past the line for positive yardage. Duke made a couple of catches, but Byrd was on the highlight film this afternoon.
Silatolu Position Change
Guard Amini Silatolu was spotted working with the second team offense as a left tackle, perhaps in preparation to be a backup across the offensive line. Silatolu, who was drafted in the second round by the Panthers in 2012, started at guard for 15 games in his rookie year, but was out of the league last year before he was resigned by the Panthers in February after a workout. The offensive lineman may have been asked to make a position change, at the very least so he is available to backup Daryl Williams, Matt Kalil, and rookie Taylor Moton should an injury occur. Silatolu has the ability to play guard already, so adding this versatility would certainly help his chances of making the roster and helping the team.
Nagging Injuries
Captain Munnerlyn sat out practice again with his hamstring he injured before training camp began, and rookie Daeshon Hall was carted off with cramps. The humidity of Spartanburg tends to get at least one player every day, even with the team taking constant water breaks. There was a bit of good news, as Pro Bowl center Ryan Kalil was able to step in and snap a couple of balls to quarterback Cam Newton as he recovers slowly from offseason shoulder surgery.
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:
