The Carolina Panthers are about to dive into week two of training camp this summer. But before they do, let’s take a look back at the highlights of their first five days in Spartanburg, SC.
The Panthers play it safe with Jaycee Horn
AP Photo/Nell Redmond
Last year’s eighth overall pick missed Carolina’s last 14 games after breaking his right foot against the Houston Texans. Although Horn recovered quite well from the devastating injury, the Panthers placed him on the physically unable to play active list to start camp as a precaution.
“He’s definitely improving,” head coach Matt Rhule said Saturday. “We hope it’s very soon. I can’t say exactly when. But hoping it will be very soon.
“Just pains, yeah,” he then added. “So we’ll be smart about it.”
Christian McCaffrey plays it safe with Christian McCaffrey
Griffin Zetterberg – USA TODAY Sports
Despite colliding with a team photographer on the very first day of practice, running back Christian McCaffrey said he felt better than ever. This feeling is due, in part, to his adjusted balance between work and rest.
“Yeah, I think anytime you have to adapt outside of your comfort zone, take a leap of faith. But when you get the results you want, you trust the process a little more. So it’s my job to trust my process. I feel good. I feel the best I’ve ever felt. I’m ready to go.”
He also said he’s ready to go whether or not he takes part in pre-season action.
“I will be ready to go. It’s all up to them. I know that whatever happens, I will be ready to roll, at full speed. I never went into a game thinking I was under-prepared. I will therefore be ready to leave this year. I’m just excited to be healthy. Feel fast. Feeling ready to switch.
Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold start with equal opportunities
Griffin Zetterberg – USA TODAY Sports
The highly anticipated (sorta) quarterback (sorta) competition has begun. Rhule said they wouldn’t get into anything too heavy yet and started Mayfield and Darnold on flat ground.
“For day 1, Sam took all 1 reps with group 1. Baker took all 2 reps with group 2. Tomorrow Baker will take all reps with group 1, Sam will take all reps with group 2 And the thought process being we really want our guys to have the ability to work with the same receivers all day Obviously Baker got the setup last night, this morning he’s here trying to l ‘run. So we wanted these guys to have some consistency at receiver for the first two days. And then we’ll start to mix things up a bit more. Then Matt and PJ shared the three.
Baker Mayfield impressed Matt Rhule
Jim Dedmon – USA TODAY Sports
And while Mayfield hasn’t invested too much on the pitch, he’s still impressed Rhule with his work (and homework) so far.
“This is the fourth installation. I’ll know more next week as we find ourselves in other situations. But I couldn’t be happier with Baker – how much he learned from what we did. But there is much more to do to get through this phase.
Matt Corral impressed everyone
Griffin Zetterberg – USA TODAY Sports
2018 first-round picks aside, 2022 third-round pick Matt Corral is the dark horse of this race. The rookie has already made a good impression, with his arm and his punctuality.
DL help is always on the way
Griffin Zetterberg – USA TODAY Sports
After the Panthers tried to woo him for more than a month, two-time pro Bowler Carlos Dunlap opted to sign a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. But Rhule said they will continue to look to add help to their defensive line.
“I think we kind of had our eye on, ‘Hey, we like the guys we’ve got,'” Rhule said after the second practice of training camp. “We like the Burns, the Haynes, the Yeturs. We love this band. Keep an eye out for other guys if they open up as they are available. But not a major need that we feel panicked about. Just, we’re always trying to do a good job looking and seeing ‘Hey, how can we upgrade?’ »
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