Carolina Panthers to hold training camp in Charlotte in 2024 after decades at Wofford

The Carolina Panthers will stay at home base for training camp in 2024.

The team announced Wednesday that the franchise will stick to its Charlotte-based facility outside of Bank of America Stadium for training camp next summer. Outside of the summer of 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, the team has operated out of Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., for training camp throughout the franchise’s existence, starting with the very first training camp in 1995.

“We’re excited to hold training camp at our facility in Charlotte,” Kristi Coleman, Panthers team president, said in a statement. “We appreciate Wofford and the Spartanburg community for their hospitality over the years. We are dedicated to the fans in South Carolina, and we will continue to bring fan and community events to the state.”

Panthers to remove Atrium Health Dome

To accommodate training camp, the team will remove their practice bubble — the Atrium Health Dome — following the regular season in January. The change will give the Panthers three full-length practice fields and allow them the opportunity to rotate fields throughout the week to preserve and manage the fields. That is a typical practice among teams who host training camp at their facilities or elsewhere.

As The Observer reported last month, Tepper Sports & Entertainment filed a rezoning administrative amendment application with the city of Charlotte in order to have the option to make changes to the area around their practice facility.

According to the application, the request was made to “provide the option for additional outdoor practice fields, relocate parking area from along Cedar Street to a location farther internal to the site, and accessory building(s) along the railroad/southeastern portion of the site.”

The Panthers, in the news release on their website, said the team is still trying to work through logistics in order to accommodate fan attendance.

According to the team, the Panthers were one of six NFL franchises (out of 32) that operated a remote training camp last summer. Spartanburg is about 80 miles from Charlotte, and Wofford College is the alma mater of the late Jerry Richardson, the team’s founder and original owner. A statue of Richardson remains on campus, and he and his family donated tens of millions of dollars to Wofford in his lifetime. Richardson sold the team to current owner David Tepper in 2018.

Panthers understand value of staying ‘at home’

Panthers players and interim coach Chris Tabor reflected on the change Wednesday with similar feelings: They enjoyed Spartanburg summers but understood the value of staying “at home” during training camp, too.

“My two training camps there were excellent,” Tabor told reporters, referencing Wofford College in Spartanburg. “I thought they did a great job, the town did a great job. Also excited that it’s going to be here. I’ve done it in my career by going on the road and being at home, doing that also. There are a lot of advantages to both. I’m thankful for Spartanburg, and I’m excited about the opportunity here.”

Long snapper JJ Jansen, the team’s longest tenured player by six years, echoed Tabor’s sentiment.

“(Training camps in Spartanburg) was a tremendous opportunity to be in and around the fans,” Jansen said. “Obviously that hill is sort of synonymous with Panthers training camp. I always kind of giggled because the hottest practices were always the ones the fans watched the most. ...

“Years ago, in training camp, you’re up at 6 a.m., you went to bed at 10 o’clock. Now as the rules have changed, there’s more down time for the players before and after. And certainly, I know my wife will be pleased that I’ll be in and around home and be with the kids, and that will make life a little less stressful on the players’ and coaches’ families, because we’ll be with our families during training camp.”

The team website noted that Fan Fest will still be held in South Carolina, though neither the city nor the hosting facility was named. Back Together Football, a league-wide initiative, will be held in Charlotte.

Quick hits

▪ Prior to Wednesday’s practice, the team signed a pair of wide receivers to the practice squad. The team announced the additions of Jalen Camp and Cam Sims ahead of the first workout of the week.

Sims played five seasons for Washington before spending time with three other teams earlier this year. Sims, listed as 6-5 an 214 pounds, has 57 career catches for 804 yards and three touchdowns in his career. Camp, listed as 6-2 and 220 pounds, has bounced around from Jacksonville to Houston to Pittsburgh over the past three seasons. He has one catch for seven yards in five career games.

▪ Tuesday, the Panthers named center Bradley Bozeman as their NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award nominee. The award is given out annually to player who make a different on and off the field, particularly with philanthropy.

“It’s such a great honor,” said Bozeman, who runs The Bradley and Nikki Bozeman Foundation with his wife. The foundation aids communities in and around Charlotte on an assortment of issues, including food insecurity. “It’s one of the most prestigious in the league. And we’re just so excited about it. It just speaks to the people who are around us. My wife (Nikki) being one of them. She puts in so much work, so much effort, to makes sure it runs smoothly. It wouldn’t be half of what it was without her.”

Said team owner Nicole Tepper at the annual “Joy of the Carolinas” festival at Carowinds, a community event put on by the Panthers on Tuesday: “He and his wife are exceptional. The minute they were Carolina Panthers, they just dove right in. ... What makes them special is they’re so consistent in their voice and in their action.”

▪ Also on Tuesday, the team promoted veteran lineman Justin McCray from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. The team then signed quarterback Jake Luton to the practice squad and released wide receiver Matt Landers and linebacker Jordan Thomas from the practice roster.

McCray started left guard in the loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and played in three games overall. Luton has bounced on and off the practice squad this season after spending most of the summer with the Panthers.

▪ A quick injury report from Tuesday’s practice: CB Troy Hill (rest/ankle), OL Taylor Moton (rest/knee), WR Adam Thielen (rest) and Deshawn Williams (knee) did not practice. Nine guys showed up as limited participants on the injury report — most notably cornerback Jaycee Horn, who played a bit on Sunday for the first time since Week 1, and Hayden Hurst, who was wearing a red no-contact jersey and is continuing his progression through concussion protocol.

Alex Zietlow contributed reporting.