Panthers training camp takeaways: Young has up-and-down day, fight breaks out mid-practice

With thousands of fans watching at Gibbs Stadium on the campus of Wofford College on Saturday, rookie quarterback Bryce Young had an up-and-down day that was greatly impacted by a strong performance from Carolina’s defense.

Young, who threw his first interception of camp on Thursday, tossed another pick during 11-on-11 drills in the third Spartanburg-based practice. But the turnover was produced largely by an impressive display by veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson.

The longtime defensive captain made a diving catch after under-cutting a route by wideout Shi Smith. The interception highlighted a string of difficult reps for Young, who constantly faced pressure in the backfield during the workout.

Defense forces Bryce Young into a rough patch

Young’s second interception of camp was less of a mistake than a spectacular play by Thompson. However, Young wasn’t without his faults during the workout. Prior to the interception, Young overthrew a wide-open Jonathan Mingo on a “go” route that was left open seemingly by a busted coverage. He also fired a pass over the middle that would have been too high for any wide receiver on the team during his second round of team drills.

Although those plays were letdowns, Young is entitled to make a mistake or three during the first week of his rookie training camp. He was also able to bounce back from those letdowns with some really impressive throws.

Young completed 10 of 15 passes on the day. His five miscues were the interception, the overthrow, the high miss, a dirt ball to kill a failed play and a near-interception by safety Vonn Bell (more on him later).

Otherwise, Young had a handful of highlights.

Following the Thompson pick, Young made an impressive throw to tight end Tommy Tremble — who had an excellent workout — on a corner route. With that play, Young continued to show that it’s hard to rattle him after a miscue. Later on in the workout, after the dirt ball, Young bounced back with a pair of impressive darts over the middle to Tremble and wideout Terrace Marshall.

There was another nice connection between Young and Tremble in the middle of the workout. The rookie also found wideout DJ Chark on an excellent timing throw during the second phase of 11-on-11 drills.

Young has put together a lot of impressive plays during the first week of camp. Although he’s had occasional misfires, it seems as though he only needs one or two plays to bounce back from a mistake.

When the pads come on during Monday’s practice, Young will be tested even further, as the intensity — which was still quite notable Saturday — will pick up. Perhaps Young will receive extra comfort in the pocket with the offensive line blocking with heavier contact.

Fight breaks out at Panthers practice

The first fight of training camp took place in front of the biggest crowd of the week. The fans at Gibbs Stadium were treated to a shoving match between two big dudes in Panthers practice uniforms.

During an 11-on-11 rep, wide receiver C.J. Saunders caught a pass over the middle from backup quarterback Andy Dalton. As Saunders tried to weave his way through the defense, tight end-turned-linebacker Jordan Thomas grabbed the receiver and threw him to the ground. Thomas’ offensive teammates didn’t appreciate the move, as it was a limited-contact practice with players wearing shells and shorts.

Backup offensive tackle Larnel Coleman was particularly turned off by the tackle. The 6-foot-6, 310-pound lineman shoved Thomas (listed as 6-5, 280 pounds) and the linebacker returned fire. This battle of not nearly epic proportions was broken up after a few shoves from both parties. Thompson, a longtime captain, pulled Coleman and Thomas aside and the pair of pushers eventually shook hands.

Following practice, head coach Frank Reich weighed in on the minor scrap.

“I’m not really looking for any of that,” Reich said. “I’m not trying to manufacture emotion. It happens sometimes. For us out there, it’s like, ho-hum. It’s going to happen at some point. But, really, the energy and enthusiasm and grit and fight really has to come from within. I think our guys have been doing that.

“When you have those moments out there, you just move on and stay focused. These guys, they know what time it is. They know how to take care of themselves. Everybody knows we’re trying to accomplish something special. And you want to do something special. We can’t have one of our guys getting hurt fighting each other. Not much made of it. Guys know how to handle it, and they did a good job.”

Notable name missing from practice

Pass rusher Marquis Haynes was absent from Saturday’s workout. According to Reich, Haynes has a back issue, but the Panthers are optimistic about his prognosis and believe he will be back soon.

Haynes, a veteran defender, is currently competing for the starting job opposite Brian Burns on the edge. Haynes, to some, is the favorite for the job in the battle against Yetur Gross-Matos and third-round pick DJ Johnson.

With Haynes out of the lineup, backup Kobe Jones, a practice-squad holdover from last season, received some reps with the top group. Jones teamed up with Burns on a would-be sack of Young. The success of the play was so emphatic that the Panthers blew the whistle instead of allowing Young to make another throw. Jones now has three would-be sacks through the first three practices of camp.

Relentless day for veteran defender

Veteran safety Vonn Bell was all over the field Saturday.

Bell broke up a pair of passes during 7-on-7 drills against Tremble and wideout Laviska Shenault. He later nearly picked off Young during 11-on-11 work.

Bell was signed as a first wave free agent in March. Cornerback Jaycee Horn said Bell and fellow veteran starting safety Xavier Woods are like professors in the secondary. Well, Saturday, Bell was more like a bulldozer to the Panthers’ passing offense.

A good day to be a cornerback

C.J. Henderson and Keith Taylor, who are behind Horn and Donte Jackson on the cornerback depth chart, had a good day of practice. Henderson and Taylor both made standout plays in individual work against receiving assignments.

Taylor broke up a pass intended for wideout Jonathan Mingo. The cornerback swatted the ball out of the air like a vintage Dikembe Mutombu block in the late ’90s. After an up-and-down second season, Taylor is in need of a strong third training camp.

Henderson made an outstanding one-handed interception in team drills against wideout Damiere Byrd. The receiver ran a nice double move on a route, but Henderson kept his footing and trailed Byrd close. Then Dalton underthrew a deep ball, and Henderson made him pay with a one-armed snag. Like Taylor, Henderson needs to have a strong summer after having his fifth-year option declined by the Panthers. He’s now in a contract year.

Along with Henderson and Taylor, undrafted rookie Colby Richardson had great coverage on wideout Derek Wright during a 1-on-1 rep. Richardson was able to disrupt the pass and force an incompletion.

DJ Chark and the wonders of tracking the ball

Chark, a free-agent addition, has had a strong start to camp. He’s been particularly impactful as a deep-ball weapon.

The former Jacksonville Jaguars and Detroit Lions wideout has tracked the ball at an uncanny rate in camp. On Saturday, that ability was put on display during individual drills when Chark was able to haul in multiple deep shots against pretty strong coverage.

Chark is a burner, but his ability to catch the ball over his shoulder is really important for a rookie quarterback like Young. Since Young is notably accurate, the ball will typically be put in the right place, and Chark has demonstrated that more often than not, he will be able to snag the downfield heaves.

QUICK HITS

▪ Prior to practice, the Panthers announced that the team signed quarterback Jake Luton. The 2020 sixth-round pick previously played three games for the Jacksonville Jaguars as a rookie. He will get reps behind Young, Dalton and Matt Corral this summer, and he could possibly get some strong playing time in the preseason.

▪ Wideout Shenault has lined up all over the offensive formation in practice. On Saturday, he continued to work at the line and out of the backfield. He had a tough drop in 7-on-7 work but overall caught the ball efficiently during the practice. He is going to be a consistent asset on offense this season, whether he’s a decoy, ball-carrier or passing target.

▪ The tight ends were targeted quite a bit Saturday. It was almost to the point that it felt deliberate that the tight ends were the focus of the workout. Tremble had a trio of nice catches, Hayden Hurst and Ian Thomas received targets that were completed and Stephen Sullivan got a few looks as well. Reich, historically, has favored the position in the passing game.

▪ Running back Miles Sanders had a few really impressive runs, despite the lack of contact in the drills. He looks to be cutting with confidence and his burst is impressive.

▪ Rookie Eku Leota, an Asheville native, got what looked like a would-be sack during the final few drills of 11-on-11 work. The Panthers allowed Corral to finish the play with a throw though.

▪ Byrd, Adam Thielen, Shi Smith, Raheem Blackshear and Josh Vann all received returner reps at practice. Byrd, Smith and Vann are all competing for the punt return job and a sixth wideout role. Ironically, all three players are former South Carolina Gamecocks.

▪ Along with Haynes, defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson was missing from practice.

More training camp reading:

▪ How Panthers lineman went from loading Amazon trucks to signing with hometown team

▪ ‘I need to be here’: Brian Burns on why he’s at Panthers training camp during contract talks

▪ Exclusive: Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian on pros, cons of rookie Panthers QB Bryce Young

▪ Panthers training camp takeaways: Jaycee Horn ‘ready to go’, Bryce Young praises Andy Dalton

▪ How Panthers’ Adam Thielen has become a reliable resource for Bryce Young and Frank Reich

▪ Bryce Young needs a secret weapon for Panthers. A fellow rookie could fill that role