CHARLOTTE — When the Panthers left the field Thursday afternoon at the conclusion of their mandatory minicamp, it was the last work they'll do on the field for about five weeks, until the start of training camp.

What it can't be, according to head coach Dave Canales, is their last work for five weeks.

Canales said he emphasized to his team the need to show up in shape here in July, which meant not taking a big break from the work they've been doing.

"The biggest thing that they have to realize is your vacation was after the season. You had three months off," Canales said. "We're in a ramp now to training camp, so with these five weeks you have a week of kind of reloading. Then you've got to kick back up your training and build off of our strength and fitness.

"We have a very fit team right now. To be able to have several move-the-ball experiences right here on our last day, for the guys to handle that tells us that we have a strong and fit group. We've got to keep it that way. So that was my biggest message, is readiness for camp. You can't count on camp to get you in shape."

Canales said that he wants guys to take advantage of the time off to see family, but he's hoping for a bunch of three-day weekends, so they get the same four days a week of work they've been getting all spring.

"There's plenty of time to go and connect with friends, connect with family, see some cool places," he said. "But the consistency of where you work out matters."

Canales said he loved the maturity the rookie class has shown all offseason, saying they were taking things seriously the way veterans often learn to do. And he encouraged players to have a plan with the strength and wellness staff to be ready to work when they reconvene.

Offensive linemen setting the pace after practice

When you're larger than the rest of your friends, it's natural to want to get out of the heat faster.

But offensive linemen Ikem Ekwonu and Robert Hunt took it to the next level Thursday afternoon.

When practice broke, they started jogging off the field when Ekwonu decided to push the pace on Hunt and teammate Ja'Tyre Carter so they could get to the golf carts and into the air conditioning.

"I kind of made it a race," Ekwonu said. "It was a friendly jog at first."

Hunt held his own, but Ekwonu showed off that athleticism that made him a first-round pick by beating him to the line by a stride.

Anything to bring out the competition.

Mike Jack making plays

Jaycee Horn was back in uniform for the finale after getting Wednesday off, but it was his partner in the secondary making plays.

Cornerback Mike Jackson had the highlight of the day, an interception he returned the length of the practice field, running long after anybody other than celebratory teammates were chasing him.

While all the attention's usually on Horn, and for good reason, keeping Jackson on a two-year deal added stability on defense where they needed it.

Acquired in a training camp trade with the Seahawks last year, Jackson went on to start all 17 games and had two interceptions and 17 passes defensed. He and Horn combined for 30 passes defensed, the most for any corner tandem in the league.

Hunter Renfrow showing off his moves

Hunter Renfrow has made a living off of creating space against defenders. While he's been out of the game for a year recovering from ulcerative colitis, the veteran wide receiver has worked his way back to his playing shape and ways, reminding defenses how he notched three seasons of 600-plus yards, including the 2021 season, when he had 1,028 total receiving yards.

During a team drill Thursday, Andy Dalton evaded pressure, scrambling to buy time. Every play till that point had been a short yardage throw, looking for the sticks versus chunk yardage. But as Dalton looked downfield, Renfrow put two defenders into a blender before weaving his way through a hole. Dalton let it fly and with nothing but green grass around him and two defenders trailing far behind, Renfrow pulled in the explosive play.

It spoke to an experience and comfortability that can't be taught.

"Every day you see him shine in different ways. Outside of Adam Thielen, no one's had more catches (in the unit) in the NFL than Hunter," Canales pointed out, of Renfrow's 269 career catches.

"So to see him show up in different ways, attack a zone, attack leverage different ways on his releases, it's so cool because you can coach up that stuff, but to see him be comfortable out there, he makes plays every day and so, it's really exciting."

Gators rookie quartet helping each other enter the league

If you look at the Panthers roster, at the names Princely Umanmielen, Trevor Etienne, Cam Jackson, and Michael Tarquin, you'll see four different schools listed in the college column. The group arrived in the NFL courtesy of Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida, and Oklahoma respectively. But in a world where the transfer portal dominates college football, it's not uncommon now for teammates in the league to have crossed over while at the college level, whether playing with or against each other.

And that quartet of SEC rookies spent years of their college time together with the Florida Gators.

"It's been great, coming in with some guys you're familiar with, some guys you already been in the locker room with," said Etienne, the running back who spent his first two years in Gainesville.

"That brothership, that bond that we had since Florida, that's something that will never leave, that's something we built way back in 2022."

It's been clear through this offseason, leading up to OTAs and mandatory minicamp, that connection has not only helped the four guys bolster each other through the toil of the summer, but also connect with other teammates as well since all four guys play different positions.

"It does make it a little bit easier because I already know those guys," explained Umanmielen. "So if Trevor is talking to a guy that I don't know or Cam is talking to a guy that I'm not too familiar with on the team, I just go in and talk with them and now we all talking at together, so it really makes it easier to build relationships around the building."

The rookie class as a whole has been noticeable close this spring, often eating lunch together, hanging out after meetings are done for the day, even offering each other a place to crash if need be. But there's something different and special when you've already fought through adversity together, and for four guys in this Panthers rookie class, it's helped them assimilate to the NFL.

Said Etienne, "I'm just glad to be able to share the field with my brothers once again."

Big competition for receiver jobs

With Renfrow signing as a free agent and a couple of draft picks joining the mix, the Panthers have a deep group of receivers and some difficult choices to make on the other side of training camp.

They generally keep six receivers when they cut to 53, and there are only a few spots locked in.

Thielen, Xavier Legette, and Tetairoa McMillan have consistently run with the first group, and then you have guys like last year's breakout rookie Jalen Coker and a known commodity like David Moore, a special teamer with speed in Dan Chisena (who had a nice touchdown grab Thursday), and a group of young players trying to make names for themselves.

"I think it's going to be very difficult," Canales said. "I think that we're going to have to take it through the preseason games and see who can help us. And special teams is going to be such a huge piece of that puzzle. How can these guys help us in the coverage units? Can they help us as a returner? Those things add value.

"If it's even, the special teamer makes the team. And so that's the part where we get to challenge our guys. Find a role, and take this thing seriously. You're not here just to catch passes. We only get so many helmets on game day, so we need all of you. We need you guys to contribute in different ways."

Extra points

— There were a couple of dust-ups during practice, which you kind of expect when guys have been looking at each other all spring and are ready to go

The one that took the longest to disperse was between offensive lineman Brandon Walton and outside linebacker Thomas Incoom, which turned into a big 'ol huddle of people trying to break it up.

— McMillan was on the sidelines again Thursday, after he was held out Wednesday for what Canales called "precautionary" reasons.

Several other players were held out, including veteran safety Nick Scott and rookie wideout Jimmy Horn Jr., while long snapper JJ Jansen and kicker Matthew Wright were excused from the final practice of the mandatory minicamp.