CHARLOTTE — It's time for football again. And the sense of anticipation is more tangible than any year in recent memory.
Coming off last year's division title (their first in 10 years) and the excitement generated throughout the playoff push, the Panthers are entering the season with more attention than many can remember.
That's a good thing and a bad thing, as they're not sneaking up on people. The word is on the street that there's more talent here (as evidenced by four players already named in the NFL's Top 100 list including quarterback Bryce Young, knowing that more could join them), which leads directly to the success they're experiencing.
Of course, that all gets wiped away as soon as they step onto the field for the first time on Thursday; they start fresh, and the work begins anew. And there are inevitable complications along the way; there always are.
But entering the season with this kind of positive vibe has created a different feeling, and you can tell from the offseason attendance (including when there wasn't a formal schedule for players) that players can see the work paying off in tangible ways.
Of course, this is all happening a week earlier than normal, thanks to their inclusion in the Hall of Fame Game because of the upcoming enshrinement of Luke Kuechly.
There's a lot to celebrate around here. And a lot of people are eager to get it started. And we've got all kinds of cool stuff coming your way, including a new podcast which allows you to listen to all of our stories at Panthers.com instead of reading them, if that's your thing. And with as much as is coming your way, listening on your way to or from work might be the only way to keep up.
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Do you think that the open roster spot, left by the retirement of Will Grier, will be utilized prior to training camp? Maybe this is Brady Christensen's roster spot, or a potential flyer on linebacker depth? — Tom, Latrobe, PA
Behold Tom, seer of the future.
Grier's retirement was a bit of a surprise, and it did make the space for Christensen to get the roster back to 91, but those two aren't necessarily connected.
There was likely going to be a spot for Brady regardless, since he's a known and trusted agent, and he didn't really want to pack up his family and move to another city.
It's a benefit for both sides, because he gives the Panthers an experienced backup guard. Without him, the main options behind Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis were Chandler Zavala (14 starts in three seasons marred by injuries) and Saahdiq Charles (18 starts over five seasons, but none since 2023 with Washington).
It's probably unfair to Christensen to expect him to be ready to hit the ground running this week, since he was just cleared from his torn Achilles and missed the entire offseason program, but he knows the system well enough to start anywhere in it, along with being their extra tackle (and potential pass-catcher) in jumbo packages.
But he's back for a reason, and gives them more depth inside after an offseason spent adding depth at tackle with Rasheed Walker, Monroe Freeling, and Stone Forsythe.
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The way too soon question. How many D-line people on the 53-man roster? A top 5 of Bobby Brown III, Derrick Brown, Lee Hunter, Cam Jackson, LaBryan Ray = 32 feet tall and weighing in at 1,588 pounds. I've got way too much time to kill. — Westray, Kershaw, SC
This makes me wonder, would you rather fight 100 raccoon-sized Derrick Browns, or a Derrick Brown-sized raccoon? (That's a trick question, raccoons are awesome, why would you ever fight a raccoon? Or a Derrick Brown?)
In this defensive setup, you'd normally keep six defensive linemen on the 53, and that was complicated by the injury to Tershawn Wharton, which is expected to cause him to miss a portion of the regular season.
The in-house answers for who that sixth guy is likely begin with Jared Harrison-Hunte and undrafted rookie Aaron Hall, though this is still general manager Dan Morgan we're talking about. He addressed a cornerback shortage with an in-camp trade for Mike Jackson a few years ago, and that worked pretty well, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see him look around for a fit at this position.
Even listing out your first five suggests that it isn't the deepest position on the roster, and Wharton's neck issue made Hunter an immediate need rather than a best-available to groom for a bigger role in the future. He's a different player than Wharton, more of a run-stopper. Ray is like the David Moore of defense. People keep wanting to give his job away, and he keeps hanging around and playing steady professional football. Jackson needs to grow into his role too, because the door's open for him to claim one.
But this position might be the biggest (no pun intended) TBA on the roster entering camp.
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Do you think there is a part of the offense that will be different under Brad Idzik calling plays? Or do you think there will be a continuity with tweaks from last season? — Nick, Raleigh, NC
"Tweaks" is the exact word Dave Canales uses to talk about this, but I wouldn't expect it to look dramatically different.
After all, Canales was trained up under Darrell Bevell in Seattle, and Bevell's here now as counsel for the offensive staff. And Idzik's background means they're all working off the same notebooks.
This is a curious bunch, so they're constantly looking for edges (stay tuned to Panthers.com for more on this tomorrow), but we're talking about variations on a theme rather than completely new material.
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Hi Darin! Hope you're on vacation before training camp starts in a couple of weeks!
Two quick questions before it starts - maybe you heard something about those things in the cafeteria or in the corridors inside the stadium. Do they plan to move Tetairoa McMillan around more this season? Maybe Chris Brazzell II will play X most of the time, so T-Mac can play the Z or slot? The same for Jaycee Horn. Do they plan to play him more on the slot or mostly on the outside, as has been the case? — Fernando, São Paulo, Brazil
Vacation was truncated this year for a few reasons, but we did spend a week in New York City visiting family, and that's always amazing. Did some of the tourist stuff, went to a bad Yankees game which was still good, and spent a lot of time riding the subways to different neighborhoods and walking around. (The hidden highlights were seeing the Beastie Boys mural at the corner from the Paul's Boutique album cover [rumps were, in fact, shaken], the original Winnie-the-Pooh and friends in the Treasures Room at the Public Library, and walking the High Line, which is an amazing garden that's the city version of our greenways.) But when we returned, training camp started early as we're preparing for Luke Kuechly's Hall of Fame induction, and there's all kinds of cool stuff coming your way.
The how-they-deploy-receivers part of that depends a lot on the above answer. As they go through camp, they're going to learn who they can trust in which spots. Every year, fans tend to anticipate bigger roles for some rookies than they end up earning (like with Jimmy Horn Jr. last year), so I'm willing to wait and see a bit on Brazzell. He has some real traits that made him attractive in the draft, but there's a lot of traffic at that position, so he's going to have to work to get on the field. And McMillan has the ability to create mismatches inside, so that's something they'll continue to explore.
As for corners, Jaycee provides a lot of options as well. He's finally being recognized as one of the top outside corners in the game, but he can play inside because he's smart and he's willing to go into traffic and make plays. They noodled around with him inside during OTAs, giving reps to guys like rookie Will Lee III on the perimeter. As with McMillan, the fact that he can do it creates the opportunity to expand the arsenal.
But they also have Corey Thornton coming back, along with Chau Smith-Wade at nickel. Smith-Wade's dependable there, but Thornton had taken the job from him midseason before his unfortunate injury in San Francisco. And like Horn, he's a big and physical guy who can play inside, giving them a lot of options.
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Hey Darin, I have been a Panthers fan since 2000, formerly a Saints fan (the Mike Ditka years wore me out). I came across a familiar name on the coaching staff, Carl Smith. What exactly does a senior offensive consultant do? — Marshall, Memphis, TN
He consults, of course, with the benefit of his decades in the game (hence the senior part).
Mostly, that means he offers perspective to Canales, Idzik, Bevell, and the rest of them, because he's literally seen it all over the years. It's not an everyday position, but he offers the benefit of experience to what is still a young staff. And because of the amount of time he's been in the same systems as many of these guys, there's a consistency there, a comfort speaking the same language.
Plus, the man goes by the nickname Tater, and when you've got the opportunity to add a Tater to your staff, one simply must.
Plus, I've been told by no less an authority than Jake Delhomme that he's one of the funniest people in league history. Smith coached Delhomme during his time in Cleveland, and they have some stories.
Speaking of Delhomme, he might have been the final straw for you.
In 1999, his second NFL start in what would be the last game of the Ditka era came here, where the Panthers were trying to run up the score to sneak into the playoffs on a points-differential tiebreaker. Delhomme did his part for his future team by throwing four interceptions as the Panthers rolled to a 45-13 win.
If you lived through that game as a Saints fan and decided to cast your lot here, you've seen some things. As a reward, we'll make you this week's Friend Of The Mailbag and get the appropriate honorarium on the way soon.
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So I'm the old fart Panthers fan down in Buccaneer country, the guy living in a household of Bucs fans, the guy who legitimately has two home teams, having moved to Tampa in 1977 and returned to NC in 1990. November 30, when my Panthers come down here for a Monday night game, I will be in the stands. My plan is to wear some FOTM swag, with a Bucs shirt over it. And then, when we pound them into submission, I'll rip off my Bucs shirt and scream until I'm thrown out. Just so you know, my swag won't go to waste. — Michael, Wesley Chapel, FL
Thank you for making me the coolest-looking dude in Wesley Chapel. I got it on my birthday, too, which is a definite plus. #KeepPounding — Michael, Wesley Chapel, FL
I am all for a little civil disobedience. Fight the power, stick it to the man.
And glad you got your shirt in time for the season. I sent out a mess of them the other week, and hopefully all were received, so that you too can look cool in this ridiculous heat.
Also, if you have been previously bestowed the high honorific of an FOTM but haven't received your bounty, let me know. I've heard from past dignitaries that my email seeking their shirt size and mailing address ended up in their spam folder. This hurts my feelings a little, but I'm in a forgiving mood.
Anyway, for the handful of you who didn't answer my generous offer, including John from Cary, Niko from Phoenix, Cheryl from Fuquay-Varina (seriously, Cheryl?), and Derrick from Hurricane, WV, holler at me, and we will make your wardrobe whole.
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I know the team is content with their linebacker corps, but why not add someone like Bobby Wagner, as he is still productive and would be a solid addition as an experienced leader in the locker room for the young guys, and still get productive play from him at a reasonable price. So why not sign him? — Danny, Woodbridge, NJ
I'm always here for the old guys getting it done at a high level, and the last time we saw Wagner, he was still playing effectively against the run.
But it's also worth remembering he was chosen in the same draft as Luke Kuechly (2012), and Luke's getting ready to go to Canton and not training camp.
Mostly, I'd say he's just a two-down player at this point in his career, and there's not a situation where you'd take Devin Lloyd off the field to play him. But seriously, I have all the respect in the world for the 36-year-old Wagner, but the Panthers have made a point to get younger rather than older, with just five guys on the roster in their 30s. Well, actually, four in their 30s and also JJ Jansen.
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And on that note, let's go lightning round, brought to you by the patron saint of the lightning round Jeff from Fuquay-Varina, to close it out this week.
A lot of discussion about specialists like punter and kicker, so who is the backup for JJ Jansen? — Howard, Durham, NC
He cannot be replaced. He is eternal. But if he ever eats a bad salad (which is unlikely), you usually start looking to the centers, so probably Luke Fortner, but we'll ask if any of the tight ends have been practicing. Greg Olsen still says it took him retiring for JJ to be the best snapper on the team, and Kris Mangum once spent a summer in his cul-de-sac launching practice snaps over his neighbor's head, trying to learn a new skill to improve his job security.
They did check out a few guys during OTAs, and oddly enough, cornerback Tyrek Funderburk was really good at it. But that emergency plan usually hits another gear once the 53-man roster is settled, and you have a better idea of who's active on game day. Plus, the whole plan for punting gets adjusted without a trusted snapper, same as your field goal range adjusts when you don't have a kicker like in Buffalo a few years back.
Did the Panthers raise the ticket prices up this year? — Joseph, Loves Park, IL
Tickets are more expensive, just like everything else at the moment, but they're still in the bottom 10 of the league in average price for non-premium seats.
I don't have a question this time because I have several for the Charlotte Hornets organization. Tell everyone in the organization, thank you for not trading away Bryce and T-Mac for 2033 first-round picks! — Zach, Charlotte
My man graduates from high school and thinks he knows multiple sports now. LaMelo Ball was exciting, but they clearly waited for him to stay healthy so they could sell high, and now have the flexibility to really build around Kon and Brandon and Coby White, who hit the biggest postseason shot for the Hornets since Alonzo Mourning.
I know you're lying around bored, but maybe you could read a book or something until it's time to GET BACK TO CLASS, ZACH.
Hey Darin, after watching OTAs and minicamp, which player changed your opinion of him the most? — Brandon, Spring, TX
I don't know if he changed my mind, but I've maybe been most impressed by Jaelan Phillips A) He's a cat guy and doesn't tolerate cat slander, but B) he's in incredible shape and, perhaps most importantly, C) he's been here all offseason, quickly establishing himself as one of the hardest workers and one of the leaders here, which your highest-paid guys should be.
Now we get to see him in pads doing things more like football, when we'll really learn what kind of impact he'll make, and how much better this team actually is.
