CHARLOTTE — Patrick Jones II likes to play in the rain.

As the pop-up mini-monsoon hovered over Uptown Charlotte Monday afternoon, soaking everyone involved in the final 10 minutes of Panthers training camp practice, Jones soaked it up.

"I was having a blast," admitted the pass-rusher following practice. "I'll be outside all the time. I have no problem being outside in the rain. I don't mind it. It actually kind of brings me back to when I was a kid and just playing football outside, like in my neighborhood in the rain with my friends, so it's kind of the same thing to me."

What he likes even more, though, is playing with Derrick Brown.

The defensive lineman has been participating in a paced return-to-play program this offseason after suffering a torn meniscus in Week 1 of the 2024 season, gradually stepping into more team drills during camp. He didn't dress for the Panthers' first preseason game of the season on Friday because of a separate rib/oblique issue, but reminded coaches and teammates again on Monday what a D-line with DB can look like.

"You can feel a huge difference," Jones said of the attitude the moment Brown steps on the field. "DB, you know, he's a great player, so just his presence alone out there, it just, you could just feel the difference, you could feel the just the energy, the physicality on the line."

It's no secret that the Panthers wanted to improve their run defense after a league-worst showing last season. It's why free agency focused on the trenches this spring. But returning Brown—who set the NFL single-season record for most tackles by a defensive lineman with 103 in 2023—is arguably the most significant addition of all, something that was evident on Monday.

"Derrick Brown practiced today, you know, that's kind of where the story went with the run game stuff, front side or backside," coach Dave Canales praised. "He was just bringing it every play."

All offseason, Canales has bragged about Brown's work ethic, his willingness and desire to go the extra step, making an impression on a roster of younger players. Now that he's being folded back into practice more and more, it instantly raises the level of play for everyone around him.

"I think the guys kind of feed off of that energy and create some different issues, you know, for us upfront. And I was really excited about that," said Canales.

When Brown—along with Bobby Brown III and A'Shawn Robinson —eats up space on the front line, it opens up more pass-rush opportunities for guys like Jones, D.J. Wonnum, Nic Scourton, and Princely Umanmielen. It's one of the reasons Jones was able to get a sack during Monday's practice, and why the Panthers have seen the rookie edge rushers adjust to the game with impressive speed.

"Every day I go out there, I just try to go out there and just really get a feel for the defense, the guys I'm rushing with, and really just get back in that flow," noted Jones. "That's what training camp is all about."

And rain, sleet, snow, or hail, that will remain the goal of this training camp, as this Panthers defense returns one of their pillars and sets a new foundation.

"It's just about all gaining experience," said Jones. "Really just, as we rush together, just learning to trust each other more, learning how to rush off each other, and then we're just going to keep doing that every day, and we're going to keep getting better."