CHARLOTTE — There was a lot to like for Dave Canales Friday night at Fan Fest.

Mostly, just the vibes.

In their first trip back inside Bank of America Stadium since last year's playoff game against the Rams, the Panthers put on another solid show.

The team distributed 47,736 tickets for the event, and the crowd was into Friday's practice and subsequent fireworks and laser show.

"What a fun night," Canales said. "First of all, just a lot of gratitude for the fans that came out. What a crowd; it was amazing, and they came out early. That's exactly what we play for, what we're practicing for is to make sure that we are playing the standard of football that the fans deserve.

"So I'm just again just blown away by how many people showed up today and the energy that it added to the whole thing and I'm trying to throw a good practice and make sure we get reps and do all those things, but we can't help get caught up in the moment, as guys are making plays and flying around and they get that response from the crowd."

Canales said he showed the team some clips from last year's playoff run to catch the rookies and newcomers on what happened here last season, as the team ended a 10-year playoff drought and the fans responded.

"I take a lot of pride in our guys, their first time stepping out into the stadium to get that kind of reception from our fans," he said. "It's just a point of pride where it feels good to me that our new guys, our free agents, our rookies, the guys who are here for the first time, can feel the energy in this building in Bank of America Stadium, and I was really proud of that.

"So again, fans, thanks a lot, because that gives us, that gives just a little wind in our sails. We're right into the camp mode, and that's just the kind of energy that our guys need. The locker room is great right now. The guys are all smiles, and they could feel that, so it was a phenomenal night."

For wide receiver Jalen Coker getting back to the place where he had nine catches for 134 yards and a touchdown against the Rams was good, but building on it is the point.

"Pack the Bank, that's our motto," he said. "You continue to win, continue to build up this culture and show why people need to come out to the Carolina football games, and you get a result like tonight."

Working on trick plays, with varying success

The Panthers got in their bag Friday night, trying a few trick plays.

The fake field goal with Feleipe Franks converting a first down worked out far better than Coker's pass attempt — which was picked off by cornerback Jaycee Horn.

"Shouldn't have been there, basically," Coker said of Horn. "But no, I've probably just got to throw that out of bounds, but we pay him to do that."

Coker's got a good arm, as evidenced by him airing out deep balls on the side during practices, even if this wasn't his best attempt.

"I was hoping that my throwing on the sideline would have, would have sparked it, and it did," he said with a shake of his head. "And now we're gonna have to rebuild again, but it's all right, it's OK though."

Coker joked that he started one game at quarterback for Potomac Falls High School — "So I'm basically vested," he cracked.

"Of course I was excited," he said. "I was disappointed with the result, definitely. But I think just, for the coaching staff to trust me in a position like that, I know it's just Fan Fest, but down the line, hopefully we can work some of that stuff in.

"I think I've still got some stuff left in the tank, but yeah, I think it's just belief in me."

Injury updates, including Chris Brazzell update

The Panthers were without a few regulars Friday night, but Canales said that defensive tackle Derrick Brown and linebacker Devin Lloyd were just veteran rest days, based on a planned cadence of work.

Tight end Tommy Tremble was out with some knee soreness, but they're hoping to get him back in a few days.

The team was still without starting guards Robert Hunt (back) and Damien Lewis (calf), and Saahdiq Charles and Chandler Zavala continued to work with the ones there.

Rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II didn't make it to his first Fan Fest, but he made it out to the field to be with his teammates.

Brazzell was placed on injured reserve Friday. He needs season-ending surgery on his left knee to repair a torn lateral collateral ligament. But he was on the sidelines Friday night on a souped-up scooter, able to stay connected to the team.

Canales said after gathering all the information from a second opinion and specialists, the decision was made to go ahead with the surgery.

"Going through our normal process and making sure that we got all eyes and we have great people in the building, and then we also have great people around the league and specialists, who are able to look at the images, and we wanted to make sure we did the right thing for Chris long term," he said. "The more information we gathered, with everybody putting their heads together, landed on this is the best course for him long term to be able to get the knee stable, to get him on the right track."

Receivers making an impression in Brazzell's absence

Without Brazzell, the Panthers will have to turn to other receivers in his absence. Brazzell offered a unique skill set that combined speed, enormous catch radius, and a lethal vertical. There will be no one-to-one comparison.

But it's not about finding the same receiver, but rather an equally talented one, even if in a different way.

Carolina got a good look at a few options on Friday night, thanks to some big plays from bubble pass-catchers.

On the second drive of the "game," Kenny Pickett dropped back, bided time, and let John Metchie III get loose down the left sideline. Metchie got a step on Chau Smith-Wade, pulling away and using the sideline as a boundary. Pickett lofted the deep pass to Metchie, who pulled it down and dragged his right foot behind him for the completed catch.

The following drive, with Haynes King in at quarterback, the offense sent recent acquisition Casey Washington on a deep crosser. King evaded the rush and threw on the move, finding Washington before he ran out of bounds.

This is a deep receiver corps for training camp, with several guys fighting for final spots. As the Panthers look to replace Brazzell's place in the playbook, opportunities like Friday night will become more and more important.

"Our entire room will say that, like, our entire room is so competitive," said Jalen Coker. "Everyone can play, everyone can make plays, but I'm just really excited to continue to work and just see how much this competition pushes us all."

Umanmielen playing faster this camp

With Nic Scourton out for the season, a pass-rusher was going to have to step up. The Panthers brought in Jaelan Phillips in free agency this offseason, and Patrick Jones II returned healthy for the season. But Canales and crew knew for this season to move forward sans Scourton, they'd need Princely Umanmielen to step up.

So, a few short days after it was confirmed Scourton tore his ACL, Canales challenged Umanmielen to be the guy they needed him to be.

Granted, the second-year pass-rusher had already hit a new speed since the beginning of camp, Canales shared. But the new level of work coupled with the new responsibility has helped Umanmielen flourish the past week.

"This is really cool to watch him, and Nic come in at the same time, and we know how Nic plays, and with this just relentless effort and Princeley has been that guy," Canales said.

"Honestly, Princely, since the beginning of camp, has really been one of our guys on defense chasing the ball all over the field."

Friday night at Fan Fest, he was in the backfield more often than not, chasing down quarterbacks, flushing them from the pocket, and having to pull himself back from the no-contact jersey, but with the knowledge that in a real game, it would've been a sack. It's exactly what the Panthers hoped to see.

"He's chasing everything down, he's working on his craft, he's continuing to push himself in different rush packages, and he's a guy that I'm really excited to see where he goes."