CHARLOTTE — There weren't many players on the practice field when linebacker Devin Lloyd walked out for the first day of OTAs on Tuesday, as he dropped to one knee on his way in, and then went about an elaborate stretching routine on his own before the company started to arrive.

It was similar to his arrival here in March, when, after signing his new free agent contract, he asked for directions to the weight room and quietly began his work.

And that's also like his approach to his new city, as he's slowly started to take in all that Charlotte has to offer, from a Hornets playoff game to the Coca-Cola 600 last weekend.

When you're trying to make a new place your home, you have to do it intentionally.

"It's a day-to-day process," Lloyd said Tuesday. "I think everybody just has to get a feel for each other, and trust is built over time — my trust in them, their trusting me. It's just a process, and it takes time. I think ultimately it's just being your authentic self and not being anybody that you're not. And over time, we just get a feel for each other.

"But it's been great, like everybody in the locker room, even coaches, just everybody that I've come in contact with has been just super genuine, very welcoming. They took me in like their own, and that was a quick process."

Lloyd's potential impact on this defense could be just as quick. The Panthers improved from last in the league in 2023 to the middle of the pack last year, but they had a need for a linebacker who could cover the middle of the field and make plays sideline to sideline.

And last year in Jacksonville, that's exactly what Lloyd did, earning All-Pro honors after a five-interception season.

But even in Tuesday's practice, the first of the offseason with helmets, in 11-on-11 situations with no contact, you could see those kinds of instincts.

Whether it was chasing down running back Jonathon Brooks (one of the fastest players on the team) going to his left in team drills, or batting a pass away from Tommy Tremble on the other side of the field (and eliminating a tight end play was a need), Lloyd was making his presence felt.

"I think what I've seen from Devin is just being in the right place at the right time," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. "What I have seen from Devin is just conscientiousness, communication, and really being in the right place at the right time."

That's what the Panthers need as they try to take that next step on defense.

And as Lloyd has gotten to know leaders like Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn, he's realizing he has a lot in common with those kinds of quiet players who lead by example, and are trying to push the defense forward.

With the additions of Lloyd and outside linebacker Jaelan Phillips, the Panthers are deeper and more talented on defense than they've been in years, allowing them to continue to grow.

"Just the conversations with them, it's just a lot of optimism and excitement," Lloyd said. "I mean, we have so much talent on this defense and really the team, but specifically, for the defense, we've got so much talent.

"So yeah, it's all been positive talk, but at the end of the day, talk is cheap; it's about what we do at practice and how we continue to get better every day, and then ultimately what we do on game day. So today was a great start. I think we had a great practice, and it was a step in the right direction. We've got to just continue to build off today."

That means learning a new system, with new words and new teammates. While Lloyd said a lot of getting used to defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero's system was a "football is football" thing, the combination of that and working next to linebacker Trevin Wallace is an adjustment.

Lloyd described Wallace as "super-sharp, really smart" and said he's helped with the adjustment to a new place, though he downplayed the difference between what he did last year and what's being asked of him here.

"Anything you could ask a linebacker to do, I take pride in being able to do it at a high level," Lloyd said. "In this game, they ask the linebackers — obviously we have a really, really stout D line — to make plays in the run game and then obviously in the pass game, that's a big emphasis, for this defense. At the end of the day, football's football.

"I wouldn't even say scheme to scheme is anything different, but for me, it's showing coach that, hey, I can do anything. I can blitz. I can cover whatever position you ask me to do. Put me in it, and I'll make the play. It's just winning whenever my number's called and the more you do that, the more he'll call your number."

That gradual approach is also how he's learning his new city, one taco truck, one sporting event, one concert at a time.

"Trying to get in the mix as much as I can," Lloyd said of his new home. "For the most part, I'm pretty locked in, but when I can, I like to go out and have a little fun."

It looked like it on Tuesday.