CHARLOTTE — There was a moment in Wednesday's practice when it became clear this was no longer a nice, cordial Carolina training camp practice, but rather one of the most competitive days the Panthers have had yet this camp.

The first teams were in a red zone drill, working short-yardage scoring plays. Quarterback Bryce Young rolled out, waiting for tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders to break loose near the goal line. Sanders did, peeling away from Jaycee Horn and working his way into a free zone that left him so open, Horn had to dive to even attempt a pass breakup. It was for naught, as Sanders easily pulled in the pass and turned upfield for the score.

Horn argued for a flag, the Pro Bowler confident it had been a push off. Instead of responding verbally, Sanders spun the ball on the ground in front of the defense and cockily walked away.

The defense, as can be imagined, took umbrage with the act. But it was also a snapshot of how far Sanders has come. The second-year tight end out of Texas was running with the ones in camp for the second year in a row, while Tommy Tremble rehabs (hamstring in 2024, back surgery in 2025).

As a rookie, there was no time to acclimate for Sanders, who turned the extra reps and practice into 33 receptions for 342 yards and a touchdown during the season. As a second-year guy now, Sanders sees the extra snaps as a chance to polish up the lessons he learned last year.

"Oh, definitely last year I got thrown into the fire early with Tommy and Ian (Thomas) being down last year, so I think that helped me mature being a rookie," Sanders said Wednesday after practice.

"And then playing—I think tight end is the second hardest position after the quarterback—so being thrown into the fire like that, it can only make me better, mature me. This year I'm just trying to be that voice where Tommy's not there. He still has his voice, the vet in the room, but I'm trying to take my leadership role in the room as well."

Finding that voice, thanks to time spent on the field in practice and games, has helped Sanders develop a confidence that not every second-year player possesses. The kind of confidence that tells a guy to taunt an angry defense with a smile.

"I think I've grown a lot just mentally, calming down, being more confident, like that goes into being more confident with myself," said Sanders. "Knowing what I can do to help the younger guys. In our room, we all learn off each other, so that's a great thing I like about our room, we all learn from each other.

"The work I've put in over the offseason is definitely showing, so I've definitely got more confidence in myself."

Even on the days the ball doesn't find Sanders, his knowledge of the offense is noticeable.

"JT Sanders had a nice day today," Canales said Monday. "The last couple of days didn't get a lot of targets, but he's winning, he looks fast, he looks explosive."

That explosion has shown up again and again during training camp. After playing his rookie season at 250-plus pounds, Sanders said he has slimmed down to 238 pounds currently. The secret? Hiring a chef, courtesy of FedEx.

"She works at FedEx too," Sanders explained. "I was shipping my helmets and stuff back for the offseason, and she was like, 'Oh, you play for the Panthers.' I'm like, yeah, I introduced myself. She's like, 'Oh, I'm a chef.' I said, 'When I get back, I'm going to tap in with you.' Tapped in with her, we've been locked in since."

He's not sharing his chef's name just yet—"I'm going to gatekeep her a little bit more"—but is already feeling the effects.

"She's been cooking me meals almost every day, meal prepping for me, so that was something I took on myself, helped me lose weight, get my body right. Thinking clear, not eating that damn fast food all the time, man.

"So definitely moving faster, get in and out of my breaks better as well."

That speed and those cuts in Sanders' game are showing up time and again now, just as they did Wednesday to defeat a Pro Bowl corner like Jaycee Horn. And the confidence, that's growing exponentially as well, with every ball spin, self-assured smirk, and taunt thrown the way of the defense.