JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Dave Canales loves to talk about "finish," and that's a good thing.

Because he admitted Wednesday's joint practice with the Jaguars didn't start particularly well, though he saw a better vibe by the end of the day. And that was mostly evident in the run game.

The Panthers were out there without running back Chuba Hubbard (still sidelined with a hamstring issue), but Jonathon Brooks and AJ Dillon were able to pick some things up as the day went on, which was a theme for the Panthers as a whole.

"What I saw today was like the further the practice went on, the better our run game got, and guys settled in," Canales said. "Our guys are in great shape. We've had a heck of a camp, and as everything kind of settled down and we were just playing football, we started gaining yards. And Jonathan looked fantastic going downhill. AJ had a couple of really nice runs. Trevor Etienne was bouncing in and out of there, and this defense, they were hitting him pretty good, but I just saw the war of attrition really start to play out in a positive way for us in our run game."

Of course, it took an hour or so to get there.

The Jaguars' first offense had the early edge on the Panthers' defense, aside from a few splash plays, including a pick-six from safety Nick Scott, and tackles for loss by Derrick Brown and Jaelan Phillips. Otherwise, quarterback Trevor Lawrence moved them around pretty smoothly, working the perimeter of the defense and finding his tight ends in a couple of seams.

And of course, there were a few tempers flaring, as the Panthers defense got into it on the first snap of team drills, with (as you may have guessed) Tre'von Moehrig putting pads on a Jaguar and them taking offense. He did that twice actually, sparking another dust-up following a Devin Lloyd pass breakup across the middle.

The offense was also slow to start, unable to do much of anything against the Jaguars' starting defense for the first couple of team drills. Some of that had to do with how the offensive line was being rotated, but there was also just a general sluggishness after they practiced in pads Monday and then traveled on Tuesday. Or maybe it was the early morning start time, or the fact they were facing a different team for more than 10 snaps for the first time since January.

"I think that's for sure one of the benefits of these practices," preached quarterback Bryce Young. "You kind of get in that rhythm, you're practicing at the same time, same place, same people. You kind of know when to ramp it up, when not to. Something like this, when you're in a new environment, our schedule is a little different; we're on their schedule, so I think that's great for us.

"We're going to play at different times, we're going to play at different venues, different looks; we have to be able to go whenever it's time to go, and that's something that — I think it's a great opportunity for us to grow from today."

Tetairoa McMillan said they need to stop "trying to be cute." But ahead of a move-the-ball period, according to McMillan, everyone sort of "had a little nod" and knew it was time to lock in.

"I don't know what was going on," admitted McMillan of the early drag. "I feel like we just, we started slow and we got to fix those kind of things, but we all came together, and it was just like, man, let's step it up."​

In that move-the-ball period, Young started with a quick throw to the flat for John Metchie III, who has been getting more and more reps with the first team in recent practices. A toss to McMillan from the slot kept things moving, then on the next play, Young moved the pocket away from pressure and got the ball deep on an outside corner to McMillan for the touchdown.

The next session for the ones in that period featured a break-away run by Dillon. Travis Hunter made his presence known with a big pass breakup and subsequent celebration before a couple more catch-and-runs by Dillon, Metchie, Brooks, and McMillan kept the (metaphorical practice) chains moving.

The Panthers offense capped that drive with what has become a standard Young-to-McMillan touchdown throw that was contested but caught.

Again, it wasn't always a great day, but he was encouraged by the way it ended.

"It's a great confidence for the group in terms of our level of readiness to play games," Canales said. "I know we've been playing preseason games. But to really start to accumulate the loads required to play a regular season game, that's what it feels like down here at the end of that practice.

"That's what the games are going to feel like, and I saw our guys maintain their fitness level."

Offensive line rotated throughout practice; Freeling with a solid showing

Rookie Monroe Freeling continued his "baptism by fire" tour of the NFL on Wednesday. This particular stop meant he got to face off against one of the NFL's better sack duos, Travon Walker and Josh Hines-Allen. He got reps against both in one-on-ones, and kept his feet under him and hands up for an impressive win against Hines-Allen.

Once the team drills began, he saw the duo at full speed, as both rotated and took turns lining up over the rookie right tackle.

There are things to work on, Canales noted, as there always will be, particularly with a rookie. But it was also a good reminder of why they trusted Freeling's talent enough to draft him in the first round this spring.

"This was great," said Canales. "He had a chance to sit on that right side and one-on-ones, Walker, Hines Allen over there, and they won a couple of times. Monroe sat in there; he's big and strong, sat down and protected the pocket like he's supposed to.

"It was kind of the same in the practice; some good, some bad, but battling, and just watching him get really comfortable, just with the snap count with his sets and all the things that he and (offensive line coach) Joe Gilbert have been working on. So it's good to see him take that next step."

Freeling, Luke Fortner, and Rasheed Walker were the only starting offensive linemen to stay in team drills with Young all day. The Panthers rotated guards in throughout the day, as starters Robert Hunt (back) and Damien Lewis (calf) continue in the return-to-play program. In total, there were around 40 snaps for the starters on Wednesday, and Hunt and Lewis took about half of those.

When Hunt and Lewis were on the line, there was an uptick in production, as Young had a beat more time to assess from the pocket.

The entire starting offensive line was on the field together for the final two-minute drill.

Glimpse of the future

Canales held his post-practice press conference in the air-conditioned comfort of the Jags' indoor facility and said he looked forward to the Panthers' version being ready next year.

The Jaguars have a full indoor field next to two grass surfaces, the same setup the Panthers will have when construction is finished.

"It's amazing, to be in this facility and get a look at what ours is going to be like," Canales said. "We've got two full fields next to an indoor, so really just a cool environment for me to kind of take that in and get excited for what's coming."

The indoor facility also has magical goalposts, as they hang from the ceiling by wires rather than being supported from below by a central post, adding to the flexibility of the space.

They also had fans on hand in a set of covered bleachers on the opposite end of the fields, which allowed the Panthers to enjoy a true road environment during the practice (of course, Jaguars fans cheered anything that got to the end zone, whether there was a flag down in the backfield or not).

"You hear the crowd noise, it's something positive happening for the Jags, we make a big play, and it's kind of quiet," Canales said. "That's what it's like being on the road, kind of cool, and I remember it being that way at our training camp. So hopefully when we get all of our situations set up, we can get people back out there to bring that energy because it really brought out something special in the guys."

Joint practices a chance to reconnect

The NFL is a much smaller world than most, and it's not uncommon to have crossover every time two teams play against each other. But a joint practice is special, giving those connections both a chance to face off and also visit a bit more. And a joint practice between the Panthers and the Jaguars is even more special, given the ample ties between the two.

It started with Dave Canales and Jags head coach Liam Coen, the latter of whom succeeded the former as offensive coordinator at Tampa Bay. They also coached against each other when Coen was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, and Canales was still in Seattle.

Now both head coaches in the league, along with others from previous staffs, they got to visit ahead of practice.

"Much love to coach Liam Coen, (former Seahawks offensive coordinator and current Jaguars assistant head coach) Shane Waldron, my buddy from Seattle, just organizing a great day for us, getting a bunch of great work, some different situations, some kicks, all the things kind of played out just how we thought. And the Jags just for hosting us here," thanked Canales.

The reconnecting goes both ways. Former Panthers running back DeeJay Dallas enjoyed facing off against his former defensive teammates, instigating a short-lived scrum in the middle of practice.

It was also an opportunity for former Jaguars players Lloyd and Fortner to see old teammates. Fortner spent a long time catching up with Trevor Lawrence before practice, the former center-QB duo reconnecting. And Lloyd was a welcome face, doling out hugs to friends throughout the day.

"It was just nostalgic, obviously driving in," said Lloyd after practice. "Seeing the stadium and then coming to the locker rooms, being in the visiting locker room for the first time, coming on the field is just nostalgic, and then seeing all these familiar faces, all my guys, it was really cool."

Injury updates, playing it cautiously

Canales said they pulled a couple of starters during practice as a precaution, but didn't think they suffered any long-term issues.

Wide receiver Xavier Legette got rolled up on, but Canales said they hope he'll be able to play Friday night.

Phillips was getting his wrist and elbow checked near the end of practice and wanted to return.

"He said he was fine; he said he would finish; we held him out as a precaution, so we'll evaluate that when we get back," Canales said.

The other big change to the injury report was defensive tackle Cam Jackson, who was held out. Canales said he suffered a concussion in practice Monday and was in the protocol.

Tight end Darren Waller continued to work on the side, in his first week with the team.