CHARLOTTE — Teams are forged in training camp.
The long days, the hot practices, the stress of taking on new assignements, and excitement around seeing them on the field come fall. Rep after rep, hitting guys in the same color jerseys and repeating things to the point of rote; it's all meant to test a team's mettle and bond a locker room.
Quarterback Bryce Young came away from this training camp, his fourth now with the Panthers, with the confidence that, while there are things to work on, his team is mentally and physically prepared to take on any fight.
"I love how tough we are," noted Young. "I love our mindset. I love how willing we are to go to that next day again, good or bad. We've had so many opportunities to turn the page, and I think we've done that."
One of head coach Dave Canales' mottos is "Do Right Longer." That means straining through every play, pushing farther in every game, and outlasting your opponent for at least one more play.
The Panthers had to put that focus and commitment to the test this camp, with an additional week of practices thanks to participation in the Hall of Fame Game. But, as Young saw it, that's where they mined the will needed to push through this coming season.
"I think that being able to have this extended period of training camp, having that extra week, it's allowed us that time to kind of feel the mundane and learn how to fight through it," shared Young. "That's a lot of what the season is: when you get into those double-digit weeks, it feels like you've been doing the same thing every day. How do you still find that same spark? How do you still have the same energy and attention to detail?
"I think we've laid a great foundation for that here in training camp, so I'm super excited for the rest of this week, rest of camp, for everything to play out how it does. But I mean, I couldn't be prouder of this group for this camp."
Games aren't won or lost in August. Too many factors contribute, and these are professionals who can adapt during a 17-game season. But games are certainly shaped this time of year, because teams are shaped this time of year.
For the Panthers, training camp revealed an incredibly physical team, the kind Canales has been building since becoming head coach in 2024. Finally, in his third season, the coach feels he has the right approach with this squad.
"It's a physical group. This is the first time I've had to ask them to back off of some of the collisions," explained the coach. "The physical part up front, we're always going to need that, but it was the space collisions; we were getting pretty crazy for a while there before we got into the Jacksonville joint week and all that.
"It just says something about the group, and nobody was complaining; it was just, I wanted guys to be smarter about certain situations."
Canales has never been shy about challenging his locker room to make this a player-led team. So, when things started to get a little too physical in practice, he pulled everyone into the team meeting room and started filtering through physical plays from practice.
It wasn't a slideshow with do's and don'ts. It was a democracy. Guys got to vote on the "gray areas" and decide what they were OK with during practice — within the rules — and what they felt was taking it too far.
"We had an opportunity in the team meeting to just say, OK, let's take the gray out of some of these situations, and that falls on me. If there's a gray area, that's because I didn't define it well enough, so we took some clips from practice that led to the scuffles," the coach explained at the time in mid-August.
"And so we just watched the plays together, and we had an open forum conversation. Guys talked about what they could do better. If the guy didn't quite have the information, I said, 'Here's how I see this play playing out.' So we just attacked it that way.
"The one thing is these guys are pushing each other. They understand we make us, we make us better, by everybody going as hard as physically possible; that brings out the best in each other, so we need that."
Meetings like those, trust like that, is what it takes to win. Derrick Brown knows that, and after years of pushing and pulling guys along with him, he's seeing true, team-wide accountability this camp. And that begets full ownership of a team by its players.
"I think it starts with their accountability. It's not an, offensive guys hold offensive guys accountable, defensive guys hold defensive guys accountable," began Brown. "It's a, when something's wrong, speak up and say something, right? We have that; everybody has that ability. And I'm like, even if it comes to me, if I'm off my game and somebody needs to say something, say it to me.
"And I think we've opened that door and been able to have that communication, that open forum of where we can do that."
Running back Chuba Hubbard settled into this training camp with ease. Even after a hamstring injury shortened his camp, he's been in the middle of every running back huddle and sideline chat. The fiery leader has been pushing for a culture change since arriving in 2021. He's seen a foundation being laid in recent seasons, but this camp is when it finally started to feel less like building, and more like process.
"I've been a part of great teams since I've been here, a lot of talent, but this is probably the closest team I've been with where everyone's not just playing for themselves but for each other, and that goes a long way," shared Hubbard.
"That's what winning takes, because when the game's on the line, you know your brother's beside you and you done went through training camp, went through the Hall of Fame, training camp with everyone and seen the worst days and the best days.
"It just brings another, I guess, level of play out. So, I just attribute that to all the guys in the locker room, obviously the coaches."
Hubbard shared those thoughts on Monday, after the penultimate training camp practice. Two days later, Canales stood at the mic on the side of the practice field and used the same word. As it turns out, that was the second time in as many days he'd had such a conversation.
"I was talking about this with the coaches, and I actually was talking with Derrick a little bit yesterday, but the things I know about our group — we're a connected group. The guys really enjoy working together, being around each other," Canales bragged of his team.
"It's been in my, you know, two and a half years here; this is the most I've seen guys linger in the building together, do things on their own, and really connect that way."
Teams are forged in training camp. And every strike, every blow, every bit of calm in the face of rising temperatures will serve the Panthers this fall.
"When games get hard, when things get challenging at the end of games, at the end of the season, that connection is going to matter," preached Canales. "That connection is going to allow you to give a little bit more for your teammate, whether it's standing next to you or across the ball. Those things really matter as you get down the stretch."
Check out scenes from the Panthers' joint practice against the Houston Texans on Wednesday.
Tommy Tremble is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Tre'von Moehrig is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Jaycee Horn is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Tetairoa McMillan is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
CB Corey Thornton and Chau Smith-Wade are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
TE Feleipe Franks is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Darren Waller is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Darren Waller is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
QB Bryce Young is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Robert Hunt and Luke Fortner are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Corey Thornton is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Maema Njongmeta is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Maema Njongmeta is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Patrick Jones II and Jaelan Phillips are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Jimmy Horn Jr. is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Anthony Tyus III is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Anthony Tyus III is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Jonathan Cooley and Jaycee Horn are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
CB Mike Jackson is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Maema Njongmeta, DeVonta Smith and Lathan Ransom are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
CB Akayleb Evans is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Patrick Jones II is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Kenny Pickett, Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Will Harriger, Kenny Pickett, Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Jaelan Phillips is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Lee Hunter is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Patrick Jones II and Lee Hunter are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
OLB Princely Umanmielen is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
WR John Metchie III is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
John Metchie III is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
John Metchie III and Kenny Pickett are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Jonathon Brooks is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Jonathon Brooks is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
WR Tetairoa McMillan is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
QB Bryce Young is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Tetairoa McMillan is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Tetairoa McMillan is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
David Moore is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Monroe Freeling, Bryce Young and Derrick Brown are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Trevis Gipson is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
QB Bryce Young and RB Jonathon Brooks are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Jimmy Horn Jr. and Corey Thornton are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
WR John Metchie III is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
John Metchie III is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
AJ Dillon is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
AJ Dillon is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Jarrett Kingston and Chau Smith-Wade are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Tyrek Funderburk is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young is seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young and John Metchie III are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
Bryce Young and John Metchie III are seen during Training Camp joint practice against the Houston Texans Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.
