Panthers' quickly learning the effects of the Brazzell dazzle

Jul 09, 2026 at 11:26 AM

Kassidy Hill

Chris Brazzell II is seen during Carolina Panthers Rookie Mini Camp Day 1 at Friday, May. 8, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

CHARLOTTE — "Have I surprised myself?" mused Chris Brazzell II, a tilt of the head as he thought back over the previous month of rookie minicamp, OTAs, and mandatory minicamp.

"Yes and no," he finally settled with a shrug. "I knew I could do it."

The Panthers also knew Brazzell could "do it," thus drafting the Tennessee receiver in the third round, a steal even general manager Dan Morgan was surprised by. And as the first month of off-season work showcased, the rookie has everything in his bag to contribute as quickly as he wants.

"It's fun, man," smiled offensive coordinator Brad Idzik, referencing how the Panthers have folded the rookie into their offense. "I mean, it's pretty obvious when you have a guy who's not only fast, but a longer athlete, like Chris, that really stretches the safeties."

Chris Brazzell II is seen during Carolina Panthers OTA #2 Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

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Brazzell, at 6-4 and 200 pounds, can do more than just stretch the safeties by outrunning them. He can outsmart, out-physical, and out-play most who line up against him. His size allows him to fight for 50-50 balls. His tendency to control his entire body has given him a unique ability, as head coach Dave Canales pointed out multiple times after the draft, to drop his weight at the top of a route to shake a defender, or stay surefooted after coming down with a catch.

"His ability to have the vertical speed and threat, but then his ability to drop his weight, get in and out of breaks really efficiently is one of the things that I was so impressed with," bragged Canales after the draft.

Added Brazzell, "As a kid, I played basketball and football, so the body control kind of comes from basketball, and then my mom and dad. Especially my dad, they had me working out, doing the Vertamax, jumping up, controlling myself, stuff like that. So I did a whole lot of working out as a kid. So I'll say a lot of natural and then a lot of working out too."

The technique stands out, but Brazzell's wingspan, just a touch over 80 inches, has also added a fun and intriguing, "Brazzell must be down there somewhere" throws from quarterback Bryce Young during practices thus far. And it pays off more often than not, thanks to a catch radius that has allowed Brazzell to extend his target space even after the ball is in the air.

Chris Brazzell II is seen during Carolina Panthers Mandatory Mini Camp on Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

"It makes (safeties) hesitate for one more second on driving anything intermediate and underneath," explained offensive coordinator Brad Idzik. "When you have a guy that can take the top off, more times than not, those safeties have to honor it by either clouding or holding shell to discourage the deep pass.

"We had that with DK Metcalf when we were in Seattle. We had that with Mike Evans when we were in Tampa, and then last year, you get guys like Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker and TMac (Tetairoa McMillan) rolling on the outside. The safeties have to honor it, and nobody loves that more than (running game coordinator) Harold Goodwin and the running backs."

While Brazzell's natural talent jumps off the field, it is far from all he wants to be known for. Brazzell is big and fast, with the aforementioned impressive catch radius. It's easy to look at him and imagine all the deep go balls the Panthers can throw his way. And considering that is largely how he was used in the run-and-gun offenses at Temple and Tennessee, it's not an uncalled-for comparison.

But the rookie wants to make it clear; he is a pure route runner above all.

Chris Brazzell II and Akayleb Evans are seen during Carolina Panthers OTA #2 Wednesday, May 27, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

"I wouldn't even call myself a go guy," stated Brazzell. "I'm a route runner…running routes my whole life."

That skill has been evident to Young as well. The passer admitted he wasn't sure what the transition period would look like, given Brazzell's background in college. But his already naturally talented receiver had a lot more in his bag than anyone could imagine.

"You see what they can do, and for me, watching his film, you could see the talent, you could see the potential, but I was curious," admitted Young. "They do a lot of great things at Tennessee. It's not a ton that you would think transfers to where you can just be like, all right, we're going to take this play and put it (here). And I think that was just one of the reasons I've been so impressed.

"He's coming, and you would have thought he'd been in a pro-style system throughout his whole life. He's coming in understanding splits, understanding landmarks, understanding route timing, route tempo, where to be at the right time."

In fact, so far, the only thing that has given Brazzell much trouble has been the huddle.

Yes, the huddle.

Joshua Gray, Monroe Freeling, Kenny Pickett, Chris Brazzell II, Trevor Etienne and Feleipe Franks are seen during Carolina Panthers OTA Day Number 5 on Tuesday, Jun. 2, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

"Just a lot of reps, getting a lot of reps in the huddle, to be honest. I always knew the plays. I would come in, knowing the play, but it's just more of getting them out of the huddle," Brazzell said.

The huddle, somewhat to Brazzell's surprise, was the biggest adjustment he experienced when coming to the NFL. The run-and-gun in college often means play calls came in as signals from the sidelines.

"My first time in the huddle, it was like, what the heck? I ain't going to lie, who are all you people? Why are you standing here?" laughed Brazzell. "Because the play be long. . . . So it's a lot. I would hear that, and now we've got to get set, the ball's got to get snapped. So it's just a lot going on. You're trying to get set, know what you got, know your split, know your depth, a lot going on, but now I got it like the back of my hand."

Canales and staff have shepherded that transition a lot over the years, helping rookies deal with the minute details of the NFL game that are often overlooked, whether the hashmark difference or the huddle.

Chris Brazzell II is seen during Carolina Panthers OTA #5 Thursday, Jun 4, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

"That's a part of the learning curve, yeah. It's very common across the league, as we get players from college with different systems," explained Canales. "They all have microphones in their helmet now. They use them in different ways. Some of them use them for checks, and they still have the signs and the signals."

As Brazzell has adapted, though, it has become clear most obstacles in his way would be mere speed bumps.

"He's been working his tail off. (Offensive assistant) Keyshawn Colman has been spending a lot of time with Chris, along with (receivers) coach Rob Moore," continued Canales. "But he's up for the challenge, and he's done a great job so far in the last couple of weeks as we've been doing our call-up periods."

Brazzell might have surprised himself a bit with his quick ascent to working with the first team and the way he married his route-running with his size. But it's also lit a spark within his teammates, whose expectations, already high, rose after seeing just what their rookie can do.

"I've been super impressed with the professionalism, ability to learn stuff, ability for everything to translate," said Young."So I'm super excited for him."

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Chris Brazzell II is seen during Carolina Panthers Mandatory Mini Camp on Wednesday, Jun. 10, 2026 at the Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.