CHARLOTTE — The more things change for Patrick Jones II, the more things stay the same.

The veteran outside linebacker moved from Minnesota to the Carolinas this spring after joining the Panthers as a free agent. But he still found a fishing spot early on, ensuring that part of his off-the-field life would stay the same.

"(Fishing has) been good," Jones said following Tuesday's OTA practice. "Yeah, I found a little spot the other day, so we're going to tap in and try to find some more spots."

Jones left the only defense he'd been a part of in the NFL until now when he departed the Vikings at the end of his rookie contract. But upon arriving in Charlotte, he was reunited with the man who was his counterpart on the defensive front for the first three years of his career, D.J. Wonnum.

"Oh yeah, I mean it's kind of crazy because when we both got to Minnesota, we were both the younger guys in the room, so we sit down and talk about it and laugh about it," Jones shared. "And just we really talk about it too, to see what we could do to be better and to use what we learn from our older vets and pass it down to our rookies."

And while he and Wonnum are now the old heads in the room, at 26 and 27 years old, respectively, and dealing with all the changes that come with a change in leadership, they find themselves still sharing the same lessons and message that was first relayed to them upon entering the league.

"Just trying to teach the young guys how to truly be a professional so far as like establishing a routine in the morning and just being very particular about everything that they do and just stuff like that," Jones explained.

"We just trying to get everything together right now. I think the big thing that you could see from everybody like when y'all watching end of practice, we having fun, and I feel like just everybody coming together as a unit. I feel like that's going to be a big time."

The experience to set that example and ability to raise the bar in the unit were both part and parcel to the Panthers bringing in Jones this spring. Since arriving, head coach Dave Canales has seen the fruition of everything the pass rusher put on tape and the effect it's already having on the second and third-round rookie pics, Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen.

"Really technical, really takes a lot of the coaching," Canales said of Jones. "He's focusing on the right things, his footwork, his hand placement, the finish of plays, the communication, all those things, and then just another pro's pro. A guy that, you know, his film and bringing him in here (shows) he's an effort guy. He's a finish guy. That's how a lot of his production happens.

"He doesn't give up on plays, and so you know, to see that and set that example for Nic Scourton and for Princeley coming in here, to see like this is how you work as a pro, I just love it. And DJ Wonnum is in that same category, so I just love the core group of 25-year-old guys who have been around, who know how to be pros and know how to show everyone else this is how we work."

That work starts now and will continue to build throughout the offseason. Jones, who had seven sacks last season with the Vikings, knows this Panthers unit finished at or near the bottom in most major categories last season. It's one reason he's here and something he is committed to changing.

"I mean, yeah, that's something that they dealt with last year, but I mean, that was last year; we just got to move on, and we just have to set a new standard," Jones preached. "And we have to decide what that standard is, and we have to chase that standard and do better than what we set that standard at."