CHARLOTTE — Friday was a bit of a break for the Panthers after two days of full practices.

It featured just a couple of walk-throughs, closed to the outside media, and a slower pace after a couple of more intense days of work. And it'll ramp up again Saturday with a longer practice, then they get a day off Sunday before the first practice in full pads on Monday.

They welcomed defensive tackle Derrick Brown back after a couple of days of excused absences, and players were bouncing around in their shades and bucket hats.

But the mood was as light as the workload, with English Premier League soccer team owner (Leeds, or at least part of Leeds) Andy Dalton doing ball tricks during the moments before it got started, showing another one of his many talents.

So this is more of a general set of observations about camp than anything in particular to Friday, with the consistent reminder that it's early and until pads go on, it's not really football.

So many wide receivers

We've mentioned this previously this offseason, but the Panthers have enough dudes at this position that it's going to be really hard to pick a roster for a number of reasons.

The starting group is set with Adam Thielen and first-rounders Tetairoa McMillan and Xavier Legette, followed by a second group which features Jalen Coker, David Moore, and Hunter Renfrow. Then there's electrifying rookie Jimmy Horn Jr.. Then there's the on-the-shelf Dan Chisena (who has big-time speed and the ability to impact special teams, which is why he's been in the league going on six years and caught his first three passes here last season).

But as practice has unfolded, they've seen contributions from down-the-line players such as Brycen Tremayne (who was injured through the spring but has used his size to flash this week), along with undrafted rookies Jacolby George and Kobe Hudson and T.J. Luther.

When you consider the need for backup wideouts to contribute on special teams, it's going to be a complicated mix to get down to six or seven. Head coach Dave Canales admitted as much this week, so anyone thinking anyone is automatic beyond those first three isn't thinking deeply about roster construction.

Once an NFL roster is at the place it's supposed to be, sixth-round picks ought to be pushing to claim a roster spot for themselves. But Horn stands out in these practices in shorts that look like 7-on-7 tournaments.

Canales joked that they had to teach Horn how to operate at walk-through speed, comparing him to another smallish wideout he had in Tampa, Deven Thompkins (who was here briefly last year).

"I just love the way that he plays football," Canales said. "They just bring out the best in everybody because you know when they're out there, they're going 100 miles an hour, full speed, and they're looking to take the top off.

"So I love that style about Jimmy, and what he's shown us, whether it's in drills or in the team periods, he's just all gas."

But it's still going to be hard to keep all the ones they want to, when it's time to fund coordinator Tracy Smith's special teams project. And that ability to impact the game in multiple ways also explains Moore's long run in the league with Canales, who has coached him in three places. Ordinarily, a guy with 115 career catches in seven years isn't a priority, but the seven years show you how valuable he is because he can do so many things.

And then there's Renfrow, coming back from a health-related absence, and all he's doing is catching everything in his vicinity.

Again, this is going to be really hard.

"Those last couple of spots, whether it's in the secondary room or the wide receiver room, really come down to who we can count on in special teams," Canales said. "We're big believers. That's part of the heart and soul of our philosophy of building this team as good football players, and those guys show up in the game. They can cover and make tackles. They can play gunner. You can put him as returners, you can put him at PP, you know, so it's the versatility of the skilled players, tight ends included, you know, who are the guys we can count on on special teams.

That's really what's going to make the decision because again, you get one ball. You've got about three wide receivers, sometimes four out there, you know, so you're really playing with about four guys, and those fifth or sixth guys, sometimes it's hard to find those guys a role. It's the same thing in the secondary. So when you know they can play teams, you've always got a helmet for them because they're going to help us regardless on our special teams in those units."

Pass-rushing options are promising

We'll say it again so no one forgets — they're not in pads yet, so no, this isn't real football.

But it's also OK to say rookie pass-rushers Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen have had their moments in camp, which adds an element to the outside linebacker group.

Scourton's a big body who can set an edge. He said this week he's up to around 265 and feels like that's the perfect weight. Umanmielen is leaner and quicker, and has flashed in these unpadded practices.

When left tackle Ikem Ekwonu puts pads on, he'll be able to do things to Umanmielen that work to the offensive line's advantage, but for now, the rookie has shown a quick first step and the ability to turn, with an inside spin move that's hard to block.

Along with Patrick Jones II (he of Thursday's Play of the Day) and D.J. Wonnum, it's a group with a number of players with complementary skills that you could mix-and-match (and some of those guys can rush from inside as well).

Even if there's not a 10-sack guy among the group right now, it looks like a group that could have three or four 7.0s or 8.0s, so that would be pretty cool too.

Offensive line options are plentiful

At one point on Thursday, when Cade Mays was rotating into the first group at center, the second offensive line featured the following group: left tackle Yosh Nijman, left guard Chandler Zavala, center Austin Corbett, right guard Brandon Walton, and right tackle Brady Christensen.

Frankly, that's better than some of the starting lines the Panthers have trotted out in years past. All five of those guys have started games in the league (and coaches Joe Gilbert and Harold Goodwin had Walton in Tampa, and he's a kind of a known commodity, like Moore is in the receivers room). Between them, there are 133 career starts in the league. And that's the second line.

The depth the Panthers have allows them to spell veteran Taylor Moton in practice, which is good for everyone. Nijman and Christensen get work with the ones; Moton gets a rest to save his body for the long haul.

The 30-year-old Moton's not old and decrepit by any means, but managing his reps now ought to help him over the long haul of the season. Pro Bowl right guard Robert Hunt said that after he got here and got to know Moton better and watch him up close, he was convinced that if Moton was in another market or on better teams the last several years, that he'd have gone to Pro Bowls.

So keeping him on the field is clearly something they value.

"T-Mo, the guy's been so dependable here," Canales said. "It's great for us to be able to get him, get his work in. He's tireless in individual periods. He's a pro's pro.

"He does need the live reps, but within reason, and then it just gives Yosh an opportunity to work on his craft, and some of the other tackles that we have to get out there and show us what they can do as well."

Again, this has not always been the case for the Panthers' offensive lines.

No sudden moves at linebacker

You may have noticed that the Panthers haven't rushed out and signed an inside linebacker after the surprise release of veteran Josey Jewell this week.

That's on purpose, and consistent with the way they've approached this offseason.

The way general manager Dan Morgan is building this thing at the moment, making sudden moves for name veterans, really isn't part of the plan.

And the list of available veteran players isn't terribly long or distinguished, at least among guys in their target demographic. There are some very good players out there, but most of them are on the wrong side of 30. (And a lot of the guys in that category also don't always enjoy the training camp experience in the way others might.)

So at the moment, Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom have time to get more reps, to get comfortable with each other, and show if they can be the guys in the middle. The same applies to the young backups on the roster.