Training Camp Observations: Offense bounces back in the rain

Jul 26, 2026 at 01:44 PM

by Darin Gantt & Kassidy Hill

CHARLOTTE — The Panthers keep score of every period in practice, and for the first two days of practice, the advantage was clearly with the defense.

That changed Sunday morning in the rain, as quarterbacks Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett made a number of big plays downfield, and there were plays made in the run game as well. These swings usually happen during camp, but head coach Dave Canales was encouraged to see it.

"Just a bounce-back for the offense," he said. "So we keep score on every period, and the defense was pretty dominant the first two days, with some flashes by the offense. But a good response by Bryce and the guys. Got the run game going a little bit, hit some balls down the field, and, you know, did a decent job in the move of the ball at the end.

"And, I just love that, love the competitiveness that's happening that they're bringing out in each other. And that's the way we get our best football, is by challenging each other every day, the matchups up front, the matchups on the edges. So really pleased with the work that way and, and, and the bounce back."

The deep balls flying downfield are easy to see, but there were little things along the way that were subtler, but celebrated by teammates.

That included tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders sealing the edge with a block to pop Chuba Hubbard for a nice gain, which isn't going to make highlight reels but has real-world applications.

LB Devin Lloyd and RB Chuba Hubbard are seen during Carolina Panthers training camp on Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

Injury updates, including Chris Brazzell's absence

Rookie wideout Chris Brazzell II was working on the side with the rehab group Sunday morning.

Canales said he was dealing with "a little knee soreness, just something that we're being aware of and we're going to get him some treatment, get him out there as quickly as possible."

Otherwise, he was encouraged by the progress of guard Robert Hunt and cornerback Mike Jackson, who did not practice. Canales described them as having a case of "camp back," and said they should be back reasonably soon.

"Camp back is what they call it," Canales said. "You get in, and it's the first time you're competing, you're going against each other. And fortunately for us, we have this bonus week, with the Hall of Fame game where a lot of the things that end up popping up early on in camps happen for us about a week earlier so we can get ahead of it. We can get a treatment plan, and then we can dose them the right way and get him back out there."

Ja'seem Reed impresses across the board

In some ways, football can be complicated. Defensive schemes and concepts, elaborate route trees, and disguised defenses- it all builds on itself to create an intricate system.

But at its core, football is simple.

Panthers senior offensive advisor Carl "Tater" Smith, on hand to help guide Carolina with his five decades of experience, boiled down his evaluation of receivers to one simple rule.

"You know a receiver is good when you throw it, and they catch it," laughed Canales, sharing Tater's rule on Sunday following the Panthers third training camp practice.

And Ja'seem Reed has been catching the ball.

"He just keeps making plays," bragged Canales of the receiver going into his second year. "He makes the play whether somebody's close to him or he's got space; he's got an ability to bend, get out of his breaks either way."

Ja'seem Reed is seen during Carolina Panthers training camp on Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

Reed spent all of last season with the Panthers on the practice squad, after first joining during training camp. He did not appear in a game, but was in Charlotte for the entirety of the season. It gave him time to immerse himself completely in the playbook, and the University of San Diego product took advantage of the access.

"He's consistent, so he knows the concepts," said Canales. "He's a really smart guy, and he's been that way since we got him. A guy we have a lot of trust in."

On Sunday, Reed got a chance to show off all he's learned, making plays consistently throughout practice, regardless of the coverage, drill, or situation. During 1-on-1s, he snuck past Corey Thornton with a smart, shifty move that led to defensive passing game coordinator Jonathan Cooley asking Thornton how the receiver pulled it off.

He showed up during low red zone drills, making himself available during scramble plays.

And he turned in one of the better plays of the day during 7-on-7. Kenny Pickett sent Reed deep down the middle of the field, where he outraced Isaiah Simmons and Robert Rochell, with Zakee Wheatley in close pursuit as well, to pull in an over-the-shoulder ball, dragging his feet as he fell to stay in bounds for the touchdown.

The entire offense sprinted from their sideline, Tetairoa McMillan dancing the whole way, to celebrate with Reed in the end zone.

"So he's given (himself) a great chance to compete to make this roster with a lot of other guys," shared Canales, "and so I'm proud of just seeing where he's at right now."

Enjoying the cool, rainy weather

If anyone was a fan of the steady rain that came down during the first half of practice, matching the trend of the last few days, it was linebacker Devin Lloyd.

After spending his first four seasons in Jacksonville, he knows about heat and humidity, which the Panthers will get a dose of in a joint practice later in camp.

"We've been getting blessed," Lloyd said with a grin. "I know it's not going to last for long, but, I mean, it's definitely been the easiest, as far as weather-wise, training camp that I've ever been a part of.

"With the overcast and even the rain, but it's not raining for anything more than like 10 minutes or whatever the case may be. So I know eventually it's going to start to creep up on us here, and then once we go out to Jacksonville, we're definitely going to feel it. But we need that, and you know that's what comes with training camp."

Derrick Brown is seen during Carolina Panthers training camp on Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

Pads will go on next practice

The Panthers won't have to wait much longer to step up the intensity in training camp. The next practice, on Tuesday, will be the first day of pads, Dave Canales shared Sunday.

"Once you get in pads, it gets more physical," Canales previewed.

That can be especially true in the trenches, for the linemen and running backs. Jonathon Brooks, participating in his first training camp since joining the NFL after back-to-back ACL tears, will get to absorb full hits for the first time since his latest injury in December 2024.

Despite knowing the physicality will go up, Canales doesn't want the back to change his approach, but rather embrace what this time brings and how it can help his return.

Bryce Young and Jonathon Brooks are seen during Carolina Panthers OTA Day Number 3 on Friday, May 29, 2026 at Atrium Health Training Facility in Charlotte, NC.

"Nothing different than what he's doing now," Canales offered. "Stay on your track in the run game, be on top of your protections. We're not telling guys to go to the ground.

"Those types of things that trip up might happen, you know, you get knocked off balance, you'll go to the ground and really just to kind of get that contact adaptation. It's not just about taking the hits and absorbing, but it's also about hitting the ground, and just feeling your legs, and getting comfortable with that.

"So just encouraging him to be confident, play fast, and all the rest of it in his timing will come back."

LB Maema Njongmeta, Jake Curhan, Kenny Pickett, Nick Samac, DT Lee Hunter and Chandler Zavala are seen during Carolina Panthers training camp on Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.

Roster math makes adding a QB tough

The Panthers are rolling with three quarterbacks since the pre-camp retirement of Will Grier (who is taking a coaching job in Dallas), with undrafted rookie Haynes King getting a lot of work.

King will likely get a lot more for that first preseason game in Canton, since starters rarely appear in a bonus preseason game.

Canales said a few of their injury situations made it tougher. Even though they're not practicing, Ikem Ekwonu, Taylor Moton, Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III, and Jaycee Horn still count on the active roster, and with a few other players including Hunt, Jackson, and Brazzell dealing with short-term issues, they don't have as much flexibility.

"I mean, it's always on our radar," Canales said of the possibility of adding a fourth. " We're looking for how we can make that fit in as we all know we have a number of guys that we're counting on to come back to us in short order, and then there's a couple of guys that'll be back further down in the future. But because of those guys they all count towards our 90 man roster.

"It makes it really challenging to carry four quarterbacks when we have depth concerns at some other positions just to throw at practice. So we have to keep that in mind, but we're always looking, we're always looking at all the different positions because we have to be ready; we've got to be ready to pivot and bring people in."

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QB Bryce Young is seen during Carolina Panthers training camp on Wednesday, Jun. 17, 2026 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC.