CHARLOTTE — The Panthers had a few extra spectators for the second day of minicamp Wednesday, as first-round pick Tetairoa McMillan was held out of practice.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales said it was a precautionary measure after he bumped into a teammate during Tuesday's practice.

"He went down for a ball, got kicked in the leg, and swelled up, so just as a precautionary, just sat him out today," Canales said. "Hopefully, we get him back out tomorrow."

That would be a good sign, as the rookie wideout has had a solid spring so far and has looked comfortable working with the ones.

The Panthers were also without cornerback Jaycee Horn and veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, with what appeared to be veteran days. Considering they're among the hardest workers on the roster, that's not out of line.

They missed another energetic practice, with the Panthers working through red zone situations and matching the energy of Tuesday's practice, which Canales recognized early on.

"Great response by the guys," Canales said, his voice scratchy and fading after a full day of trying to be heard over what was happening on the field. "Yesterday, it took us a little time to kind of get going; today, from the jump, it was such a competitive practice. Defense took the first drill. The offense came back and took the last drill. We ended on a two-point play because we never end on a tie around here, so I love the energy, love the finish, and I'm really excited.

"We got one more chance tomorrow to come back."

Josh Norman returns, among other Panthers legends

Former Panthers cornerback Josh Norman was at practice Wednesday, a day after a large contingent of former players were on hand.

Norman caught up with a number of current players before and after practice, spending time with Horn as well as quarterback Bryce Young, and Canales said he encouraged his players to seek out as many of the former players as they could.

"I just wanted to make sure our guys know how important they are, for what we're building here, the legacy that we have, the responsibility of the great teams that have come before us that we can honor that," Canales said. "We had Josh Norman out here today, which was great, so to be able to pick his brain. He's one of my favorite and least favorite players to coach against over the years. A great human, he flips a switch on game day, and he was somebody who was always talking, always competing, challenging every throw, so a phenomenal competitor.

Tuesday's attendees included Hall of Honor wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad, linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis, along with Jerricho Cotchery, Captain Munnerlyn, Kawann Short, Kurt Coleman, Dwan Edwards, Tre Boston, Colin Cole, Charles Johnson, Jonathan Stewart, and Mike Tolbert.

Bryce Young taking ownership of receivers.

Several times throughout Wednesday's practice, Bryce Young could be seen walking pass catchers through a play as if a coach. During 7-on-7, he would step to the line and demonstrate for guys how he wanted them to flip their hips and when on the route.

During team drills, he jogged to the sideline after his rotation and attached himself to Xavier Legette, explaining to the receiver what he needed to see as far as when Legette turned his shoulders, using the replay video board to point out what was right, and what could be improved on from the play.

It's an ownership that Canales said "he's been doing (all) along," but becomes more and more vital with each practice.

"I think the importance of, look, we try to get a base rule as coaches; we give them a base rule and a starting point. But it's what Bryce sees," Canales said. "It's the leverage he wants, whether he wants the guy to come back to him or come right back down his stem or uncover outside. All the little nuances that part takes time, and it requires that kind of communication."

Legette had a couple of highlight-reel touchdown catches during the late work, stepping up nicely as the kind of red zone target with size they need.

Moehrig's versatility continuing to show

Horn took his role on the sideline very seriously Wednesday. It might have been a rest day for the corner, but he stayed involved in other ways, such as hyping up safety Tre'von Moehrig, promising the offense that "7" was about to run through them.

When Horn calls you out like that, you have to deliver.

During one particular rep, Moehrig—while playing closer to the line—undercut Hunter Renfrow (his former teammate of three years in Las Vegas) and nabbed the interception, running it back behind the offense for what counts as a quasi-pick-six in a mandatory minicamp.

"He's kind of versatile, you know; he gives us the opportunity to really do a lot of things," Canales said of the defensive back after practice. We can blitz them, we can play him at the back half, we can play him at linebacker, we can play him at nickel. And you just saw that play—he read it, saw it early, came, and made a great play on a middle screen.

"Those are the type of things we're hoping for out of him, and the more comfortable he gets, the more we can use them in different spots."

Kicking competition too early to call

The Panthers are letting their kickers alternate days in practice, but the conditions are far from realistic.

First and obviously, they're not live reps, so they're not facing an actual rush. And it's on a practice field and not a game full of fans. Plus, they're kicking on narrow goalposts.

Rookie Ryan Fitzgerald hit 5-of-5 attempts Wednesday, and veteran Matthew Wright was 3-of-5 on Tuesday. Wright's been in the league for five years (so he has experience with the new kickoff rules), and is a career 87.3 percent field goal guy.

"Too early to tell," Canales replied when asked if Fitzgerald had an edge there. "Let's get a real rush out there. Let's have him kicking in games, and then we'll be able to make the decision."