Carolina Panthers coaches and staff congregated for the start of their mandatory minicamp. Fans were eager to see the latest portion of Dave Canales’ installation phase with everyone back in the building. This included some notable veterans who were absent throughout the voluntary stage of the team’s off-season workout sessions.
The Panthers have a lot of hard work ahead before Week 1 at the New Orleans Saints rolls around. This is a new way of doing things and standards are higher. Getting on the same page quickly is key, but Canales is pleased with how everyone’s buying in so far.
2 doinks and a miss from Mevis from roughly 35 yard line. Haven’t seen that from him prior to today. #Panthers
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) June 11, 2024
This is just a two-day minicamp rather than three. Canales doesn’t want to much too much strain on his players – something that indicates things are going to get pretty intense when training camp arrives later this summer.
That’s for the future. For now, here are four critical observations from Day 1 of Carolina’s mandatory minicamp in 2024.
Carolina Panthers kicking battle
After choosing to stay away from the facility over voluntary workouts, Eddy Pineiro was back for the start of Carolina Panthers’ minicamp. The kicker didn’t participate in drills, which head coach Dave Canales stated could have been due to conditioning issues. However, he wasn’t sure.
DJ Johnson is being carted off the field and taken back to the locker room. His right knee was bandaged. pic.twitter.com/qtMAH71h1Y
— Carolina Blitz (@KeepBlitzin) June 11, 2024
This left undrafted free agent Harrison Mevis free to stake another claim with some extra pressure attached. The early signs were promising, going perfect over his early efforts and even booming a 57-yarder with Pineiro watching on.
Some cracks began to show later on. According to those in attendance, Mevis hit the upright twice and missed another attempt from around the 35-yard range. It is the first time he’s been wayward to this extent since signing with the team. Whether it’s the start of things to come is another matter.
Mevis’ up-and-down day coupled with Pineiro’s decision to watch from the sidelines means fans are no closer to finding out who their starting kicker will be next season. They’ll battle it out throughout camp before Canales and Dan Morgan make their decision, but the veteran remains in the driving seat until further notice.
D.J. Johnson’s injury concern
Much has been made about the Carolina Panthers’ lack of edge rushing options heading into the new season. Jadeveon Clowney and D.J. Wonnum were signed to offset some major losses. K’Lavon Chaisson was another arrival, but he didn’t show up until Day 1 of minicamp and has just five sacks in four seasons to his name.
The Panthers got a good chance to examine D.J. Johnson’s growth over early workouts. Carolina’s decision to trade up for the edge rusher represented another panic move from previous general manager Scott Fitterer. After an underwhelming rookie campaign to nobody’s surprise, the pressure was on to make strides this time around.
Early reports surrounding Johnson were encouraging. Dave Canales, Dan Morgan, and defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero praised the player for his work ethic and willingness to get better. Signs were pointing up at last, but this came crashing to an abrupt halt during the first practice session of minicamp.
According to the media in attendance, Johnson was carted off with his knee heavily strapped. There was evident concern on the player’s face as he went to the locker room. The Panthers will conduct tests before releasing additional information. But for now, things don’t look great for the Oregon product.
Hopefully, it’s nothing too serious and Johnson can continue on his quest to get extended playing time in Year 2 of his professional career. If nothing else, this is another example of how precarious things look across the edger rushing room in Carolina unless further reinforcements arrive.
This won’t go unnoticed by Morgan and his front-office staff. His decision to trade Brian Burns and let Yetur Gross-Matos leave in free agency were calculated risks. If they don’t come off, it’s hard to envisage a scenario where Carolina’s defense meets expectations.
If Johnson is forced to miss considerable time, it’ll be a disaster for the player. One that could leave his hopes of carving out a decent role for himself in tatters.
Bryce Young’s ‘best day’
Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales and his staff have left their mark on Bryce Young. The quarterback needed someone to help steer him on the right path after being pulled in different directions by coaches who couldn’t get on the same page during his rookie campaign. It’s only early in the process, but the signs are encouraging.
This continued on Day 1 of Carolina’s mandatory minicamp. Young looked assured in the pocket and with his distribution according to those who attended the session. His blossoming connection with Diontae Johnson was evident throughout as the recent acquisition via trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers looks to assume the alpha mantle within the wide receiver room.
There is a long way to go, but Young is impressing and more importantly, gaining back confidence lost during a first NFL season that won’t live long in the memory. This was a sentiment echoed by Canales, who hailed his signal-caller’s ability to grasp the offense as a major plus based on comments via Fan Nation.
“I would just say the comfort and familiarity with our terms, with the plays. Today was by far his best day just operating the offense. The execution of the plays…defense makes plays too. But as far as getting out of the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage, moving the shifts and motions, using cadence, figuring problems out with the protections – this was a fantastic day for Bryce.”- Dave Canales via Fan Nation
Nobody is getting carried away. Young comes into the campaign with a big point to prove. But the belief among loyal fans never wavered and Canales genuinely thinks he’s got the tools needed to take the Panthers where they want to go.
Canales’ reputation for helping quarterbacks galvanize their careers is renowned. He’s also adamant Young is a quick fix if he develops his fundamental traits and adopts a scheme to suit his strengths. Looking at how things are unfolding, it couldn’t be going much better.
Jadeveon Clowney looking to help Carolina Panthers teammates
Jadeveon Clowney was back in the building after skipping the final stage of voluntary organized team activities. The veteran’s been around long enough to know how best to prepare his body for the upcoming challenges. Of all those absent, his was the least concerning by a considerable margin.
The Carolina Panthers are expecting big things from Clowney next season. As previously mentioned, their edge rushing room is among the league’s worst unless someone rises from obscurity to play a key rotational role. The former No. 1 overall selection is tasked with producing solid numbers and staying healthy to avoid any unnecessary complications in 2024.
There’s something else catching the eye regarding Clowney’s contribution. The South Carolina product is passing on the wealth of knowledge accumulated throughout his career to younger members of the roster. Hopefully, this can provide the spark that ignites them to better fortunes moving forward.
Clowney delved deeper into this when speaking to the media. Based on his comments via the team’s website, he’s also keen to adopt a different mindset in the unit. This centers on work ethic, putting in the hard yards, and taking pride in preparing the right way.
“I’m just trying to carry over here what I learned from other teams. I was younger, getting traded around. I was learning at this point. I’m trying to teach them guys what I learned. It’s really about having a good, positive attitude every day, knowing you got to get to work. I tell them guys, man, it’s two hours on the field, two hours in the meeting rooms. And that’s the day. It should be no problem. When I was young, I had a problem too. But now it’s like I’m going to learn it’s just two hours a day. You’re making a lot of money, just go out there two hours, just do your job and have fun doing it.”- Jadeveon Clowney via Panthers.com
This is only going to help the Panthers when push comes to shove. Clowney commands instant respect. If those further down the pecking order had any sense, they’d be hanging on his every word and soaking up as much information as they could.
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