On Friday, the Panthers participated in their second practice of training camp. Although this will be the last afternoon practice for Carolina until Fan Fest at Bank of America Stadium on August 3, cooler Spartanburg mornings are always preferred by players and coaches alike.
Not that free agent acquisition running back C.J. Anderson seems to care, as he’s fulfilled his off-season promise to wear sweats regardless of the weather conditions in camp.
.@cjandersonb22 with the sweatsuit in Spartanburg heat ☀️ pic.twitter.com/4CpEDZWXqY
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) July 27, 2018
Recapping Day Two of Carolina Panthers Training Camp
- With temperatures reaching up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, one Panther who has flown under the radar seems to be heating up quickly. Third-year wide receiver and former Gamecock Damiere Byrd has begun to turn heads again in the state of South Carolina. Attendees of the first practice claimed that Byrd had plucked at least five balls out of the air during team drills. He continued his strong play into day two, reportedly making some solid catches with noticeably improved route-running. Byrd is the type of player who could have a breakout year in Norv Turner’s offense this season.
- Number one wide receiver Devin Funchess returned to practice today after experiencing cramps on day one. Move along, nothing to see here.
- Now for a special teams update from Jourdan Rodrigue:
Kenjon Barner, Torrey Smith, Christian McCaffrey and DJ Moore taking PR drills
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) July 27, 2018
It should be interesting to see who ends up winning the punt returner job. For once the Panthers seem to be loaded with options in the return game.
- Cornerback Lorenzo Doss, who had an impressive spring, had a solid day. At one point in team drills he broke up passes on consecutive plays.
- Speaking of cornerbacks, nickelback Corn Elder, who missed his entire rookie season with an injury, has surprisingly been seeing most of his reps on the outside. This will be a development to keep an eye on.
- Both backup quarterbacks Taylor Heinecke and Garrett Gilbert have looked like capable options to hold the clipboard behind Cam Newton. It will be interesting to see how things play out, or who creates some separation when the pads come on.
- Fullback Alex Armah continued to work with tight ends, as he did in the spring
- Practice ended with a touchdown pass from Newton to future Hall of Fame tight end Greg Olsen, something you should see a lot of this season.
- The starters carried over from day one. Again, don’t expect any changes at least until pads start popping. Luckily that’ll be on Day three. Here’s to hoping the news stays relatively unexciting considering what happened to Jason Verrett and the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday.
