As Carolina Panthers PSL owners watched the final day of Week 1 OTA’s in Bank of America Stadium, a week of players learning and growing has come to an end. From rookies grasping hold of their playbooks and veterans learning new roles under a newly constructed coaching staff.
Rookies, Veterans Shine In Week 1 of Carolina Panthers OTA’s
A New Perspective for a Second-Year Quarterback
Matt Corral appeared in front of the media Monday for the first time since the 2022 preseason: a game where he suffered a season-ending foot injury in his rookie year. Since, a lot has changed for Corral and the Panthers, as the third-round pick is listed third on the depth chart. With Carolina investing their future in Bryce Young, signs pointed to Corral looking to play elsewhere, but he reiterated he wants to stay in Carolina.
“I love the people here. I love the people that I’m around,” Corral said. “I want to play for coach Reich; I really like the coaches that we have around us.”
Throughout his recovery, Corral had to stay off his feet while watching his team go in another direction. This change has forced him to either stay the same or change himself.
“I would definitely say just my patience for myself and being able to have that perspective because, I mean, it’s hard,” Corral said.
In staying off the field, Corral has had the time to reflect on himself as an athlete and human being.
“Just being able to grow,” Corral said. “I feel like if I wasn’t able to do that, I would have been exactly in that same position. And it would have hindered my growth, not only as an athlete but as just a human being and having relationships outside of football.”
Whether or not Corral is in the Panthers plans, he’s fully invested in being a Carolina Panther.
Learning and Growing from Veterans
Before the start of OTA’s, Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young had the opportunity to speak with Tom Brady. The No. 199 pick shared wisdom with the No. 1 pick, as Young could learn from the best at the quarterback position.
“There were a lot of gems, a lot of nuggets that I was able to take away,” Young said after he met with Brady. “I was able to ask him some questions about his career, kind of his mindset going toward it. For me, obviously being a young quarterback, I wanted to know things that he wished he knew at this age and things that he felt like were key for him to have success. I think that’s something that’s pretty invaluable.”
Young followed up his meeting with an appealing first day of OTAs on Monday. This was his first chance to be alongside the entire offense as he took snaps behind the starting offensive line multiple times. In building chemistry with the line, Young also continued to show his precision in throwing the ball.
“You could tell the way he was seeing it, the way he was working through progressions, accuracy of the throw, ball placement of the throw,” head coach Frank Reich said. “It was all very good.”
While Andy Dalton is the starter and getting the majority of snaps with the first team, Young will continue to follow Reich’s plan, possibly becoming the starter before the regular season. The progressive plan will give Young the best opportunity to grow and be ready as an NFL starter.
“It’s really good for Bryce to see Andy handle things the way he’s handling them,” Reich said. “And obviously, Bryce has picked it up extremely fast. But it feels like we’ve got a good plan, and we’re doing the right thing.”
A Rookie with Extreme Versatility
The fifth-round pick from Florida State, Jammie Robinson, has stood out in the Panthers OTA’s due to his defensive versatility. The defensive back totaled 99 tackles and six pass deflections in 2022. Throughout college, Robinson played downhill and was a defensive run-stopper.
With the 145th pick the @Panthers select…
Jammie Robinson, DB, Florida St#KeepPounding
— Overtime Carolina Panthers (@OvertimePanther) April 29, 2023
“He’s demonstrated the ability to blitz, and he’s also demonstrated the ability to play safety,” secondary and cornerbacks coach Jonathan Cooley said.
Robinson participated in multiple positional group meetings during his first week of OTA’s for the Panthers. The workload for a rookie is already high in the meetings, but with learning to play two positions, he’s had to step up to learn the roles.
“Jammie is a guy that has come in and impressed us right from the beginning,” safeties coach Bert Watts said. “With his knowledge, work ethic, and being able to learn and pick up the defense quickly.”
Along with his work ethic, Robinson has all the tangibles of a player that the team believes in. With a reworked defense, expect Robinson to make an early impact for the Panthers in 2023.
“He’s playing to win; that’s what you see,” Watts said. “He’s more concerned about helping this team and getting himself better every single day.”
Defensive Scheme Change
As a part of the offseason coaching overhaul, Ejiro Evero took over as defensive coordinator for the Panthers. Last season in Denver, Evero ran a 3-4 defense, which he’s implementing in Carolina for 2023. This means adjusting to the new language and concepts in OTA’s after the Panthers ran 4-3 in 2022.
“It’s been an exciting challenge for me, and I think the players see it the same way,” Tem Lukabu said. “There are so many nuances and little things that we can still get better at that will help be the type of defense that we can be down the line.”
For the defensive line, Derrick Brown has had to adjust to this new scheme, as he’ll have opportunities to play on the outside. Throughout his career, Brown primarily lined up on the inside. While Brown has slowly become an anchor for the defensive line, Carolina signed former New Orleans Saints lineman Shy Tuttle. Together, they’ll have the flexibility to play and learn the techniques to succeed in the 3-4 scheme.
Textbook from Derrick Brown 🍔 pic.twitter.com/LSq4xwJ32F
— Michael Rimmer (@avl_mike) May 1, 2023
“We still need to be stout and stop the run,” defensive line coach Todd Wash said. “We still have to have the ability to get on a guard and affect the quarterback with our defensive ends.”
A New Role for a Veteran Linebacker
Going into the off-season, there was doubt about Shaq Thompson being a Carolina Panther for the 2023 season. With all those doubts pushed aside, Thompson will have the opportunity to succeed in the 3-4 defense and a new coaching staff.
“I think he’s adjusted great,” linebackers coach Peter Hansen said. “He’s practicing like one of the high-level linebackers in the league.”
The 2015 first-round pick used to play under Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis. He’s quickly become one of the few remaining Panthers from the Rivera era. With that, he’s had to adopt a leadership of the defense, similar to Kuechly.
“Every guy on the defense looks to him first,” Hansen said.
With his leadership, Thompson will need to be the anchor for the linebackers as it’s become a thin position for Carolina. Even as the linebacker position may be a weakness, Thompson will maestro the defense throughout the season.
“His leadership, first and foremost, has really stood out to me,” Hansen said. “The way he sets up the front with his communication, he’s louder than anyone else, and he’s more confident in what he’s saying than anyone else.”
Main Photo: Jim Dedmon – USA Today Sports
