The Carolina Panthers ended their second week of training camp as they’ll face a new test next week against the New York Jets.
The First Upcoming Test
When the training camp schedule was released, it included two joint practices against the Jets Aug. 9-10. Along with the joint practices, the Panthers will play their first preseason game against the Jets on August 12th on NFL Network. With HBO’s Hard Knocks following the Jets throughout training camp, the Panthers are expected to be included in the footage.
Due to how several teams choose to sit starters in the preseason, it’s likely that the Panthers true test against the Jets will come during joint practice. This will show where the Panthers line up against the rest of the NFL, as the Jets are hopeful for a Super Bowl run. So far, all training camp reps have been in an intrasquad competition.
Panthers head coach Frank Reich spoke about the plan for joint practice, but also wanting to prevent fights.
“The good thing is with the Jets—we’re gonna work real hard the first day and the second day’s gonna be much lighter,” Reich said. “A lot of times, the fighting comes the second day. That’s been my experience, anyway. So we’ll minimize the opportunity for that. We have a little bit of work with ’em. That second day, we’re going to work together a little bit, but we’re also going to work separately a little bit.”
Bryce Young to See First Action
Reich on Sunday announced that Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young would play in the preseason opener. While Reich revealed that Young would play, he didn’t indicate for how long as decisions would be made at the moment.
“There is flexibility in the plan,” Reich said. “There has to be, right? That’s just being smart about it. So, we have a general idea of how many plays we get through the whole preseason. But that can be adjusted by 10 or 20 percent depending on how things go.”
This will be Young’s first in-game uniform appearance for the Panthers. While Young will need as much in-game experience as possible before his Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, the Panthers will be careful before throwing him out in harm’s way. The joint practice sessions will prove so impactful because he’ll be protected from meaningless hits. Young will be protected but also tested by a non-Panthers defense for the first time in camp.
Whether Young is out on the field for 10 or 30 plays, the crowd will rejoice when No. 9 takes the field for the first time at Bank of America Stadium.
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A Defensive End to the Week
To end the week, the Panthers defense has outplayed the offense for back-to-back days. The exclamation mark of the day came when the defense asked for an extra period at the end of practice. The additional period included red zone drills, with the defense shutting down the offense and ending practice with a sack.
Another highlight came as cornerback CJ Henderson had his third interception of camp as he picked off Young in 7 on 7.
CJ with the take away 😤 pic.twitter.com/Yz1fxi05aQ
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 6, 2023
Reich spoke about the competitiveness on the last two days as the offense dominated to start camp, but the defense has shown up as of late.
“Love these days,” Reich said. “I think we just got a whole lot better these last two days.”
Main Photo: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
