2024 rookie minicamp is officially in the books for the Carolina Panthers.
So, what will those books read as we move on to the next chapter of the offseason?
Here are the biggest takeaways from Friday and Saturday:
Between trading up to select Jonathon Brooks and agreeing to terms with veteran Rashaad Penny, the Panthers may have overcrowded their running back room—one that already featured Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders. But head coach Dave Canales believes quantity will translate into quality.
“In my experience, we need all the backs,” he said on Friday. “We need all of ’em to contribute at some point in the season. Knock on wood. But they get nicked, or it’s in a game and then he busts a shoestring and they’re switchin’ his shoes out to get him back ready and those other backs have to be ready to play. So for me, this is just adding another great player to really challenge our roster.”
He continued:
“I think it’s a great thing for us. And I think it’s our approach is to not let good players get out of here in terms of that room. As we come along and as we challenge them to compete, we’re gonna see some great effort out of the backs in this camp and I’m really excited about it.”
Canales clearly puts a premium on special teams play.
When listing off reasons for their addition of Penny, he brought up the rusher’s ability and experience as a returner.
“Rashaad’s another guy that can return kicks,” Canales said. “Bringing him in to really push the group, but also he knows the language. He knows how to run certain run types. So I think that as he gets his reps in there, the guys will be able to see the pace that we’re looking for and all those things—even from a pass protection standpoint.”
Then, on Saturday, he was asked why first-round pick Xavier Legette was in on gunner drills.
“Special teams is a premium for us,” he replied. “This is something, that on game day, we just don’t get a lot of players. Something that our players have to get used to is that when they come into the NFL, we have these many helmets today. So if something happens, they all gotta be ready to contribute.
“That’s how we were able to build great teams in Seattle. Doug Baldwin is a starter early on—he was playing on teams, on cover units. And he can get in the vice. And just making sure Xavier has that starting point. He’s such a natural athlete. Watching him take his first couple steps, it was really cool. And (special teams assistant) Daren Bates is doing a really good job there down with the gunners.”
Legette—a wideout first and a gunner, perhaps, last—told reporters on Friday that he really worked on his route running leading up to the draft process.
“That was the most important thing to me—to really put emphasis on certain routes that the media was sayin’ I couldn’t run, that I wasn’t able to run,” said Legette, who specifically highlighted the comeback and curl routes. “I felt like that was the most important thing to me, so I just worked on those things a lot.”
He was then asked if he had an ear to the outside criticism about his game.
“I don’t necessarily really worry about what folks say, but a lot folks were bringin’ that to my attention,” Legette replied. “Like, a lot of coaches who I was talkin’ to, they was also bringin’ it up—like why you think a lot of folks sayin’ this and that?
“I felt like the coaches kinda thought the same thing as well. So I feel like that was important, to put emphasis on makin’ that happen and bein’ able to show them that I can do that through the process.”
Speaking of receivers, Canales went into some impressive detail about Coker—something you don’t usually hear about undrafted free-agent signings.
“Size, instincts, top-of-route ability to separate,” Canales said of Coker’s notable traits. “He’s really crafty in zones. He knows how to find the open spaces. Has a little cool run-after-catch, too. He can break some tackles because of the size that he brings. Attacks the ball at the high point. I mean, the guy really does have a cool skill set that he brings to us. So I’m excited to see him kinda get introduced as we start to develop out football, especially in Phase Three OTAs. Let’s see what he looks like against NFL talent. But I’m really excited about him.”
While much improved, Carolina’s receiver room still has some space for competition. The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Coker can do at least a little bit of everything and seemingly fits the mold of what Canales and company are looking for.
Free agency yielded quite a haul for the Panthers, but it didn’t get them that extra veteran quarterback to put behind starter Bryce Young and backup Andy Dalton. Canales was asked what he’s looking for out of that QB3 spot.
“What we always like to do is to add people—especially guys that have some kind of exposure to our system,” he said. “I’m looking for value for the quarterback room. What do they bring for that room? For Bryce, in particular.”
Canales also spoke about undrafted free agent Jack Plummer, who would be the de facto No. 3 at this very moment. And while he had some nice things to say about the rookie, it sounds like he and general manager Dan Morgan will still be sniffing around.
“The good part about Jack is I saw some accuracy, his ability to get up at the line, spit the plays out and all that,” he stated. “So I’m excited about having him being just able to operate that way.
“But I would certainly feel like we would still have our ears to the ground and see if there’s anybody that might be interested in coming and being a part of what we’re doing.”
