We got an extended view of both the offense and the defense, as the Panthers spent the majority of Saturday’s two hour practice scrimmaging against each other.
Here’s what we learned from the 9th session of training camp.
The Competition Continues
The competition between Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield continued Saturday with both guys splitting reps between the first and second teams. Neither quarterback stood out from the other – both scored one touchdown and threw one interception. Darnold (unofficially) completed 19 of 28 passes and Mayfield (unofficially) completed 15 for 22. However, it was Mayfield’s roughly fifty-yard touchdown pass to Higgins that impressed the most.
If you’re looking for the team to announce a starting quarterback – or any starters – soon, it’s not going to happen. As I predicted after Wednesday’s practice, Rhule says he doesn’t anticipate announcing any starting positions prior to the team’s joint practices against the New England Patriots.
The Reps
First round draft pick Ikem Ekwonu got extended reps at left tackle with the 1s. When Ekwonu was at the left tackle position, Brady Christensen was at left guard, Bradley Bozeman was at center, Austin Corbett played right guard and Taylor Moton was at right tackle. This could very well be the Panthers’ starting offensive line, but it’s important to point out that while the talent is there, Ickey is still a rookie playing a tough position that he’s still learning. His run blocking, which he excelled at while playing at NC State, is ahead of schedule, but he still needs to tighten up his pass protection. Christensen, who has worked with the 1s at left tackle the majority of camp, has played well at that position, but look for the coaching staff to give the 2022 first round pick more burn at left tackle in preparation for the season.
The Injuries
CJ Henderson (ankle) and Deonte Brown were added to the list of injured players who were in red jerseys and didn’t practice. Terrace Marshall (lower body), Keith Taylor (hamstring) and Duke Dawson were also in red and didn’t practice yesterday.
Defensive end Marquis Haynes was carted off the field with a lower body injury. This is a tough blow, as the Panthers were looking to him to help fill the void left by the departure of Haason Reddick. There’s no word yet on the severity of Haynes injury, but look for general manager Scott Fitterer to look with more urgency at adding more talent at that position.
The Honor
All staff and coaches wore shirts honoring former linebacker and coach Sam Mills, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday. It was a nice way to recognize a Panthers’ legend on his special day.
The Schedule
The team is off Sunday and will resume practice at Wofford Monday at 10:30am.
UNC Continues to Shine into the Final Stretch