• There were no significant lineup changes as the Panthers began their final week of OTAs. The biggest positional note Monday was that Frank Alexander spent most of the day working with the first team at LDE, but that’s still very much a rotation situation.
  • To see how the first-team offense and defense lined up last week, click here.

• The Panthers spent a good chunk of Monday’s session working in the red zone. You don’t often hear this Carolina coaching staff getting overly frustrated, but there were a few moments when assistant head coach/secondary coach Steve Wilks appeared heated by how the offense was getting into the end zone relatively consistently.

• Originally, the only media access this week was supposed to be Thursday. But the Panthers’ communication staff and coach Ron Rivera decided this weekend to open Monday’s session to allow for some bonus coverage.

PLAYER NOTES

QB Cam Newton: Never hard to miss in the first place, he wore one of hismore ‘colorful’ Under Armour combos; the offense has a significant advantage over the defense in OTAs, but Newton continues to look dialed in.QB Derek Anderson: After handing off on a read-option in a red zone drill, threw his arms up as he sprinted away uncovered and yelled, “I should’ve kept it!”; obviously deserves more respect from the defense.WR Kelvin Benjamin: Held out again with a strained hamstring, but Rivera said he expects Benjamin to return to the field some time this week; ramped up his running on the side and even jumped into an installation period to catch a pass.WR Philly Brown: Continues to show great rapport with Newton; on one long gainer in 11-on-11s, easily exploited a mismatch with DE Mario Addison, who was trying to cover Brown downfield.WR Devin Funchess: Not only is he a fluid runner, but he does a great job catching the ball away from his body with soft hands.WR Stephen Hill: Inconsistent day; example: two plays after making a great catch on a pass from Anderson in 11-on-11s, Hill ran the wrong route, resulting in an incompletion.WR Mike Brown: Beat CB Melvin White on a slant during red zone drills; for what it’s worth, has been making more plays than WR Jarrett Boykin.WR Damiere Byrd: Ended Thursday’s practice with a long reception from Anderson; ended Monday’s practice with a long reception from QB Joe Webb.TE Greg Olsen: Dominated the day; scored three times in red zone drills, once when he was somehow left wide open in the back of the end zone, then on a touch pass from Anderson over S Dean Marlowe, and finally, after miscommunication by CB Charles Tillman and S Kurt Coleman.TE Ed Dickson: Has made at least a couple plays each time the media has watched practice this spring; caught a 6-yard touchdown from Newton in red zone drill.LT Michael Oher: While the lines aren’t allowed to be all that physical during OTAs, it’s a good sign that Oher is take off on a full sprint while pulling; appeared to miss a block on DE Mario Addison, who would’ve had a clean shot on Newton.LT Martin Wallace: Jonathan Martin had been getting nearly every snap as the second-team LT, but Wallace saw an uptick in time there on Monday.RT Mike Remmers: Took a few snaps at center.DE Charles Johnson: Another day spent almost exclusively at RDE; Rivera wouldn’t say it’s a permanent move, just that it’s “all part of the rotation.”DT Kyle Love: Had an excused absence for a personal matter.LB Thomas Davis: Won’t be at Tuesday’s practice because his son is graduating from elementary school.CB Bené Benwikere: Held out again with a sore hamstring, but he said if it were up to him, he’d be back out there; Rivera said that along with Benjamin, Benwikere has a chance to return this week.CB Garry Peters: Held out again with a sore hamstring; while the missed time obviously doesn’t look great for the undrafted rookie, Rivera said Peters’ pull was “pretty bad.”CB Joquel Skinner: Still out after pulling a hamstring last Tuesday, the day he was signed.CB Charles Tillman: The 34-year-old spends so much time talking to coaches and instructing younger DBs, it’s almost like he’s a player-coach.