HEALTH WATCH
- DT Chas Alecxih appeared to suffer a serious knee injury during a 2-on-2 drill.
- WR Stephen Hill sat out with soreness in his surgically repaired right knee. It's the second time Hill's missed practice since he landed on his knee during the Panthers' second practice of camp.
- LB Ben Jacobs, who appeared to tweak an ankle late during Friday's Fan Fest, did not practice.
- DE Larry Webster, who pulled a hamstring Friday, did not practice.
- DE Wes Horton, who sprained his right wrist Friday, wore a brace to help him get through practice.
- DE Rakim Cox returned after missing two practices with a back injury.
PLAY OF THE DAY
S Dean Marlowe has been rotating in for Kurt Coleman during the final team drill of almost every practice since the spring. On Sunday, Marlowe made his biggest play yet with the No. 1 group.
After QB Cam Newton heaved a deep pass toward WR Brenton Bersin, Marlowe skied high for an interception:
PLAYER NOTES
- WR Kelvin Benjamin made what appeared to be a leaping grab in traffic for a touchdown during red zone drills.
- WR Damiere Byrd sprinted past CB Bené Benwikere to haul in a perfect touch pass from QB Derek Anderson.
- WR Kevin Norwood and Anderson teamed up to beat DB Colin Jones on a deep ball late in practice.
- WR Keyarris Garrett didn't have the best day. After a drop in team drills, he had his hands on a ball in the corner of the end, but it was knocked away by CB Zack Sanchez.
- TE Braxton Deaver made the most impressive catch of 1-on-1s, slipping past S Marcus Ball and then tipping the ball with his right hand before reeling it in.
See Deaver's catch and other 1-on-1 highlights
- TE Greg Olsen had a decent moment himself, creating distance against LB Shaq Thompson before making a leaping grab.
- LB Luke Kuechly went 2-for-2 in 1-on-1 coverage drills against the RBs, knocking both Jonathan Stewart and Mike Tolbert off their routes.
- LB Shaq Thompson continues to spend plenty of time in the slot. He may be listed as a LB, but it's probably time to start considering him the Panthers' No. 1 nickel as well.
- LB A.J. Klein joined the growing club of NFL defenders completely fooled by Newton. Klein bit hard when Newton faked a pitch to WR Ted Ginn Jr. Those two then ran the rest of the way, with Newton finally laterally to Ginn about 60 yards downfield.
- LB Jeremy Cash made his second notable play in as many practices, breaking up an underthrown Anderson pass that was intended for TE Scott Simonson.
- CB Robert McClain appeared to see increased reps with the No. 1 defense. The 5th-year veteran gives the Panthers some comfort while they groom rookies James Bradberry or Daryl Worley.
"You have a guy that you know he's going to be where he needs to be," Rivera said of McClain. "You have a guy that's going to do the things that he needs to do. That's the important thing is you've got a guy that's going to help us."
NOTABLE NUGGETS
- Benjamin will play in Thursday's preseason opener against the Ravens, according to Rivera. As promised, the Panthers have been very judicious with Benjamin's reps so far in camp, and he'll probably only get a series or two in Baltimore.
- In his nine years with the Bears, Rivera only had 7.5 sacks. But his last one remains a feather in his cap.
A day after QB Brett Favre was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Rivera recalled the moment from Oct. 25, 1992 - a 30-10 Chicago win at Green Bay in Favre's first season with the Packers:
"We were in a blitz, and I was in man coverage. My guy stepped into protect, so I just followed him into the crease, and lo and behold, [Favre] stepped right into me.
"When I was coaching against Brett, I said, 'Just so you know, you were the last sack I got in the NFL.' He looked at me and said, 'Hell, I didn't realize I was that slow.'"