A good day during the fifth practice of training camp doesn't completely alleviate concerns about the Carolina Panthers' revamped secondary, but it's certainly not a bad sign.

The plays made in Monday morning's practice included:

 

 

• CB James Bradberry breaking up a pass intended for WR Devin Funchess 

• CB Daryl Worley intercepting an underthrown ball by QB Cam Newton to TE Scott Simonson on the first play of 11-on-11s

• CB Zack Sanchez tipping away a deep ball from Newton to Funchess

• CB Lou Young knocking away passes on consecutive plays in team drills

• S Marcus Ball punching a pass out of WR Stephen Hill's hands on a crossing route

 

"The secondary was very active today," coach Ron Rivera said afterward.

Which was especially impressive considering S Kurt Coleman had the day off.

"We wanted to see how the secondary was going to handle it without him being out there — he's such a vocal leader," Rivera said. "And I thought they handled it very well.

Rivera didn't want to pick just one when asked if any of the three CB draftees had started to separate himself from the others, but he did note Sanchez's plate is the fullest.

"We're asking him to learn so much — not just playing corner, but also playing nickel. So he's being taxed now mentally and physically," Rivera said.

"He's handled it very nicely, so that's a feather in his cap because he's being asked to do a lot."

With Bené Benwikere's return from the PUP list still unknown, the younger guys will continue to get a ton of reps. The results may not always be as impressive as they were Monday, but at least they're not stumbling through their first training camp wide-eyed and overwhelmed.

"They're practicing very confidently. They feel very comfortable in what we're doing," Rivera said. "They know what they're doing — that's probably the most important thing."