The Carolina Panthers were one of 24 teams that kicked off their mandatory minicamps Tuesday. These three days are the final time teams will be on the field until training camp. Since players are still just in helmets and shorts, minicamp is essentially an extension of OTAs. Without shoulder pads, it’s tough to judge much of what’s happening on the lines, and a defense that’s not allowed to make much contact is at a disadvantage. But they go through all this for a reason. While jobs aren’t being won or lost right now, and there’s not much movement on the depth chart, these three days are an important time for installation and working on proper technique.
The biggest goal of minicamp is to get out of it healthy. The Panthers held a few guys out with muscle injuries, and there may have been one serious incident. Versatile offensive lineman Tyronne Green came up limping after acting as a blocker during an early drill. The severity of the injury is unclear, but it may have been to Green’s Achilles.
The guys with muscle injuries: DEs Charles Johnson and Frank Alexander have tweaked groins; CBs Garry Peters and Teddy Williams are still dealing with sore hamstrings. Johnson and Alexander may miss the entirety of minicamp, and considering training camp is six weeks away, that seems like the smart play. Peters, meanwhile, continues to miss invaluable time for an undrafted rookie.
Yeah, it was hot, but it wasn’t completely sweltering. A breeze helped, and the Panthers practiced with such pace, coach Ron Rivera said they actually finished seven minutes ahead of schedule.
Whatever good moments happen during practice the next few days, it’ll be tough to top what happened before Tuesday’s session. Special teams coordinator Bruce DeHavenwalked onto the practice fields for the first time since he took a leave of absence in early May to receive cancer treatments. “I’m so excited to be back, I can’t even describe it,” a beaming DeHaven said.
PLAYER NOTES
RB Fozzy Whittaker: On a deep pass from QB Derek Anderson, ran past S Dean Marlowe deep down the left sideline and made the catch as he was falling to the ground. Then, as he’s done many times the past month, QB Cam Newton sprinted about 30 or 40 yards to congratulate a guy for making a play.
WR Kelvin Benjamin: Did much more during team drills than he did at last week’s OTAs in his return from a strained hamstring.
WR Brenton Bersin: During 9-on-9s, after Newton looked through his reads, Bersin slipped behind CB Colin Jones and then hauled in the catch.
WR Ted Ginn: Had his first bad drop in a practice open to the media since returning. After sprinting past the defense, Ginn saw a bomb from Newton go right through his hands.
TE Richie Brockel: Has just four receptions in four seasons, but elicited a loud scream from Newton when he caught a pass from Joe Webb after the QB rolled out to his right.
DE Kony Ealy: With Johnson and Alexander both out, Ealy was first in line at RDE while Wes Horton was at LDE.
LB Shaq Thompson: The first-round pick again spent most of the day with the second team, but he began 9-on-9s lined up next to LBs Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis.
LB A.J. Klein: Remains ahead of Thompson in most drills, but he has to be hearing the rookie’s footsteps.
CB Bené Benwikere: Like Benjamin, was much more involved in team drills than he was last week after returning from a hamstring injury. Made the play of the day — a one-handed leaping interception of Newton on the first play of 11-on-11s. Afterward, Rivera raved about the play before reporters even asked about it: “That was right out of the nickel position. Did a nice read, great technique, hinged into his drop and was right in the throwing lane. Cam put a good ball out there, Bené just went up there and made a play.”
CB Chris Houston: The newest Panther spent a decent amount of time with the second unit and made a couple of nice plays in his first practice. First, he teamed with CB Carrington Byndom and S Marcus Ball to blanket a streaking Ginn, and then he broke up a pass intended for WR Stephen Hill near the sideline.
S Kurt Coleman: Continues to share plenty of snaps at SS with Roman Harper. Scooped up what would have been a fumble on a botched pitch from Newton to RB Jonathan Stewart.