Tuesday was a nice day to be a defensive back in uptown Charlotte.
The Carolina Panthers hosted their second open organized team activities workout under the summer sun, and it was the secondary that took advantage of the humid spotlight. A trio of highlight plays were made by a trio of unheralded defenders during team drills.
Panthers OTAs: A good day for the secondary
The Panthers spent most of the day practicing with an obstructed view, away from the media, so the scenery wasn’t particularly enlightening. However, a trio of standout plays by the defense were pretty easy to make out through the sea of big bodies at the far end of the field.
“I really feel good about the competition that’s happening there,” coach Dave Canales said about the secondary after the workout.
First, second-year nickel corner Chau Smith-Wade blitzed from the right side of the offense line, and he would have clearly gotten home for a sack on QB Bryce Young if the play was live. Smith-Wade was so fast in getting into the backfield that he was there in basically the blink of an eye. It’s worth noting that Cade Mays and rookie Trevor Etienne were the first-team center and running back on the play. It’s unclear if Etienne was responsible for the pick up or if the wrong protection was called.
“Chau Smith-Wade, of course, plays inside and outside,” Canales said. “He’s having a great spring, just carrying over schematically. And he looks great.”
Nov 3, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Chau Smith-Wade (26) during pre game warm ups against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images Scott Kinser USA TODAY NETWORK
Later on, safety Nick Scott made an impressive lunging pass breakup in team drills. He essentially leaped, then dove in front of a laser throw to force the incompletion. The QB who threw the ball was blocked from view because of the way the Panthers offense was situated for drills.
Finally, cornerback Shemar Bartholomew closed out practice with an interception. The Panthers were staging a competitive period with a score count, and following practice Canales said the pick put the defense over the top for the day. Bartholomew ran to the opposite end zone with a group of defensive teammates to celebrate the exclamation point to the workout.
Injury updates: Update on Tommy Tremble, rookie WR sidelined
It turns out tight end Tommy Tremble won’t be ready for training camp after all.
On Tuesday, Canales corrected himself on last week’s comments about Tremble’s injury timeline. He said that there is a possibility they get Tremble back for the preseason. Given that outlook, he will almost assuredly begin training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.
Putting Tremble on the PUP list would give the team the flexibility of shelving him for four games if he’s not ready for the regular season. When asked why the Panthers waited for the surgery, Canales acknowledged the ailment made it hard for Tremble to function regularly, including after practice.
“It was just something that kind of shifted on him,” Canales said. “And really, he would come out and say he felt great at practice, but the minute he’d kind of cool down and sit around, it was so uncomfortable — it’s just not a great place to be. We just thought, with having some time right now, the sooner, the better. So, it wasn’t something we were super concerned about early on, but we all kind of put our heads together and involved Tommy with the decision as well, of course, and we all thought it was the best thing.”
Along with Tremble, outside linebacker D.J. Wonnum was again absent from the field. Right tackle Taylor Moton and wideout Jalen Coker took part in individual work but not in team drills.
The new absentees, at least from an open workout standpoint, were wideout Jimmy Horn Jr., linebacker Christian Rozeboom, outside linebacker D.J. Johnson, defensive end Tershawn Wharton, and defensive tackle Derrick Brown.
When asked about the new group of absentees, Canales said the majority of them were out with personal reasons. OTAs are voluntary so absents are excused. However, their attendance will be notable during next week’s mandatory minicamp.
Horn, the team’s sixth-round pick, is dealing with a hamstring injury. Canales said the ailment is something they are working through with the speedy wideout.
“He’s got a hamstring that we’re managing right now,” Canales said. “So, we’re just rehabbing him. He’s going to return to play and then as soon we feel like he’s ready to get back out there, we’ll bring him back out.”
Quick hits
▪ The offensive play of the day was a subtle one. Backup QB Andy Dalton found undrafted rookie Kobe Hudson on a crossing route as he streaked past safety Demani Richardson. Hudson caught the ball cleanly in stride and pushed up the field for a long gain. Hudson, along with Jacolby George, is competing to make the 53-man roster in a stacked wideout room.
▪ Cade Mays received the bulk of the first-team center reps on Tuesday. Austin Corbett worked with the second-team offense. Both linemen are competing for the starting job.
▪ Running back Rico Dowdle looks fast with the ball in his hands. The veteran running back and Asheville native is coming off a 1,000-yard season with the Dallas Cowboys, and he is expected to share the load out of the backfield with starter Chuba Hubbard.
▪ As first broached in the free Access Panthers newsletter on Monday, Akayleb Evans, a former fourth-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings, appears to be in the driver’s seat for the top backup job at outside cornerback. While Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are the starters, and Smith-Wade is the favorite for the nickel corner gig, Evans looks like he is being positioned well with the second-team defense. Evans is competing with Bartholomew, recently claimed MJ Devonshire and undrafted rookies Mike Reid, JaTravis Broughton and Corey Thornton for a spot on the roster. Canales went out of his way to praise Evans, Bartholomew and Thornton after the workout.
▪ With Tremble sidelined, James Mitchell becomes an interesting name to keep tabs on. While Ja’Tavion Sanders and Mitchell Evans will get the bulk of the looks on offense this summer, Mitchell at least has some experience to lean on. Mitchell signed future/reserve deal with Carolina earlier this offseason after spending three years with the Detroit Lions.
The 2022 fifth-round pick caught 13 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown in 29 games while in Detroit. Interestingly enough, he has caught all 13 targets of his NFL career.