CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - For the first time since the summer of 2022, the Carolina Panthers are taking the field for offseason workouts under the same coaching staff as the year prior.
That continuity is leading to a visible level of comfort that is manifesting in some competitive edge and trash talking on the field.
At day one of the Panthers 2025 mandatory minicamp, several players were seen doing a little talking back and forth after some big plays during the team 11-on-11 portion of practice.
Most notably among those players was third year quarterback Bryce Young, who is typically more known for his reserved and soft-spoken demeanor.
His head coach says that edge from Young shows how in command he is of this offense in year two of this scheme.
“He just has a defiance to him, and that’s sort of his way of competing,” Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. “And it does bring a level of confidence to the guys to know ‘hey, we’re dangerous when we’re out here.’”
Another position gaining some confidence on the practice field is the wide receiver group, a heavy focal point this offseason for a passing offense that ranked 31st in the NFL last season.
That room has veteran presences like Adam Thielen, newly-signed Hunter Renfrow, and then 2025 draftees Tetairoa McMillan and Jimmy Horn Jr..
Thielen says throwing together that youth with experience, plus second-year players like Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker helps bring the best out of everyone.
“When you raise the floor, it raises the ceiling,” Thielen said. “At the end of the day, the more players you have in a room, the more you have to prove yourself every day. It makes you better.”
Fifth-year cornerback Jaycee Horn also addressed the media at day one of minicamp, coming off his first Pro Bowl season of his career in 2024.
Despite his stellar year and his high-level production when healthy, Horn has still been rated fairly low by several football outlet’s preseason position rankings.
“It ain’t really surprising,” Horn said. “I kind of dealt with this a little at South Carolina... I remember when I got drafted, they had analysts saying I wasn’t a first round player and I wasn’t that good.”
He says the only opinions he cares about are the ones inside Bank of America Stadium.
“As long as the Panthers think I’m a good player, my teammates think I’m a good player, that’s all that matters,” Horn said. “I’m going to just keep trying to do my job.”
The Panthers will hold minicamp on June 11 and June 12 before breaking for a few weeks until training camp later in July.
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