The pads were off, and the rain poured down, and Bryce Young made plays, and former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown is “very much back.”
But what took center stage in the Carolina Panthers’ practice on Tuesday was a group that tries to avoid the spotlight.
The Panthers’ offensive line had a good practice both protecting quarterbacks Young and Andy Dalton, and the group had a redemptive day in the run game after the defensive line commanded the line of scrimmage Monday.
That good news is elevated further, however, when you consider that Tuesday marked a true test of the unit’s depth.
Head coach Dave Canales told reporters Monday that veteran Austin Corbett won the center competition over Cade Mays. With the pair not splitting reps — plus with guards Damien Lewis (shoulder) and Chandler Zavala (knee) out for the time being — that allowed the versatile 26-year-old Mays to get into the interior offensive line rotation and occasionally play alongside Corbett on the OL interior.
Mays, after all, played his first snaps at center last season, after Corbett went down.
Carolina Panthers center Cade Mays, center, watches his teammates run through a drill during an OTA practice on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
“You love having (Lewis) out there, you love having your five working together through communication, but it’s also a blessing in that way to see: OK, who do we have waiting in the wings? Who’s working well next to Austin, next to Cade? Who’s echoing out the calls to the tackles?” offensive coordinator Brad Idzik told reporters after practice. “So working with those guys and cycling through. We were already doing that with (Lewis) and with Rob (Hunt), taking care of those guys because they take a lot of reps for us during the season. But just trying to get those guys experience with the first group. And going against a really good defensive line.”
Hunt and tackle Taylor Moton came up gimpy on separate plays Monday — Hunt had his right ankle tied up real tight — but both practiced fully Tuesday, as did left tackle Ickey Ekwonu. Every other lineman on the roster got reps Tuesday: Yosh Nijman, Brandon Walton, Michael Tarquin, Brady Christensen, Jarrett Kingston, Steven Losoya, Luke Kandra and Ja’Tyre Carter, who got the start in Friday’s preseason game against the Browns.
Idzik said that such reps for the offensive line couldn’t be better for an offense whose line unit was one of the team’s bright spots. And such reps are invaluable when you consider that this Panthers defensive line is revamped — with new and old playmakers.
“Derrick Brown is back. He’s very much back,” Idzik said. “And he shows up at practice, and that makes all of our guys better. So what better test to put a potential backup to (Lewis) in there, and he has to go up against Derrick Brown and Bobby (Brown III) and Turk (Wharton) and all those guys in the interior who is going full tilt all practice.”
Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Brad Idzyk watches practice during training camp on July 26, 2025. Scott Kinser USA TODAY NETWORK
Corey Thornton with another nice day
There wasn’t necessarily one play of the day on Tuesday. But there was on series that caught the attention of everyone on the practice fields just outside Bank of America Stadium.
It came during Young’s 7-on-7 work — and Corey Thornton again stole the show.
Carolina Panthers cornerback Corey Thornton (31) walks out for training camp on July 24, 2025. Scott Kinser USA TODAY NETWORK
Thornton, the undrafted rookie cornerback out of Louisville who has indisputably become the Panthers’ training camp hero, found himself around the ball on three of four plays in an early team period.
Those four plays:
A Thornton pass breakup.
A Young deep pass to Jalen Coker with Thornton in coverage; Coker asked for a penalty that didn’t come.
A catch for Trevor Etienne in the flat.
A David Moore catch over the middle with Thornton in tight coverage. (After he found out Moore came up with the catch, Thornton smiled and screamed out in exasperation. It brought to life a quote from rookie OLB Nic Scourton about Thornton from after Friday’s preseason game: “We’re in walkthroughs, and a guy catches a ball on him, and he’s like, ‘(expletive) that, I’m gonna go swat the ball on him next time.’ That’s just Corey. He’s just a competitor. And I love that from him.”)
Thornton was everywhere, just like he’s been all camp. Pro Bowl corner Jaycee Horn said he’s been noticing the 6-foot-1, 194-pound defensive back — it’s been impossible not to.
“From what I see, he should’ve been drafted,” Horn said of Thornton. “He’s getting the defense super fast. And he’s always coming to me every day asking questions like, ‘How did you approach your first joint practice as a rookie?’ Or, ‘How did you approach your first preseason game?’ And for rookies, that’s what you want to see: guys just willing to learn.”
Carolina Panthers cornerback Michael Jackson (2) and cornerback Corey Thornton (31) put in extra reps after a training camp practice on July 26, 2025. Scott Kinser USA TODAY NETWORK
Kicking competition very much in full flight
It was Matt Wright’s turn to kick Tuesday, and though the team used the skinny posts and kicked through a drizzle, the NFL journeyman still nailed 4-of-5 kicks.
Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith said that a lot goes into the kicking competition beyond just the kicks in practice. Among those things: their warm-up sets, their pregame sets in the various stadiums before they kick in preseason games and other things. He also said that he’d let this competition “ride to the Super Bowl” if roster options allowed — but that he doesn’t have a timeline as to when those decisions will be made.
“The kicker competition is going great,” Smith said. “Both guys are doing a really nice job. Both guys made their kicks in the game; that’s the most important part of it. We’re going to keep going forward in the same way until it’s time to figure it out.”
Smith later added that he feels confident that the team’s kicker is currently on the roster — that they don’t need to go on the free agent market after the preseason.
“We have NFL kickers on our team,” Smith said.
Carolina Panthers kicker Matthew Wright lets grass trickle through the air to see which way the wind is blowing before practicing a kick during the second day of minicamp on June 11, 2025. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com
Quick hits
TJ Luther caught a touchdown pass from Dalton during 11-on-11 work. The undrafted rookie has had a nice training camp despite being part of a deep wide receiver room.
Jaycee Horn appeared insistent on going through individual drills Tuesday despite sustaining a hand injury last week thanks to a car accident. He went through individual drills — and even caught passes with his right (uninjured) hand.
The Panthers concluded practice by being fans of the Pop Warner 11U Police Activities League (PAL) Panthers, who scrimmaged live Tuesday afternoon. The event was part of the NFL’s Play Football Month initiative, which spotlights and celebrates football at the grassroots level. One sweet moment stood out in particular, when a running back took an end-around run to the end zone and was greeted by a hyped-up Chuba Hubbard.