Another strong performance by Bryce Young highlights a promising day for Panthers’ offense

Need more Panthers news? Get exclusive insights into the Carolina Panthers this upcoming season with our free Access Panthers newsletter. Every week on Monday and Saturday. Sign-up here.

Bryce Young is stacking strong practice performances as the Panthers enter the home stretch of their preseason schedule .

The second-year quarterback had another swell outing on Wednesday, as Carolina practiced in full pads. Last year’s top pick made a handful of heaves that led to highlight plays for the offense, including a pair of long touchdowns completions.

Young’s first play of team drills featured a pass across the field to No. 1 wide receiver Diontae Johnson . The ball was delivered perfectly toward the sideline, and Johnson snatched the pass for a gain of roughly 20 yards. Later, Young tossed a deep ball down the seam to wideout David Moore for a touchdown. It was difficult to track the distance of the throw from the opposite end of the field, but Young fired the ball a rather long distance to find Moore as the receiver streaked into the end zone.

Young had a pair of connections with rookie tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders . The initial play was an over-the-middle target to the fourth-round pick, who caught the ball cleanly and picked up roughly 20 yards on the reception. Later, Young was flushed out of the pocket and forced to improvise, so the offensive playmakers began a scramble drill. Young was eventually able to find the tight end wide open down the seam for another near-20-yard gain.

“I’m honestly not really sure what happened,” left tackle Ikem Ekwonu said about the scramble-drill play after practice. “I was blocking as long as I can, and just when I saw Bryce scramble, I kind of just (adjusted) as quick as I can, and Bryce made a great play, and so did (Sanders). It’s kind of one of those things — I’m not really sure where the breakdown is. Sometimes, the defense — you know, they get paid, too — they just are locking up some guys or have a great scheme going, and you’ve got to improvise.

“And I feel like that’s one of Bryce’s greatest strengths.”

Young also took advantage of a coverage breakdown in 11-on-11 reps to find first-round pick, wide receiver Xavier Legette , all by his lonesome for a long touchdown completion.

Overall, Young threw the ball well and protected it, too.

Running game looks good

The Panthers aren’t tackling to the ground in practice, but there was a bit of bravado on the ground on Wednesday.

With Taylor Moton sitting out of team drills, unofficial offensive line sixth man , Brady Christensen, worked at right tackle for the starting group. Left guard Damien Lewis, who returned to team drills Tuesday, was among the four other projected starters on the line.

With most of the first-team offensive line intact, the Panthers’ running game had a really nice practice. Projected starter Chuba Hubbard broke away for a massive gain early in 11-on-11 drills. Backup Mike Boone, who has had a really strong camp , also had a couple of nice runs.

Overall, the line looked good, even with Moton on the sideline, and the running backs benefited from having the starter-level talent leading the way.

“I think it just goes back to the details — the little things,” Ekwonu said. “Footwork, hitting our landmarks on runs. The whole offense moving as a unit, and I just feel like, the reps we get together, the more flow we have in the game. And I think it’s starting to show a lot more.”

Injury updates: Adam Thielen gets a vet day off

Last year’s top receiver, Adam Thielen, did not participate in drills on Wednesday. Instead, he wore gym clothes and a backward hat as he watched his teammates battle on the field.

Following practice, Canales said that Thielen was given a veteran day off after he had a strong day on Tuesday. That performance included getting hit to the ground by safety Nick Scott following a reception across the middle of the field. Canales said Thielen will return on Thursday.

Moton began practice in individual drills but Christensen took over in team drills.

Cornerback Dane Jackson (hamstring), safety Xavier Woods (groin), special teams ace Sam Franklin (foot), offensive tackle Badara Traore (knee), tight end Ian Thomas (calf) and defensive end Jaden Crumedy (ankle) remained sidelined with their respective injuries.

Pass rusher Luiji Vilain (undisclosed) was unaccounted for in drills. However, veteran outside linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson (undisclosed) returned after missing a few workout sessions.

Running back Jonathon Brooks (knee) is still on the active/non-football injury (NFI) list. Offensive tackle Yosh Nijman (leg) and outside linebackers Amare Barno (knee) and D.J. Wonnum (quad) are still stashed on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Panthers jersey schedule

Panthers fans looking to match their attire with the team on the field on game days got a surprise announcement on Wednesday. The team announced its colors for each game of the 2024 schedule on social media.

The Panthers will wear white jerseys for the following games: WK1 @ NO, WK2 vs. LAC, WK3 @ LV, WK4 vs. CIN, WK5 @ CHI, WK7 @ WAS, WK8 @ DEN, WK14 @ PHI, WK15 vs. DAL, WK17 @ TB, WK18 @ ATL.

Carolina will wear black jerseys during four home games: WK9 vs. NO, WK12 vs. KC, WK13 vs. TB, WK16 vs. AZ.

The team will wear its Process Blue jerseys twice this year as well: WK6 vs. ATL, WK10 vs. NYG (Munich, Germany).

Quick hits

▪ Kicker Eddy Piñeiro went 5 of 5 on field-goal attempts on Wednesday. That perfect performance followed a 3 of 5 outing on Tuesday.

▪ Rookie cornerback Chau Smith-Wade and second-year defensive back D’Shawn Jamison each made a couple of nice plays in coverage during team drills.

▪ Tight end Tommy Tremble connected with Young on a downfield completion during team drills. The veteran playmaker looked fast on the field after recovering from a lingering hamstring injury.

▪ The Panthers will host their annual Keep Pounding High School Classic at Bank of America Stadium on Thursday. The doubleheader showdown will feature Independence High facing Myers Park High at 4 p.m., followed by a battle between Providence Day and Weddington High at 8 p.m Ekwonu, a Providence Day alum, will be an honorary captain for the doubleheader, and he wore a shirt to publicize the game on Wednesday. Tickets to the doubleheader are $8 on Ticketmaster.

▪ A new episode of the Processing Blue podcast became available on Wednesday. The Panthers-oriented podcast is available on Spotify and Apple podcasts .

▪ Follow Observer reporters Mike Kaye ( @mike_e_kaye ) and Alex Zietlow ( @alexzietlow05 ), and columnist Scott Fowler ( @scott_fowler ), on X, formerly known as Twitter, for the Panthers’ latest news and highlights.