Bryce Young took three sacks against blitzes from cornerback Alontae Taylor in Sunday’s 47-10 blowout loss against the New Orleans Saints on the road. Those three takedowns have, in turn, created concerns about the QB’s ability to change protections at the line.
While Young and head coach Dave Canales didn’t want to dive into protection call responsibilities on Wednesday, the mentor-mentee duo did acknowledge that Young has designed answers for the many questions created by defensive pressure packages.
“I want to stay away from schematic discussions going into a week,” Canales said. “There are things built in for Bryce to get us to the right play to do things. He’s done a fantastic job with that.”
Young said the coaching staff is open to his improvisation within the offense . He also feels empowered to make pre-snap decisions in protection.
“That’s another thing I appreciate about the coaching staff — they want to win games,” Young said. “They want to be efficient. And offensively, we just want us to execute. They don’t care how it gets done. They give me the freedom to do as I see fit.
“And for me, with that respect, it’s not just going rogue and doing whatever. It’s having conversations throughout the week: ‘Hey I saw this.’ Communicating whatever it may be, and them doing the same with me. So I appreciate that, and I think that it’s a great system to be a part of. I’m grateful for it.”
As a prospect, Young was known for his ability to process information quickly. In theory, pre-snap reads would be an ideal use of that projected strength.
“Certainly, I would hope so,” Canales said. “And I think those things just take time. It takes games to just have those experiences, to identify things you can attack. It’s something that we’ll certainly continue to build.”
Canales said the Panthers were outcoached in the letdown against the Saints. He has since talked to owners David and Nicole Tepper about the loss, and he wants to turn things around in short order for them and the organization.
“And of course, these are people that I want to make proud: what we’re doing, what we’re building,” Canales said. “It means a lot to me to make sure I connect with (David Tepper), to connect with Nicole, to be able to talk about the state of our organization. Just following up on games. I look forward to that process. We had some good times to connect after the games. Those are private conversations that I’ll keep to myself.”
Tommy Tremble puts on pads, two notable veterans sit out
The Panthers are monitoring quite a few injuries heading into Week 2’s home-opener matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.
On a positive note, tight end Tommy Tremble (hamstring/back) returned to padded practice on Wednesday. Tremble missed the entire preseason and Week 1 with the hamstring strain.
“He looked great,” Canales said after practice. “He looked fast. He looked physical in the run game. He looked like Tommy, so we’re excited to get him back.”
Tremble said he felt good after working out with his teammates for the first time in a couple of weeks. Tremble previously had a setback in practice during the final week of the preseason during a team drill.
“It was awesome,” Tremble said after Wednesday’s practice. “It felt really good to be out there with the guys. The one thing that I think is important is getting that camaraderie during practice. Seeing that everyone is willing to do their job, (and) do it the best they can. So, it was great to be back out there.”
Tremble was listed as a limited participant in his return, as were starting guards, Robert Hunt (shoulder) and Damien Lewis (groin), and tackle Yosh Nijman (tibia).
While Tremble was able to return, the team was missing two notable starters during the workout. Pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney (ankle) and punter Johnny Hekker (back) were both held out of practice with injuries.
“Jadeveon’s ankle just came out sore in the game,” Canales said. “So, wanted to manage him today. Give him just a day to get back, so we can get him back out there in some of our packages.”
Despite Clowney’s injury, Canales said he thought the veteran played well against the Saints. Clowney, though, said he wishes he would have done more .
“I felt like I played OK, but I want to make plays,” Clowney said. “So, I don’t think I did good. I didn’t make no plays, even though I did my job as the best I could. ... Whether you win or you think you played good, you can always find ways to improve. That’s what makes you a better player, so I try to find ways to improve, week-to-week, and try to help the team win.”
Hekker left the team short-handed during special teams drills, as he is not only the punter but also the field-goal holder. Hekker punted five times for 191 yards on Sunday against the Saints and one of his attempts was blocked.
Canales couldn’t confirm when Hekker’s injury happened, but the head coach said the team was taking precautions with a specialist.
“It was on one of the returns when Johnny’s back started tightened up,” Canales said. “He finished up the game for us, did a fantastic job getting through that, so we’re treating him. Today, we held him out, just to get a little more rest, and then we’ll evaluate him as the next couple of days go on.”
From the Panthers’ locker room: Vets keeping perspective after blowout loss
Clowney helped lead the defense during the 47-10 blowout loss to New Orleans. The results were jarring, even for the 11-year veteran pass rusher.
“I ain’t never seen that on my team, getting beat 47-10,” Clowney said.
While Clowney isn’t used to losing in such epic fashion, he is keeping perspective with it being a Week 1 result. He’s not happy about the loss, but he also knows that the NFL can be a whirlwind experience and things can turn around in time.
“There’s always next week,” Clowney said. “(The NFL is) built week-to-week, one week don’t define your team. You got to get back to work and prepare like pros, and get ready for a big week this week.”
Cornerback Chau Smith-Wade, the team’s fifth-round draft pick, had his “Welcome to the NFL” moment by way of a startling shellacking in his regular-season debut. The rookie said his veteran teammates are keeping the young guys focused on the future and not last week.
“They’re kind of just sticking to what they’ve been doing — just staying on us,” Smith-Wade said. “Making sure that we understand the plays, making sure that we stay on our routines and just to not let this game just deter us off of that path. It’s always the same — just making sure that we stay on those things. So, our routines and stuff like that, that’s about it.”
Quick hits
▪ Defensive end Jayden Peevy, who was promoted to the 53-man roster on Saturday, has changed his jersey number from No. 78 to No. 92.
▪ Tight end Feleipe Franks, who was waived on Monday, returned to the team on the practice squad on Wednesday.
▪ Cornerback Keenan Isaac, who was waived by the Panthers on Saturday, re-signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday. The Panthers claimed Isaac off the waiver wire following the cut-down deadline last month. The second-year defensive back was cut before he could put on a game-day jersey.
▪ Pass rusher K’Lavon Chaisson, who was waived by the Panthers last week, signed with the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad on Tuesday.
▪ 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.
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