North Charlotte Today

CHARLOTTE — When Panthers rookie coach Dave Canales reflects on the last three months of the offseason program, he can discuss pre-snap operations or practice tempo in detail, or he can take a broader view and talk about team dynamics. Either way, he is positive about what he's observed.

The Panthers concluded their mandatory minicamp with Wednesday's practice. While there will be some meetings on Thursday, it was the last on-field work until they report to training camp in late July.

Canales, new to the team and its members—he was introducing himself at his first team meeting—believes he walked into a better situation than initially expected. "I come into it thinking, am I going to have to set the culture and the environment for every area of this?" Canales said. "And I was ready to... And what I came into was a group that already knows how to work... So a lot of these things that you want and expect from a pro team, these guys have that."

Canales cited leaders like Derrick Brown and highlighted Chuba Hubbard and Tommy Tremble as examples of players committed to changing the franchise's course. He also mentioned lesser-known players such as Dicaprio Bootle and Jordan Matthews for their extra efforts.

While building culture isn't easily quantifiable, Canales discussed specifics like plays, schemes, and adjustments. He praised quarterback Bryce Young for his adaptability and noted the strength of the new interior offensive line even without pads on. The defense's focus on creating turnovers also stood out.

Young has benefited from Canales' detailed attention. "I'm super-super-excited... We've adapted," Young said. "It's been great working with the new staff... We want to improve that... We all have that chip on our shoulder."

To revamp their offense, they signed guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, moved Austin Corbett to center, traded for wide receiver Diontae Johnson, and added offensive weapons through the draft including Xavier Legette, Jonathon Brooks, and Ja'Tavion Sanders.

With Hubbard and Miles Sanders returning to the backfield behind an improved line compared to last year's injury-ravaged group, Young emphasized running as part of their identity: "I think we're an attacking offense... We're going to establish the run game."

Defensive changes were also significant despite defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero’s return with his staff intact. The team parted ways with several key players but brought in new faces familiar with Evero’s system from other teams like A'Shawn Robinson and Josey Jewell.

"Honestly man, this team came together pretty fast," veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson said. "There are a lot of guys who have played in this defense before... So that's a blessing."

Thompson noted positive energy within the organization: "Honestly there's a lot of good energy in the building... That's how you build chemistry and connections."

As they head into summer vacation with low external expectations but internal optimism about their progress so far.