The Carolina Panthers’ offense bounced back Sunday following a defensively dominant start to training camp.
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Quarterback Bryce Young — who was picked off a combined three times during the first two practices of camp — peppered the ball all around the field to end the first week of summer workouts. The 2023 first overall pick was accurate and dynamic, as he launched deep tosses where they needed to be and extended plays before hitting outlet passes to his weapons.
“We keep score on every period,” head coach Dave Canales said after practice. “And the defense was pretty dominant the first two days — with some flashes for the offense. But a good response by Bryce and the guys. Got the run game going a little bit, hit some throws down the field. And did a decent job of moving the ball at the end. And I just love that. I love the competitiveness that’s happening, that we’re bringing out in each other. And that’s the way we get our best football: is by challenging each other every day.”
The major beneficiary of that brilliance was much-maligned former first-round pick Xavier Legette, who made a trio of impressive plays. His biggest highlight came on an individual drill, as he withstood physical coverage from cornerback Robert Rochell down the field and hauled in a perfectly thrown toss from Young off a “go” route for a touchdown.
Young and Legette also connected on a zipping pass over the middle in 7-on-7 drills. Legette’s day overall was promising, but Canales connected the dots on that success was made possible.
“Just a great carry over from the spring,” Canales said. “At this point now, X knows the system. That’s the cool part — as we bring in free agents, as we bring in rookies — they see X, and they know he knows how to do it all. Whether it’s in the base game, third downs, nuances in the red zone, all the different things, he knows how to do it.”
“But just matching it with his consistency, he looks fast,” Canales added. “He looks powerful. He’s having a great camp so far, as we get started, and I’m excited to see where he goes from here.”
Ja’Seem Reed, who spent all of last season on the practice squad, made the play of the day during team drills.
The second-year wideout beat a trio of defenders on a seam route to haul in a touchdown pass from backup QB Kenny Pickett. Rochell and safeties Zakee Wheatley and Isaiah Simmons were all around Reed as he made a diving catch in the back of the end zone. Following the play, fellow wideout Ainias Smith loudly cheered on Reed, who has consistently caught the ball when targeted in spring and summer workouts.
Reed later caught a quick stab from Pickett for a touchdown off a shallow crossing route. He later made an impressive grab over the middle in the open field with the backup offense.
While a lot is made the battle for a wide receiver depth spot among David Moore, Jimmy Horn Jr. and John Metchie, Reed has been hard to miss throughout the offseason.
“He’s consistent,” Canales said. “He knows the concepts. He’s a really smart guy. And he’s been that way since we got him. A guy we have a lot of trust in. And he just keeps making plays. Tater, Carl Smith, is here as one of our senior offensive advisors. And he said, ‘You know when a receiver is good? When you throw it, they catch it.’ And he does.
“So he makes the play, whether somebody’s close to him or he’s got space,” Canales said. “He’s got an ability to bend and get out of his brakes either way. He’s given himself a great chance to compete and make this roster with a lot of other guys. I’m proud of where he’s at right now.”
While Reed turned heads on Sunday, it’s also worth noting that Moore made an excellent touchdown catch off a downfield throw from Young during team drills. Moore beat rookie cornerback Will Lee — the team’s fourth-round pick — to pay dirt. Metchie made a couple of nice catches, too, later in practice, but those came after an early drop in individual drills.
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The Panthers practiced without wideouts Chris Brazzell and Dan Chisena Sunday.
Brazzell, according to Canales, is dealing with knee soreness. Canales made Brazzell’s day off sound more precautionary in nature, but both him and Chisena were seen on the field in rain gear.
Cornerback Mike Jackson and right guard Rob Hunt, who are both dealing with “camp back” injuries, are trending in the right direction, according to Canales. While both missed consecutive practices, Canales expects both back soon.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn (foot – NFI), tackles Taylor Moton (blood clot – NFI) and Ickey Ekwonu (knee – PUP) and defensive linemen Turk Wharton (neck – PUP) and Bobby Brown (hamstring – NFI) remained sidelined for Sunday’s workout, but all five were seen on the field working with trainers. Jackson and Hunt also attended practice as spectators.
Chisena’s injury was not disclosed.
Second-year pass rusher Nic Scourton sustained a season-ending right ACL injury on Thursday during the first practice of training camp. The NFLPA, as first reported by Pro Football Talk, will inquire about how the injury occurred, a team spokesperson confirmed to The Charlotte Observer.
The NFL collective bargaining agreement has specific language about how the first week of training camp can handle contact. Scourton’s injury, which took place after rain hit the field, will likely lead to a look into the way the Panthers operated prior to Scourton being carted off the field.
Canales — who had previously dealt with NFLPA practice inquiries in the past during his time in Seattle — would not get into the specifics of the inquiry.
“We’re aware that they’re looking into it,” Canales said. “We have the rules, we have the standards, and then from there, that’s kind of more of a (public relations) question. … All we can do is lay the groundwork out, show the guys good examples of what it looks like, and go from there.”
In 2016, the Seahawks — when Canales served as a wide receivers coach — were penalized for the intensity and contact during an OTAs workout. The franchise and head coach Pete Carroll were fined, and the team lost a week of OTAs in 2017. The team also forfeited a 2017 fifth-round pick as a result of the penalty.
The Seahawks were also previously penalized with fines and lost workouts for intensity in OTAs in 2012 and 2014.
“In Seattle, we had a couple of situations where they were pretty critical of what we were doing in our practices.” Canales said. “We had to adjust. There might have been some fines thrown out there or an OTA practice or something lost. But I think that was kind of early on. Really it was after 2011, sometime when the CBA (was agreed on), and they all got together and said, ‘Here are the modes.’”
“We learned,” Canales added. “We grew. So fortunately for me, in my first time being a head coach the last couple of years, I’ve had history and experience with how to do it, how to educate the guys on what we’re looking for.”
This story was originally published July 26, 2026 at 2:02 PM with the headline “Young, Legette make big plays as offense bounces back in Panthers training camp.”
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