The Dave Canales-Carolina Panthers era is underway. With a couple of weeks under his belt in Panthers training camp, all eyes are on Bryce Young and how the second-year quarterback will fare. However, the whole roster needs more work than a single NFL training camp can fix. Carolina hopes to find answers at tight end between Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas, and they're massaging the talented Xavier Legette so he can blossom into their No. 1 receiver.
These changes take time. The Panthers were correct to spend three of their first four 2024 NFL draft picks on offensive playmakers. The addition of Legette, RB Jonathon Brooks, and TE Ja'Tavion Sanders will go a long way. By spending big on free agents along the offensive line, Carolina made the right moves to build around Young. And the second-year signal-caller already impressed Canales during Panthers training camp.
“He just knows when to bring the guys together,” Canales said. “He goes around after drills and he talks to specific guys and they’re working through stuff. And then when he feels like he’s got to talk to the group, it’s not all the time, but it feels timely, and generally his message is on point.”
The 43-year-old head coach has his work cut out for him. Transforming the Panthers, who have eluded a winning season since 2017, will be no easy task.
Between an overhauled offensive line lacking chemistry, a crowded tight-end depth chart in desperate need of a leader and the slow start to Legette's rookie season, the Panthers' training camp must bring a newfound sense of clarity that can translate into on-field success.
Is a fourth season the charm for Tommy Tremble?
Last season, the Panthers threw a band-aid named Hayden Hurst on the tight-end position. That didn't quite work out, as he missed nearly half the season and only collected 18 passes for 184 yards and one score.
Even before Greg Olsen left town, injuries derailed his final Carolina years, and the Panthers struggled to field a capable tight end. Tremble arrived as a third-round pick, the 83rd overall choice, in the 2021 NFL Draft. That may have been a questionable decision, considering he never posted more than 19 receptions or 218 receiving yards in his two seasons at Notre Dame.
He hasn't performed any better as a pro. Tremble posted season-highs in 2023 with 23 receptions for 194 yards and three TDs.
A hamstring injury has shut down Tremble's training camp, along with backup Ian Thomas's calf injury, which shifts the focus to rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders.
Xavier Legette's failure to launch
Not every wide receiver can hit the ground running. Remember in 2003 when Anquan Boldin put up 217 yards and two touchdowns in his first game? Every rookie dreams of that. Well, that is unlikely to be in the cards for this former South Carolina Gamecocks star. Legette was inactive in the Panthers' first preseason game as he's dealing with a foot injury. It doesn't help that some rock-solid veterans like Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen are ahead of him.
Even if he were healthy, that would likely mean he would unseat WR Jonathan Mingo for a starting spot. The former standout out of Ole Miss had a decent rookie season in 2023, hauling in 43 catches for 418 yards. The broadly-built wide receiver will be no pushover to be the Panthers' No. 3 receiver.
Perhaps Canales and the Panthers front office will be content to let Legette marinade in Year 1. With Johnson and Thielen locked in as starters, Legette can be slow-smoked to perfection through his first NFL training camp and regular season.
Stop me if you've heard this before: Bad NFL teams have bad offensive lines
Throw as many offensive superstars onto a roster as you want–it's the big uglies in the trenches who determine who will play for and win a Super Bowl every year. Your grandma knows who Patrick Mahomes is, but NFL diehards know that All-Pro DT Chris Jones and under-the-radar studs like RG Trey Smith do the dirty work.
The Panthers did what they could this offseason by signing RG Robert Hunt and LG Damien Lewis. Hunt had one of the best seasons for a guard in 2023, according to his 77.1 grade on PFF. Tackles Taylor Moton and Ikem Ekwonu were excellent.
Carolina hopes Austin Corbett can hold steady in his transition to center. He is the tense string holding together this unit; it just needs more game experience to fortify itself. His 47.9 PFF grade last year is indicative of a potential unraveling.
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