Adam Thielen is Bryce Young’s top target on Tuesday and 3 more Panthers camp takeaways

The Carolina Panthers added an extra touch of physicality to practice on Tuesday as players donned pads for the first time during training camp in uptown Charlotte. After spending the first four workouts in jerseys and shorts, the competition intensified as pads popped and players exchanged heated words between reps.

Oh, the joys of the dog days of summer.

The added aggression led to a heated practice — both in weather and gall from the sidelines — and wide receiver Adam Thielen took his turn as Bryce Young’s favorite target of the day.

Thielen, 33, was the top weapon on offense last season. But with the offseason additions of Diontae Johnson and first-round pick Xavier Legette, and the respective performances of Jonathan Mingo and Terrace Marshall Jr. during the first week of camp, Thielen has kind of taken a backseat in wide receiver conversations among onlookers.

But in pads for the first time, Thielen got off to a quick start in practice and never let up. The former Minnesota Vikings wideout made the most of his one-on-one matchup against No. 1 cornerback Jaycee Horn to start the workout. Thielen was covered well by Horn, but Young put the ball where only Thielen could get it, and the wideout hauled in the pass on a diving catch.

Later, during team drills, Thielen made another highlight dive for the ball for a completion off a Young throw. The duo later connected on a routine completion to add to the total.

Young has done a good of highlighting his receivers with strong tosses throughout the summer. Thielen was just the latest beneficiary.

“Nothing changed from yesterday,” head coach Dave Canales said. “You put the pads on, and he’s still trying to throw on time. He had a couple of nice completions there. We got a little bit weird on a couple of snaps there at the end of one team period, but we’ll be able to fix that part. You know, it’s just another step in the right direction. Some play-action shots he took. And just seeing him operate, feeling more and more comfortable in our system.”

Along with Thielen, Johnson had an impressive snag in individual drills against Horn. Johnson worked a fluid double move to shake the defender and create enough space for Young to place a floating ball over coverage into the hands of the wideout for a touchdown.

Young, who shined on Monday with off-script throws, continued to elevate his play during the physical practice. He tossed a beautiful pass to Johnson on a 20-yard gain down the right sideline in 11-on-11 drills. Similar to the individual matchup, Johnson created just enough space against Horn — with a subtle push off — to haul in the off-the-shoulder target. Johnson made the catch while staying in-bounds, despite the contact.

Young also connected with Mingo, a summer standout, on a crossing route. The pair bonded this summer away from the facility, and it appears that their chemistry has improved since returning for camp.

Running backs roll in pads

Prior to practice, veteran running back Rashaad Penny decided to hang up his cleats. The Panthers placed Penny on the reserve/retired list, which will enable the team to retain his rights should he decide to return.

Canales said Penny didn’t feel like he could perform at the level he was accustomed to during the first week of camp. Penny, speaking to The Observer last week, said that he felt like he was one of the best running backs in league when healthy.

With Penny out of the lineup, the Panthers’ running back group made the most of the added contact.

Raheem Blackshear had a 30-plus-yard catch and run for a touchdown as he streaked to the end zone without even the slightest bit of contact with the ball in his hands. Blackshear caught the ball in the flat, cut subtly upfield and ran away from the defense without much issue. He also had some playful words for the defense after the score.

Miles Sanders and Chuba Hubbard had some nice gains up the middle with a “thud” strategy by the defense. With defenders unable to tackle to the ground, the running backs tried to move the pile for extra yardage. Sanders was quite animated after one run, and had some words for the media as well.

Sanders and Hubbard have both worked with the first-team offense throughout camp. There’s a legitimate competition there, even if it appears that Hubbard is the leader in the clubhouse.

Hubbard spent 40 minutes after practice working on the JUGS machine. The post-practice workout has been a routine dating back to at least last summer at Wofford.

Notable names not practicing

The Panthers worked without starting right tackle Taylor Moton and linebacker Shaq Thompson on Tuesday. Thompson previously missed Monday’s session with an illness.

Despite their lack of participation, both veterans were on the field, as was tight end Tommy Tremble (hamstring). Like Hubbard, Tremble continued to work the JUGS machine after practice for roughly 40 minutes.

Wide receiver Daewood Davis, who sustained a thigh injury in Monday’s practice, was absent. Canales said Davis will be sidelined for a couple of weeks.

Running back Jonathon Brooks remained on the active/non-football (NFI) list. Outside linebackers D.J. Wonnum (quad), Amare Barno (knee) and offensive tackle Yosh Nijman (undisclosed) also remained on the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Barno, Nijman and Brooks all watched practice from the sideline.

Practice squad holdover Badara Traore filled in for Moton at right tackle. Rookie Trevin Wallace filled in for Thompson at inside linebacker.

Left guard Damien Lewis, who was limited on Monday, took part in team drills with the first team. He had been dealing with a shoulder injury.

A little bit of vigor up front

The Panthers’ first padded practice allowed the players — and even some coaches — to get out some of the frustration from a hot morning of work.

At one point, Hubbard got in the face of veteran pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney after a rep. Left tackle Ickey Ekwonu eventually got in the middle of the exchange to defend his running back.

Later in the morning, offensive lineman Cade Mays and linebacker Chandler Wooten were in the middle of a clustered skirmish between members of the offensive and defensive fronts.

Canales, following practice, didn’t seem to have much issue with the face-offs.

“My message is: We have to practice hard,” Canales said. “We have to be able to bring everything we got between the whistles. We gotta have the hitting. We gotta have guys getting off blocks the right way. We gotta have the physical nature of our play to be able to make our team, to figure out who can do what. We also gotta handle the flip side of it. ... But on the echo of the whistle, we have to get our minds wrapped back around what’s best for the team once that play is over.”

At one point, assistant secondary coach DeAngelo Hall got into a loud argument with the wide receiver group during individual drills. It appeared that the wide receivers were noting the physicality of the defensive backs in the drills, and Hall was defending his group.

Practices have been upbeat and full of energy under Canales so far. That type of energy typically leads to more rambunctious scuffles during physical practices.

Quick hits

▪ Rookie cornerback Chau Smith-Wade made an athletic move on a ball during 11-on-11 red-zone drills. Young put a ball a bit in front of Mingo on a crossing route, and Smith-Wade batted it in the air. The ball was nearly picked off by cornerback Dane Jackson.

▪ Kicker Harrison Mevis had a nice bounce-back day. He made all seven field-goal attempts, including two in two-minute drills. He previously went 3 of 5 during “Back Together Saturday” practice.

▪ Tight end Ian Thomas continued his strong pass-catching performance, hauling in another strike from Young during team drills.

▪ Undrafted rookie Jack Plummer is getting a lot of reps for a third-string quarterback. Through the first five practices, Plummer has been getting a legitimate look with the third-team offense. He is likely to play quite a bit with Young and backup Andy Dalton already having set roles.

▪ Defensive back Jammie Robinson continued to work with the nickel corner group. It appears that Robinson, Smith-Wade and Troy Hill are the three nickel corners on the roster at the moment.

▪ The Panthers’ next training camp practice will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Clemson University. Tickets to the practice cost $5 and are available on Ticketmaster.

▪ The Charlotte Observer will host a special night with Panthers legend Mike Rucker on Monday, Aug. 5, at OMB Ballantyne (15025 Bowl Street Charlotte, NC 28277). Join Fowler, Kaye, Zietlow and Rucker as they take a look at the past, present and future of the Carolina franchise. Tickets are just $10.

Proceeds from the event will go toward the Best Defense Foundation, a charity founded by former NFL linebacker Donnie Edwards in 2018. OMB Ballantyne also will make a donation to the foundation based on customers rounding up their check totals during the month of August.

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