How Bryce Young’s Week 1 routine differs from the rest of his Panthers’ preseason

For the Carolina Panthers, Monday marked the start of an important Week 1.

After all, for one, Carolina’s season-opening contest on the road against the New Orleans Saints represents the beginning of the Dave Canales era as the organization’s head coach. For another, it represents the beginning of what fans hope to be a bounce-back year for second-year quarterback Bryce Young.

And, perhaps most importantly, it marks the dawn of the Canales-Young partnership — and is an early indicator of where they could make this offense go.

Labor Day was the beginning of the team’s march to Week 1, and with it arrived a slightly different routine between coach and player compared to the rest of the offseason program. The first-year head coach offered a window of insight into the distinction on Monday.

“So as we put together our first- and second-down plans (Monday and Tuesday), we’re regrouping and making sure the run game is right, but then we’re especially talking about the passes, the actions, the shot plays, the empties — and whatever those plays are where Bryce feels comfortable, there’s an important dialogue that happens,” Canales said of he and Young’s Week 1 plan.

“Then you go to Thursday: a big third-down day,” Canales continued. “And that’s a huge day because, as we start to collect information about Bryce and about our skill position group, it all starts with the protection plan, but then once we get to the concepts, it’s about: Which ones does he look confident? Which ones does he just feel great about?”

These questions — which concepts does Young look confident in? — have been the ones Canales has been investigating since the 43-year-old coach was hired in January. Finding the answers to those questions is what will make the partnership successful. Early signs are positive — even if they’re in the form of a single drive against the Buffalo Bills during the team’s preseason finale (one that resulted in a passing TD and a fourth-and-3 play that showcased Young’s improvisation ability).

Canales said the team’s preseason finale — the only time Carolina’s offensive starters played in the preseason — was a mere “snapshot of a game planned week.” This week will be a much more collaborative effort between the coaching staff and quarterback.

“So as we organize our call sheet, it all reflects what we feel most confident in, and we’ll certainly take Bryce’s feedback and really the quarterback room’s feedback as we go into those,” Canales said.

“Beyond that, the workload looks the same, as far as what we’re doing on the field. The fundamentals, the footwork, all those things will be the same. But I think the dialogue kicks into another gear as we get into this game.”

Here’s what else you need to know from Monday’s practice.

Jadeveon Clowney misses practice

The Panthers’ All-Pro pass rusher and big-time free agent signing Jadeveon Clowney wasn’t on the field for practice on Monday. Canales said the 31-year-old EDGE rusher had an undisclosed illness and that “he’ll hopefully be back out there with us on Wednesday.”

Tight ends Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas status still up in the air

One thing Canales is monitoring throughout the week is the status of his tight ends, a group that on paper is a bit thin. Outside of rookie draft pick Ja’Tavion Sanders and veteran Jordan Matthews — who was pulled up from the practice squad last week — the team is working through injuries at the position. Ian Thomas (calf) hasn’t practiced in weeks, and Tommy Tremble (hamstring) arrived late to practice Monday after dealing with some hamstring soreness two weeks ago.

“Still working on making sure we get good eyes on them,” Canales said of his tight ends group. “How much can we expect for them to be available? Again, trying to stay away from timelines and all those things as we go into the week, but it’s definitely something that we’ve been on for a couple of weeks now. So really counting on those guys.”

Quick hits

▪ The Panthers announced a bunch of jersey-number changes on Monday. Those included tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders (now No. 0), cornerback Mike Jackson (2), cornerback Keenan Isaac (12), cornerback Shemar Bartholomew (27), cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields (29) and offensive lineman Jarrett Kingston (61).

▪ Canales said the team has elected their captains for the year. The head coach said there will be three permanent captains — one for offense, one for defense, one for special teams — and then there’ll be a fourth “rotational” captain. He said the coaching staff will tell the team on Wednesday.

▪ The Panthers signed Praise Olatoke, a speedy wide receiver, to their practice squad Monday. Olatoke is a native of Nigeria who grew up in Glasgow, Scotland. He ran track at Ohio State and played one year of club football there, too. He signed with the Los Angeles Chargers via the NFL’s International Player Pathway program in the offseason before being picked up by Carolina. He’s the 16th guy on the practice squad, but his IPP status means he could be the 17th if the Panthers elect to add a final guy to their PS roster.

▪ DJ Wonnum (quad) and Amare Barno (knee) each arrived at practice late Monday. Wonnum and Barno are on the PUP list and will miss at minimum the first four weeks of the season.