Carolina Panthers HC Dave Canales offers insight on QB Bryce Young’s preseason workload

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The first preseason game of the Dave Canales-led Carolina Panthers will arrive Thursday night in New England — and it’ll also mark the dawn of quarterback Bryce Young’s second season in the NFL.

Or will it?

When asked if there’s a chance Young won’t play the 7 p.m. Thursday night game on the road, Canales said “there could be” and went on to offer insight into his quarterback’s preseason workload plan.

“I keep going back and forth with that because there’s some value in allowing him to play with Austin (Corbett), you know,” Canales said, referring to Corbett, the team’s starting center who made the position transition from right guard this offseason. “And then there’s also the flip-side of it, which we know. We’re counting on those guys. And that’s another approach, too.

“Different teams have different philosophies for how they do that. So that’s something I’ve kind of been wrestling with.”

The Panthers elected to play Young in his first preseason last year, though the rookie didn’t play much. In the team’s trio of preseason games, Young played in all three — but none sparked fireworks.

In game one against the Jets, he played in three offensive series and 11 total plays and only generated one first down and no points. (That game was defined by porous offensive line play, and the unit had an accountability meeting afterward, a difficult omen to begin the season.) In game two, Young played two series — the second of which yielded a 15-play, 62-yard drive that ended in a field goal — and in the third game he took another step in the right direction.

Young has had by and large a good training camp in 2024, at least in part a product of having an upgraded group of receivers at his disposal, including the shifty Diontae Johnson on the outside. Canales has said he’s happy with his quarterback’s timing in the pocket and his creativity outside it. Young showcased some of that creativity on Monday — which included a deep out-route to Mike Strachan in 11-on-11 drills after rolling right to evade pass-rushers.

Young offered his thoughts on if he’d like to play in the preseason Monday.

“I trust in Coach,” Young said. “Whatever it is that he says, I’ll listen to that. Him and his staff, just like I have with all the stuff that we’ve been doing, I’ll listen to them.”

He added: “Last year, it was kind of the same situation. Obviously, that was my first anything in the NFL, facing another team outside a joint practice and all that. So last year I feel like I was able to learn a lot about it. It’s a different game to be introduced that way. ... This year, whatever it is, I trust the coaches.”

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

Scary moment with an encouraging conclusion

During a 7-on-7 drill rep, wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. collided with cornerback D’Shawn Jamison on a crossing route. Both players went down to the ground and had to take some time before getting up.

Jamison was helped up by defensive back teammates, while Marshall lingered on the ground for a few minutes. His offensive teammates, including wideout David Moore, tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders and others, along with members of the coaching staff — including Canales — checked on Marshall and took a knee around him.

Marshall was eventually lifted to his feet by trainers as fans applauded and yelled encouraging words. Marshall stuck around for the rest of practice after being checked on by the medical staff. Canales said after practice that Marshall would receive further evaluation after having the wind knocked out of him.

The Panthers are dealing with several notable injuries on both sides of the ball. Marshall, who has had a strong start to camp, appears to have avoided disaster.

Injury updates: Xavier Legette unlikely to play Thursday

First-round pick, wide receiver Xavier Legette, wasn’t on the field on Monday after injuring his foot on Sunday. As The Observer previously reported, Legette underwent testing — including an MRI — which revealed that he did not sustain a fracture in his foot.

Canales confirmed what The Observer reported on Sunday and reiterated that Legette’s status is day to day. Canales added that he did he not expect Legette to play in the preseason opener against New England on Thursday.

The Panthers gave a handful of veterans days off from practice. Wide receiver Adam Thielen, defensive lineman A’Shawn Robinson, linebacker Josey Jewell, cornerback Troy Hill, center Austin Corbett and right tackle Taylor Moton all wore jerseys but didn’t participate in drills. Linebacker Shaq Thompson (hamstring) and tight ends Tommy Tremble (hamstring) and Ian Thomas (calf) watched practice as well.

Offensive tackle Yosh Nijman and pass rushers Amare Barno (ACL) and D.J. Wonnum (quad) remained sidelined on the active/physically unable to perform list, but they were all seen during the workout. Running back Jonathon Brooks (ACL) was present on the field but remained on the active/non-football injury list.

Backup quarterback Andy Dalton (quad) watched the majority of practice but still threw the ball occasionally during individual drills.

Play of the day: Xavier Woods prevents a touchdown in team drills

Safety Xavier Woods has had a few nice moments this summer. On Monday, he made an excellent play in coverage during red-zone 11-on-11 drills.

Young heaved a deep ball of roughly 30 yards down the left sideline to wideout Jonathan Mingo in the corner of the end zone. Mingo had gotten a couple of steps on his initial matchup and it looked like it was going to be an easy highlight play for the offense. But Woods made a great read on the ball and caught up to its air trajectory as he floated over to Mingo and made a leaping breakup for the incompletion.

While Woods isn’t known for his playmaking ability, his consistency has been on the main brights spots in the Carolina secondary over the past two seasons.

Quick hits

▪ Rookie linebacker Trevin Wallace, the team’s third-round pick, continued his strong start to the summer with a would-be sack in team drills. Wallace was sent on a blitz against Young, and made it to the QB without actually contacting him (which would have been a cardinal sin). The refs let the play continue, and Young hit tight end Jordan Matthews on a short toss that picked up notable yards after the catch. Wallace has been one of the young standouts of camp thus far, and he is taking advantage of premium reps with Thompson sidelined.

▪ The offense had a few strong moments during the non-padded practice. Young connected with wideout Diontae Johnson on a pair of impressive crossing route rifle throws in 7-on-7 drills. Marshall, prior to the scary collision, also made a pair of notable leaping grabs in 7-on-7 work.

▪ The Panthers officially signed QB Jake Luton on Monday. Luton had been with the Panthers last summer, and he previously worked with Canales in Seattle in 2019. The team placed recently added pass rusher Kemoko Turay on injured reserve in a corresponding move. Turay lasted a little over a week in camp before sustaining an injury.

▪ Former Panthers tight end Greg Olsen was in attendance at practice on Monday. He was greeted by Canales early in the workout, as the pair worked together during the final year of Olsen’s career in Seattle in 2020. Olsen and Luke Kuechly, also at the team’s practice, caught up as well.

▪ Cornerback Chau Smith-Wade, the team’s fifth-round pick, has made the most of his individual and team reps this summer. He has been working outside and at nickel corner and has shown reliable hands in interception drills. On Monday, the rookie showed off his catching process throughout individual drills.

▪ Cornerback Jaycee Horn had a nice pass breakup over the middle in 7-on-7 work. Horn has been sitting out of team drills quite frequently this summer, but he has looked good when involved.

▪ Following practice, the Panthers made a pair of transactions. The team signed veteran tight end Jesper Horsted and waived wideout Tayvion Robinson.

Horsted joins Ja’Tavion Sanders, Jordan Matthews, Feleipe Franks and Jacob Hollister — who was signed Sunday — at the position. The team added Hollister and Horsted to fill in reps left behind by Tremble and Thomas. Horsted, listed as 6-foot-3 and 237 pounds, has played in 41 career games and produced 14 catches for 131 yards three touchdowns. He spent the past two seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders and previously played for the Chicago Bears.

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