Panthers Fan Fest breakdown: Bryce Young comes out firing, Terrace Marshall makes plays

Bryce Young made his Bank of America Stadium debut on Wednesday, as the Panthers hosted their annual Fan Fest event ahead of a fireworks show.

And while the sky was lit up by a light show after the workout, Young and the offense provided their own aerial attack during the prime time practice. Young completed seven of his first eight passes in 11-on-11 drills during the stadium practice, displaying impressive accuracy, touch and pocket awareness on several reps to begin the workout.

While Young ultimately extended his interception streak to five consecutive practices, Panthers head coach Frank Reich admitted that he put the young quarterback in a difficult spot, which led to the drive-ending turnover in the end zone during two-minute offense period.

TRAINING CAMP PRACTICE RECAPS: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5

Young comes out firing with efficiency

Young was pinpoint accurate to begin practice. During 11-on-11 team drills, Young connected with tight end Hayden Hurst (twice) and wideouts Laviska Shenault and Terrace Marshall on confident throws that put the playmakers in position to get yards after the catch.

The rookie quarterback did a nice job of evading pressure as he stepped up in the pocket to toss passes to his teammates. He made an impressive throw on the run to Marshall before putting up a jump ball for Hurst. The completion to the tight end came despite excellent coverage by linebacker Shaq Thompson.

Young’s lone incompletion on his first eight throws was a laser pass that bounced off tight end Tommy Tremble’s shoulder pads. The ball wasn’t on the money, but it was right to Tremble, who failed to get a grasp on the ball.

Young’s best throw of the night came on a downfield strike to Shenault in 7-on-7 work. Young lofted a tear-drop pass to Shenault down the sideline as the wideout sped past safety Jammie Robinson. After catching the ball, Shenault turned on the jets for a touchdown of at least 40 yards.

Young wasn’t perfect though. He did have a couple of off-the-mark passes later in 11-on-11 drills. He also was forced to throw away a couple of passes to abort some well-defended plays.

The Panthers concluded first-team work with a two-minute drill. While Young made good decisions to get the offense into the red zone, his final play was probably one that he’ll want back.

With time running out, Young fired a deep shot to the right corner of the end zone. The pass was meant for Shenault, but cornerback Herb Miller was able to knock it out of range. The ball floated into the air to linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill, who hauled in the rock for his third interception in six training camp practices.

Young completed 11 of 16 passes on the night. The pick, which Reich took the blame for, was another lesson for the young quarterback, who seemingly doesn’t make the same mistake twice.

So far, Young has completed 52 of 77 (67.5%) of his passes. All five of his interceptions have come under different circumstances, and really, if he’s going to make mistakes, now is the time to do force the issue.

Reich said after practice that training camp is the time to make mistakes, so the team can learn from them before the plays actually matter.

“A hundred percent,” Reich said. “That’s what (quarterbacks coach) Josh McCown and I were saying out there. I’m so glad that situation came up. I’ve been in that situation many times in my career, as a player and a coach. I’m not going to give names, but I was coaching a really good player in a similar situation with very similar results, and so you’re just reminded. I’m reminded — that’s me as a play-caller.

“How do you put the quarterback in the best position in those moments? That are ‘You don’t have a whole lot to gain, but you could lose a whole lot.’ So, that’s good for all of us to go through, especially me, as a play-caller.”

Running backs rumble

The Panthers donned pads for the second time this week. During team drills, especially early on, Carolina focused on running plays.

Miles Sanders, Chuba Hubbard, Raheem Blackshear and Spencer Brown all took turns bobbing and weaving through the defense against light “thud” contact. Hubbard and Brown were particularly impressive, running through traffic and cutting in between defenders.

Brown looked like he was playing dodgeball during one rep in 11-on-11 drills. He ping-ponged through traffic as he made his way through a sea of defenders for a 20-yard gain. It was an impressive night for Brown, who is trying to force the Panthers into keeping four running backs.

Marshall gets a nice endorsement from Reich

Marshall has started to heat up a bit after a forgettable start to camp. The 2021 second-round pick has been a frequent target of Young’s on crossing routes. On Wednesday, he added two more 11-on-11 completions to his highlight reel.

Following the practice, Reich was asked about Marshall’s skill set, and the head coach pointed out a laundry list of attributes that the receiver has going for him.

“He’s explosive, he’s good versus press coverage, he can get vertical down the field, he’s a skilled route runner, he’s got good hands,” Reich said. “He’s got all the skill you need — it’s a question of opportunity and then getting the experience and making the plays that count in a game.”

Marshall caught 28 passes for 490 yards and a touchdown last season. He had an impressive 17.5 yards per catch average in his second season, despite a turnstile at the quarterback position. With Young solidified as the top guy at quarterback, a bit of consistency from that position could lead to more success for Marshall, who is entering an all-important third campaign.

Injury updates: Henderson returns to the field

Cornerback CJ Henderson (groin) returned to practice on Wednesday after missing Tuesday’s workout. Running back Camerun Peoples (undisclosed) also returned to the practice field.

Right guard Austin Corbett (ACL), rookie offensive lineman Chandler Zavala (hamstring) and defensive end Jalen Redmond (undisclosed) remain on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. All three players were present on the field.

Edge rusher Marquis Haynes (back) and cornerback Rejzohn Wright (undisclosed) remained sidelined for the workout. Haynes was seen on the field in his uniform.

Rookie guard Nash Jensen left the field with a trainer during individual drills early in practice but returned later for team drills.

Quick hits

▪ Backup quarterback Andy Dalton has rebounded after a lame start to camp. On Wednesday during 7-on-7 drills, Dalton fired a beautiful rocket to the sideline for wideout Shi Smith, who made a great catch inbounds against pretty terrific coverage. It was a highlight of camp thus far for both players.

▪ Rookie pass rusher Eku Leota, who went undrafted out of Auburn in April, had at least three pressures during 11-on-11 drills at the stadium. Leota has started to flash this week, even as Kobe Jones, a practice-squad holdover, has emerged as an early standout of camp. It’d be fair to say that both players have outshined third-round pick DJ Johnson through six practices. It’s early, but the Panthers have a couple of dark horses among their edge group.

▪ It was a tough night for tight end Tommy Tremble. He had an early pass by Young bounce off his shoulder pad during 11-on-11 work. He later dropped an accurate pass by Dalton during 7-on-7 work. Tremble has had a solid camp so far, but he’s still got to find consistency to be trusted on offense.

▪ Tremble wasn’t alone in the drops category. Hubbard also dropped a pass during team drills.

▪ Wideouts Damiere Byrd and Gary Jennings continue to produce a notable play or two in every practice. That sixth wideout job, if the Panthers decide to keep that many receivers, is fascinating at this point.

More training camp reading at charlotteobserver.com:

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▪ How Panthers lineman went from loading Amazon trucks to signing with hometown team

▪ ‘I need to be here’: Brian Burns on why he’s at Panthers training camp during contract talks

▪ Panthers’ CJ Henderson discusses Carolina’s decision to pass on his fifth-year option

▪ Exclusive: Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian on pros, cons of rookie Panthers QB Bryce Young