Panthers 2021 Training Camp – Fan Fest Practice

The Carolina Panthers hosted their yearly Fan Fest event Friday evening, which involves training camp practice and promotes the upcoming preseason. The fest took place at the Panthers home arena, the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. The local media was on hand to cover the practice and here are some take-aways.

1. Players got reintroduced to the artificial surface – Friday was the team’s first experience back on their home field and the artificial turf. Matt Rhule and staff decided to take it slow at first so the team could get use to playing on the field. Christian McCaffrey stated to the media that he “likes the turf a lot.”

2. It rained – The Fan Fest was attended by more than 20,000 spectators, but that was fewer than expected. A rain foercast may have stopped some fans from attending. The heavy rain later on in the evening seemed to make the fireworks and laser show more spectacular.

3. Some players of note sat out – Wide receiver Robby Anderson was absent from the practice due to a family matter, while a few other players were out due to injuries. Shaq Thompson and Darius Clark wore green jerseys, which means they could only take limited contact. Veteran defensive back Juston Burris had a rest maintenance day. Tight end Stephen Sullivan made his debut in practice Friday, but he stayed on the sidelines because his is still on the COVID/Reserve list.

4. Kick returner options – It was noted that last Saturday, running back Chuba Hubbard, wide receiver David Moore and running back/wide receiver Trenton Cannon took most of the kickoff returns. The team made some changes at Friday’s practice. At Fan Fest, they used David Moore, accompanied by rookie wide receivers Shi Smith and C.J. Saunders, along with veterans D.J. Moore and Christian McCaffrey.

5. Omar Bayless comes through again – The 2020 training camp standout is continuing where he left off. Last night he made great catches on 7-on-7 drills from different signal callers. Bayless continued his hot streak by playing a key pass-catching role in the one-minute drill at the conclusion of practice. He will fight for one of the last available spots at the wide receiver position.

6. Off day for backup running backs – The Panthers put a lot more emphasis on the running back catching the football, which led to an abundance of drops and mistakes by the 2nd and 3rd-string players.

RB Chuba Hubbard had a pass go through his hands from quarterback P.J. Walker, then deflected into the arms of defensive back Sean Chandler, who ran it back for a touchdown.

Trenton Cannon got off to a bad start by dropping a pass from quarterback Will Grier. After that, he slipped on back-to-back routes. Finally, Cannon was able to come back and grab a deep ball over Keith Taylor. This is an area of the game that needs vast improvement.

7. David Tepper excited – The Panthers owner, David Tepper, seemed over the moon about having fans in attendance. In a response to a question posed to him by team reporter Kristen Balboni about how he feels, Tepper stated, “It feels pretty frickin’ great!”

The Carolina Panthers are returning to Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina to continue training camp practices. They will be making the trip to Indianapolis to have joint practices against the Colts next week.