Carolina Panthers camp: 5 things we learned from Week 1
By Dean Jones
What did we learn from the Carolina Panthers during their first week together at training camp?
The Carolina Panthers are now a little over a week removed from the start of training camp. This has been a welcome distraction for staff and players alike after an offseason of severe disruption. And there has been plenty to decipher from their first few days together as a group.
There is little in the way of expectations for the Carolina Panthers to try and navigate in 2020. The magnitude of their rebuild has dictated this. But they will still want to be competitive at the very least in their bid to mount a postseason push in the future.
New head coach Matt Rhule has been hampered in his attempts to stamp his way of thinking at the professional level. The last week has seen him meet his players for the first time. And it remains to be seen just how much of a benefit the virtual OTAs have been in the grand scheme of things.
The former Baylor man has built up a sterling reputation for building up struggling college programs. But Rhule has found out the hard way just how different things are in the NFL. A project this substantial doesn’t necessarily bring success overnight. So any sort of positives they can take from next season in the face of adversity will be a bonus.
Carolina’s training camp has a completely different feel to it this time around due to the current climate. No fans are in attendance, the Panthers are at Bank of America Stadium instead of their usual base at Wofford College, and media has been restricted to virtual pressers to prevent the risk of COVID-19 spreading further.
Plenty of takeaways can be made from the Panthers’ first week of training camp. And here are the four biggest things we have learned so far.