5 key observations from Carolina Panthers joint practices with Ravens
By Dean Jones
What were some key observations to take from the recent joint practices held between the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens at Wofford College?
An eventful training camp for the Carolina Panthers formally came to a conclusion at Wofford College in Spartanburg with two joint practices against the Baltimore Ravens. Wednesday and Thursday’s sessions were another tremendous learning curve for Matt Rhule’s men in the face of an expected playoff contender, which should serve them well as they look to leave their own mark in 2021.
Carolina now has a full rest day on Friday before taking to the FieldTurf surface at Bank of America Stadium against the Ravens, which should finally see some involvement from quarterback Sam Darnold and other prominent starters providing injuries don’t become a problem after a physical couple of days.
At least from the outside looking in, things seem to be progressing well for the Panthers. There are some obvious areas of concern, but we probably won’t know more about them until competitive action gets underway.
With this in mind, here are some key observations from the two practices with the Ravens.
Observation No. 1
Mixed bag for Carolina Panthers WRs
It was another indifferent two days overall for the wide receiver group. Wednesday brought about several drops from a number of culprits and criticism from head coach Matt Rhule, which was followed by a much-improved display on Thursday.
This is something that’s occurred before this offseason. Carolina knows they have an abundance of talent at the wideout spot, and the coaching staff can take heart from the fact their skill position players are bouncing back in the face of adversity.
Much is expected of this group in 2021. It’s vital they hit the ground running and nobody will benefit from this more than Sam Darnold.