No fans are permitted at Carolina Panthers training camp this year as work continues on the new facility in Charlotte. That comes with some detachment, but the overall objectives from head coach Dave Canales remain the same.
Canales believes the Panthers can make some noise this season. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator wants his side to be physical and competitive in pursuit of brighter fortunes. Their strong second half of 2024 was encouraging, but it counts for nothing if they cannot build on this newly acquired momentum.
The roster looks much better on paper. It's a close-knit group that is all pulling in the same direction, embracing Canales' culture shift fully. The foundations were laid over Carolina's offseason program. Things are continuing similarly over the opening exchanges of training camp.
This is typically the bedding-in period before the pads go on. The Panthers are ramping things up slowly. And some players have already begun to impose their will on proceedings in their quest to attain important roles or places on the 53-man roster.
What comes next will tell Canales more about the current roster and whether additional reinforcements are needed. But until then, here are three winners and two losers from the first week of Carolina's training camp.
Winners and losers from Week 1 of Carolina Panthers 2025 training camp
Winner No. 1
Derrick Brown - Carolina Panthers DL
Losing Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown after just one game of the 2024 season was a devastating blow that the Carolina Panthers couldn't recover from. It also exposed some glaring flaws in Dan Morgan's recruitment and the options at Ejiro Evero's disposal.
It's been a grueling few months for Brown, whose knee injury required surgery and significant rehabilitation. He's slowly coming out on the other end smiling, and the former No. 7 overall pick out of Auburn revealed at training camp that he is feeling 100 percent.
To say this is a massive boost for the Panthers would be a grave understatement. Brown is their tone-setter in the trenches — someone who leads by example and demands nothing but the best from himself and his teammates. The coaching staff is still taking things slowly with the lineman, but all signs point to full involvement when Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars rolls around.
If Brown gets back to his old self, and the new additions to the defensive front also meet their end of the bargain, the Panthers' fortunes are only going to improve.