5 critical observations from Carolina Panthers 2024 training camp Day 8
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers' lack of vertical threat
All eyes are on the Carolina Panthers offense after some hefty investments around signal-caller Bryce Young this offseason. Major improvements are expected, which isn't a high bar after their woeful efforts during the previous campaign. The presence of Dave Canales - a shrewd offensive kind and exceptional quarterback developer - only whets the appetite further.
It's been a mixed bag over the first eight days of training camp. The Panthers' offense has had its moments, but Ejiro Evero's defensive unit is giving them all they can handle. This will make everyone better in the long run, which is the primary goal before Week 1 rolls around.
One notable absence from Carolina's offensive strategy has been downfield shots. This was an area of Young's game that was criticized more than most in 2023. The coach believes Evero's concepts are forcing more underneath throws, but he's confident that more deep completions will come as camp progresses based on comments via the team's website.
"Number one, our scheme defensively is fantastic. So, it's really hard, this team, this scheme right here really maximizes the disguise. They do so many good things that make it hard for you to kind of know when you're going to be able to get that shot down the field. Generally speaking, as far as training camps go, our deep ball production kind of increases the further into camp we get and it really does show up more in games…it's definitely something we just have to bottom line, just improve on and get opportunities on. So, I'd love to see more production down the field."
-Â Dave Canales via Panthers.com
Canales didn't seem overly concerned. But fans remember Frank Reich's claims about keeping things vanilla to hold everything back schematically for the regular season this time last year. They were fooled then, so many won't be ignoring the same warning signs this time around.
The Panthers have more talent heading into 2024 than they possessed last season. Rather than preaching patience, Canales needs to make some sort of statement to alleviate doubts and boost confidence before the campaign gets underway.