Panthers News: Jaycee Horn, Johnny Hekker, Sam Franklin and Bryce Young

Which Carolina Panthers news stories are hitting the headlines as the franchise moves ever closer to its pivotal training camp in Spartanburg?

Good morning and happy Friday, everyone. Among the Carolina Panthers news stories making headlines recently include Bryce Young gaining valuable advice from the greatest winning NFL quarterback in history, Jaycee Horn's rank among other cornerbacks around the league, Sam Franklin getting some lofty credit, and Johnny Hekker's praise for the team's upgraded coaching staff.

Let's delve into each topic in more detail.

Carolina Panthers ST ace Sam Franklin praised

Special teams' production is an often overlooked part of NFL play. However, it often proves to be a critical difference between success and failure around the league.

The Carolina Panthers made notable strides in this key discipline under the guidance of Chris Tabor in 2022. This also had plenty to do with Sam Franklin's performance levels, which were nothing short of outstanding - making the decision to keep him around a no-brainer.

Franklin has a new fan in Brian Baldinger, a former NFL offensive lineman turned analyst who claimed the former undrafted free agent out of Temple was the best player he'd seen covering kicks last season. He also put together some video analysis giving examples as to why this is the case.

Of course, Franklin would like to see more action on the defensive rotation. However, the safety carved out a decent niche for himself, and further improvements next season could see Carolina provide the player with a longer-term commitment.