Carolina Panthers training camp preview: Key dates, notable additions, biggest storylines

With 2024 NFL training camps set to open, it’s time to get up to speed on all 32 NFL teams. Bobby Kownack has the lowdown on position battles, key players and notable subplots across the NFC South.

Catch up on the Carolina Panthers’ offseason developments and 2024 outlook below.

Training Camp Dates/Information

• Players report: July 19 (rookies); July 23 (veterans)
• Location: Bank of America Stadium | Charlotte, North Carolina (fan information)

Notable Roster Changes

Preseason Schedule

• Week 1: at New England Patriots | 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 8 (NFL Network)
• Week 2: vs. New York Jets | 7 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 17
• Week 3: at Buffalo Bills | 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 24

2024 Schedule Notes

• Based on their opponents’ 2023 win percentage (.467), the Panthers have the third-easiest strength of schedule, which they share with another team.
• From Weeks 12-16, Carolina has home games for four out of five matches.
• The Panthers conclude the season with consecutive away games.

— NFL Research

What You Need to Know

1) If Bryce Young rebounds in Year 2, he will deserve plenty of the credit. However, there’s something to be said for the magic new head coach Dave Canales has exhibited in his last two stops. As quarterbacks coach for the Seahawks in 2022, Canales was one of the helping hands in Geno Smith‘s career revival, which included Smith eclipsing 4,000 passing yards for the first time while making his first Pro Bowl. Then, as the Buccaneers’ offensive coordinator in 2023, Canales oversaw Baker Mayfield‘s career revival… which included Mayfield eclipsing 4,000 passing yards for the first time while making his first-ever Pro Bowl. Young threw for just 2,877 yards, with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions as a rookie. He did show he has some of the necessary tools, albeit in far-too-fleeting glances. Can he find consistency and be next in line for a Canales-inspired turnaround?

2) Don’t expect Jonathon Brooks to be full-speed ahead at the start of training camp. The first running back drafted this year at No. 46 overall, Brooks is still working his way back from the ACL he tore in November. If he’s ready to take the practice field on Day 1, Carolina will still want to ease him into action. Chuba Hubbard has the chops to fill in at RB1 in the meantime coming off a career year (902 yards rushing), with Miles Sanders in the rotation and Rashaad Penny and Mike Boone competing for the leftover snaps. Once Brooks is ready to let it loose, it would come as no surprise to see him factor heavily into the offense. The Panthers didn’t trade up to snag him just to stick to the status quo on the ground.

3) New pass-catching weapons? Check. Investment in protection? Check. The Panthers have done what they didn’t do last year for Young. Carolina traded for Diontae Johnson, a target vacuum with 140-plus looks in three of his past four seasons, then traded up to the last pick of the first round to draft South Carolina’s Xavier Legette. If those two can find immediate footing, Young has the makings of a solid WR corps along with Jonathan Mingo and Adam Thielen, who in his age-34 season hopefully won’t be finishing with 60 more receptions than the team’s second-leading receiver like he did in 2023. New GM Dan Morgan also spent big to fortify the interior of the O-line, giving $153 million combined to guards Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, and signee Yosh Nijman could provide great depth as a swing tackle with 22 starts under his belt.

4) The on-field defensive leadership is going to look different in Carolina. Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu, the team’s top-two sack-getters the past two seasons, are gone. The Panthers also traded longtime cornerback Donte Jackson and let safety Jeremy Chinn leave in free agency. Linebacker Shaq Thompson, the only player not named Luvu or Chinn to lead the team in tackles since 2020, will still be there. Jaycee Horn will, too, but he must finally stay healthy for the CB room to thrive. Beyond them, there are also many free-agent reinforcements. Jadeveon Clowney, D.J. Wonnum and K’Lavon Chaisson will duke it out along with 2023 third-rounder DJ Johnson to determine the rotation at edge. Dane Jackson comes with the experience needed at corner, while safeties Jordan Fuller and Nick Scott help refortify the outfield. With so many moving pieces, the unit has to nail a crash course in chemistry.

5) There are changes nearly everywhere in Carolina with a reshaped roster, new head coach and first-time general manager. One area that’s remained essentially untouched since 2023? The defensive staff. The Panthers knew what they had by retaining defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero for a second season, and he kept all his position coaches with him, as well as known names like senior defensive assistant Dom Capers and assistant defensive backs coach DeAngelo Hall. There are different chess pieces to work with, but the stability of having Evero’s system already in place could help fast track Carolina’s cohesiveness.

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