Category: Latest Panthers News

Panthers GM Dan Morgan on picking up Jaycee Horn’s 5th-year option: ‘He deserved it’

Panthers GM Dan Morgan explained why CB Jaycee Horn, who has played in 22 of a possible 51 games in his NFL career, deserved his fifth-year option.

How did the Carolina Panthers, in the midst of Day 2 of the 2024 NFL draft, find time to pick up Jaycee Horn’s fifth-year option? According to president of football operations/general manager Dan Morgan, they did so because Horn earned it.

After concluding his ventures through the second and third rounds on Friday evening, Morgan spoke with reporters and was asked about exercising the extra year for their No. 1 cornerback.

“You see Jaycee around here—the work he’s putting in, the dedication, just being here every single day, busting his ass,” Morgan stated. “He deserved it. I think, obviously, he’s had some tough stretches with injuries. But it’s not due to a lack of work or a lack of commitment from Jaycee. So we’re excited about him, we’re excited about his future and just really excited for him.”

Numerous injuries—including a broken foot in 2021, a broken wrist in 2022 and a hamstring strain in 2023—have derailed the early portion of Horn’s NFL career. In his first three pro seasons, the former eighth overall pick has played in just 22 of a possible 51 games for Carolina.

But when he’s on the field, there’s no denying how special of a defender he is—hence the team’s $12.4 million investment in him for the 2025 campaign.

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Surveillance video shows David Tepper’s visit to local bar with sign critical of him

Panthers owner David Tepper paid a surprise visit to a local bar on Thursday night. Recently obtained security footage shows what went down.

A silly little sign outside a local restaurant and bar sparked an interesting pre-draft visit from Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper.

Per Alex Zietlow of The Charlotte Observer, Tepper stopped in at Dilworth Neighborhood Grille just hours before the first round of the 2024 NFL draft. The surprise pop-in on Thursday evening can apparently be attributed to a message outside of the establishment, which read “PLEASE LET THE COACH & GM PICK THIS YEAR.”

WBTV would later obtain surveillance footage of Tepper’s interaction with the bar’s employees:

Zietlow spoke with the bar’s owner, Matt Wohlfarth.

“It sounded a bit more on the joking side,” Wohlfarth said. “But also a bit mad. Otherwise he would’ve stopped in and had a drink.”

Wohlfarth told Zietlow that this wasn’t Tepper’s first visit to his place. He claims the billionaire owner also stopped in back in mid-January, when the sign outside read “MEDDLING OWNERS NEVER WIN. RUN FROM JERRY JONES.”

Tepper has gained a reputation as a hands-on owner, one that really came into focus following last year’s selection of quarterback Bryce Young. While many seem to believe Tepper had a major influence on taking Young with 2023’s No. 1 overall pick, the Panthers have maintained that the decision was a collaborative effort.

Tepper is also no stranger to confrontation with fans, as he was captured tossing a drink toward the Jacksonville Jaguars crowd at the end of his team’s Week 17 loss this past season. The NFL fined Tepper $300,000 for the incident.

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Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard: ‘I wanna win in Carolina’

Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard: “I wanna be one of the best tools for this team.”

Although he’s dealt with quite a bit of adversity, Chuba Hubbard has been one of the few constants for the Carolina Panthers over the past three seasons. But that time may only be a jumping-off point for the 24-year-old running back.

Hubbard spoke with reporters after Wednesday’s installment of voluntary minicamp. He was asked about his reflection on what was a standout 2023 campaign.

“In all honesty, I think in my confidence, just getting that back was a big thing for me—especially my body,” said Hubbard, who rushed for a team-high (and career-high) 902 yards this past season. “With the surgeries and stuff that I’ve dealt with, I’ve kinda varied with where my body’s been. Some people may look at it on the field and be like, ‘Oh, he has this, that going on,’ but it’s just a lot of health issues and stuff like that. So I think getting back to building up a good base, a solid base and then putting it all together—I think that was big for me.”

Hubbard, a fourth-round pick from 2021, stated that he had undergone double adductor and meniscus surgeries prior to his rookie season. He also went back under the knife on a double adductor procedure after that first year.

But with those setbacks behind him, Hubbard is looking to build off his health and his success.

“Man, I’m trying to get better in everything,” he added. “I wanna be one of the best tools for this team. I wanna win. I wanna win in Carolina. So, however that looks—me catching the ball, me pass blocking, running the ball—I need to be my best. So whatever it takes.”

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Panthers WR Adam Thielen talks about new offensive coaching staff

Panthers WR Adam Thielen: “Everyone is just enjoying being at work.”

To Carolina Panthers wideout Adam Thielen, age is just a number—a lesson that can be learned in more ways than one.

The 33-year-old receiver, who’s coming off the third 1,000-yard campaign of his career, spoke with reporters following Wednesday’s session of voluntary minicamp. He began his chat by talking about the passion of the new offensive coaching staff—specifically head coach Dave Canales, offensive coordinator Brad Idzik and his position coach Rob Moore.

“You can just feel it in meetings, you can feel it on the field that they just love the game of football,” Thielen said this afternoon. “They love to coach it, they love to see it, be around it and that stuff just kinda goes through the team, the receiver room, the quarterback room. When people love ball, it just instantly makes your mood. Everyone is just enjoying being at work.”

Canales has begun to establish a fresh and energetic atmosphere within the organization. Heck, he even lined up at running back, cornerback, edge and defensive tackle at today’s practice.

Thielen is only nine years younger than Canales and one year older than Idzik, which could help explain the connection this staff has started to make with its players. But the veteran pass catcher believes it’s more about who they actually are, and not the year in which they were born, that makes them so relatable.

“You look at a guy like Pete Carroll, right? He’s an older guy, but I think he relates really well with the players,” Thielen added. “I think it really comes down to that energy, that passion for the game and just being able to communicate with guys. I don’t think age is important in that. I think it’s just, hey, what kind of mindset do you bring to your daily routine? What kind of energy? What kind of passion? When guys can feel that and they can see it, day in and day out through the good and bad times, I think that’s when you start to earn respect as a coach and guys wanna play for you.”

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Panthers’ Austin Corbett asked about move to center: ‘It was inevitable’

Austin Corbett on moving to center: “Everywhere I’ve been, everybody on the line will tell you I talk too much as a guard.”

Carolina Panthers offensive lineman Austin Corbett may have too big of a personality to play guard, and that shined through on Wednesday.

Following the team’s second outing of voluntary minicamp, the 28-year-old hog molly spoke about his move from right guard to center. Although he played coy at first, Corbett told reporters that the transition won’t be a challenging one.

“I guess we’ll find out, no?” he replied with a laugh when asked to confirm the switch.

“It’s been fun. I’ve been groomed to be a center my entire career. Kinda even starting back in college. Played every game at left tackle, but my head coach, Brian Polian, he’s like, ‘If you’re gonna play in the league, you’re gonna be a good center. You’re too smart not to.’ From that time, I’ve been constantly groomed to be a center.

“I’ve been the emergency center every team I’ve been on. Constantly taking reps. I was the starting center going into the Super Bowl year back in ’21, through training camp and ended up shifting around. The backup center was healthier than they thought, so shifted back out to right guard. So it’s nothing new, by any stretch of the imagination.”

Corbett has never logged a single regular-season snap from the position. His only in-game action at the spot has come in preseason play, when he lined up at center on 203 plays for the Cleveland Browns in 2019.

Carolina’s free-agent additions of guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis sparked the change for Corbett, who manned the right side of the interior in 2022 and 2023. His recent setbacks might’ve factored into the situation as well, as he missed 13 games this past season due to two knee injuries.

But as he gets back to full health, he says there’s another body part that’ll really give him an advantage in the middle.

“Everywhere I’ve been, everybody on the line will tell you I talk too much as a guard,” he added. “So it’s natural just to kick me in there now and have control anyway. It was inevitable at some point in my career. Every offensive line coach told me, ‘You’re gonna play center at one point. This is what you’re made to do.’ And here in 2024, it’s finally happening.”

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Panthers HC Dave Canales plays multiple positions at Wednesday’s minicamp practice

Panthers HC Dave Canales served as more than just a HC during practice on Wednesday.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales brought more than just the juice on Wednesday.

The energetic 42-year-old got quite involved in the team’s second outing of voluntary minicamp this afternoon. How involved, you ask . . . ?

Given the passionate and personal approach Canales has taken into his new role, this bit of participation should hardly come as a surprise. Quarterback Bryce Young, in fact, just spoke on the lively atmosphere his new head coach has been working to establish.

“Yeah, just that energy—just from the first phone call all the way to now,” Young said on Tuesday. “He just has that energy, that excitement. He just brings juice every day. That rubs off—not just on offense, on the whole team and really, on the whole building. Everyone just being in here, there’s a different juice, different vibe. And we all kinda have that excitement to be here, to wanna be better, wanna accomplish our goals. It’s super exciting.”

Canales was a wide receiver during his actual on-field days, having played at Azusa Pacific University from 1999 to 2003. So if the Panthers need an emergency wideout/running back/cornerback/edge defender/defensive tackle, they won’t have to look too far to find one.

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Panthers QB Bryce Young gives early impressions of HC Dave Canales

Panthers QB Bryce Young said there’s a different juice and a different vibe with HC Dave Canales now at the helm.

The development of Bryce Young was a pretty big reason why the Carolina Panthers hitched their wagon to Dave Canales this offseason. So, what does he think about his new head coach?

The second-year quarterback spoke with reporters following the team’s first session of voluntary minicamp on Tuesday. He was asked about his early impressions of Canales.

“Yeah, just that energy—just from the first phone call all the way to now,” Young replied. “He just has that energy, that excitement. He just brings juice every day. That rubs off—not just on offense, on the whole team and really, on the whole building. Everyone just being in here, there’s a different juice, different vibe. And we all kinda have that excitement to be here, to wanna be better, wanna accomplish our goals. It’s super exciting.”

Those words probably mean a lot to Canales, who is entering his first season as an NFL head coach. The 42-year-old said during Carolina’s pre-draft press conference last week that he’s looking to create an environment that’s “great to work at.”

Young may not have gotten the same impression of last year’s coaching staff. He also talked about the importance of now having one, unified vision—something the 2023 No. 1 overall pick didn’t necessarily experience throughout his rocky rookie campaign.

“That’s huge—just to have one consistent voice and for us as an offense,” he stated. “Obviously, this is new for everyone. Us being on the same page, us being able to ask anyone a question and everyone have an answer and there be the same vision—that’s gonna be huge for our development as an offense.”

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Diontae Johnson: Panthers told me I’ll be X receiver, first read on ‘almost every play’

Panthers WR Diontae Johnson said that HC Dave Canales told him he’ll be the primary target on offense.

The Carolina Panthers brought in wideout Diontae Johnson to make life easier for quarterback Bryce Young—and they told him so right from the jump.

Johnson spoke with reporters on Tuesday afternoon, following the team’s first outing of voluntary minicamp. He was asked about what he can do to help the 22-year-old Young, who experienced a pretty rough rookie campaign in 2023.

“Just a guy that can get open, no matter where I’m at on the field,” he replied. “Just get him that sense of comfort when he’s back there knowing he got a guy that can get open anywhere on the field. That’s what I’m here to do—make plays.”

Well, he made plenty of plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first five seasons of his NFL career. There, Johnson amassed 391 receptions for 4,363 yards and 25 touchdowns—a body of work highlighted by a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.

Pittsburgh then traded Johnson to Carolina back on March 12, in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson and a late-round pick swap in the 2024 NFL draft. And that deal could prove to be a fruitful one for the Panthers, who apparently made their intentions clear to Johnson.

“Dave told me that as soon as I got here,” he said. “I’m playing the X, ‘You’re gonna be the first read in the progression almost every play.’ ‘Cause my unique skill set that I bring to the table, I’m gonna utilize it.”

Johnson has averaged nearly 128 targets per season as a pro, so seeing the rock is nothing new for the 27-year-old pass catcher.

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Panthers WR Diontae Johnson admits to hilarious mix-up involving HC Dave Canales

Panthers WR Diontae Johnson admitted to not knowing who his new head coach was, at least initially.

Diontae Johnson kicked off his Carolina Panthers career having experienced a few pretty big surprises.

The sixth-year wideout spoke about those on Tuesday afternoon, following the team’s first session of voluntary minicamp. His first shock, obviously, came when his move to the Queen City went down.

“I was surprised, but blessed at the same time,” he replied when asked about his trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers. “I was in Pittsburgh five years, so coming here is different. Just still trying to get acclimated, and I’m just enjoying the process right now.”

Johnson was shipped off to Carolina right before the start of the new league year on March 12. The Panthers acquired the former Pro Bowl pass catcher and the 240th overall selection of the 2024 NFL draft in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson and the 178th pick.

The 27-year-old would then tell reporters that he didn’t know his head coach, Dave Canales, was his head coach—at least initially . . .

Luckily for Johnson, he’s got that part of his acclimation all cleared up now.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales comments on first few practices with Bryce Young

Following the first session of voluntary minicamp, Panthers HC Dave Canales talked about his early practices with QB Bryce Young.

To get back into contention, the Carolina Panthers must first get back to basics—something Dave Canales has preached ever since getting the head-coaching gig.

That message was echoed again on Tuesday, following the team’s first session of voluntary minicamp. But before getting into a little detail about the practice, Canales was asked how the outing went.

“It was great to be out there,” he replied. “This is just fun for me because the first team I coached was at my alma mater, Carson High School, black and blue, and we had the blue jerseys, we’re out in the blue jerseys. And it’s just kinda like a pinch yourself kind of moment. Surreal for sure.

“But again, to do it with some guys that I have familiarity with—saw a lot of proud big brother looks from some of the guys. And to be able to be out there with Ejiro [Evero] and the defensive guys and bringing this whole thing together, certainly a really cool day for me.”

Also out there was the vast majority of the roster, which was missing only a few players due to what Canales described as “private” situations. Included in that bunch, of course, was quarterback Bryce Young—who Canales said the following of:

Canales—who was behind the career resurgences for Seattle’s Geno Smith in 2022 and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield in 2023—was hired, in part, to get Young going. Last year’s No. 1 overall pick experienced a rough rookie season, where averaged just 179.8 passing yards per game with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

So hopefully for Canales, Young and the Panthers, a small step back to the basics now leads to a huge leap forward in due time.

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