Tag: Shaq Thompson

No, Saints QB Derek Carr did not throw for 3 TDs on Panthers CB Jaycee Horn

Contrary to the viral clip, Panthers CB Jaycee Horn did not give up three TDs to Saints QB Derek Carr on Sunday. In fact, he didn’t give up any.

Yes, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr put on a fine performance in yesterday’s season-opening victory over the Carolina Panthers—completing 19 of his 23 throws for 200 yards and three touchdowns.

But no, those three touchdowns did not all come at the expense of cornerback Jaycee Horn. In fact, none of them did.

Seemingly nothing went right for the Panthers in Sunday’s 47-10 loss to the Saints, an absolutely abysmal performance that bred even more embarrassment for the struggling franchise. And amongst the upsetting images, stats and memes that emanated from the outing was this clip—which made its rounds through Twitter/X all afternoon . . .

Actually, it turns out Horn didn’t give up any completions to Carr.

According to Pro Football Focus, Horn wasn’t even targeted in the contest. PFF’s analysis of the game determined that Horn allowed zero completions on zero tries.

And we know what you’re thinking. How is that possible when we saw Horn chasing wideout Rashid Shaheed’s tail on a 59-yard touchdown just three minutes into the game?

Well, that score was charged to No. 20, safety Jordan Fuller. Horn, as shown by his gestures a bit later on during the broadcast, was expecting safety help over the top—which Fuller, who was also chasing Shaheed, did not provide.

As for Carr’s second and third touchdowns, Horn wasn’t on the assignment for either. Those were attributed to linebacker Shaq Thompson and, for a second time, Fuller . . .

So yeah, there were a ton of really ugly numbers for the Panthers in Week 1. And kudos to Carr and the Saints for throwing them up from start to finish.

But hey, at least No. 8 wasn’t responsible for some of those.

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Studs and duds from Panthers’ Week 1 loss to Saints

Panthers QB Bryce Young delivered a big ol’ dud to kick off the 2024 season.

Every week here on the “Studs and duds” post, we set out to identify the best and worst performers from each outing for the Carolina Panthers. And yeah, it’s not been a simple task finding many studs for this team in recent years.

Unfortunately, that task did not get simpler to start the new campaign—as the Panthers ate an ugly 47-10 loss at the hands of the New Orleans Saints this afternoon.

But hey, we can try to find at least a little light to go with the darkness, right?

Here are our studs and duds from Sunday . . .

Stud: WR Xavier Legette

Let’s start out with a positive in the rookie Legette, who was solid in his opportunities. The 2024 first-rounder reeled in four receptions for 35 yards and even took back a kick for a 28-yard return.

Dud: QB Bryce Young

Young’s “comeback” campaign from a rough rookie year got off to an abysmal start. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick, who was errant on a number of his attempts throughout the day, completed just 13 of his 30 passes for 161 yards and two interceptions—including one on his very first chuck of 2024.

Dud: RB Chuba Hubbard

With a bunch of offseason talk about the Panthers wanting to ground-and-pound their opponents, the team’s No. 1 rusher seemed to be lined up for a productive day. Hubbard, however, totaled six carries for 14 yards and was not targeted through the air.

Stud: LB Shaq Thompson

We’ll get to his teammates in a bit, but Thompson did all he could to keep the Panthers from being completely run off the turf at Caesars Superdome. The 10th-year veteran notched a game-high 10 tackles, two of which went for losses.

Dud: DC Ejiro Evero

Evero’s defense was outmatched from the get-go, allowing a 59-yard touchdown pass between quarterback Derek Carr and wideout Rashid Shaheed on the opening possession of the game. They’d proceed to let the Saints score in each of their next eight (yes, eight) drives.

New Orleans’ 47-total output set a new franchise record for a season opener.

Stud: KR Raheem Blackshear

The defense’s futility made Blackshear a very, very busy man—as he had to field eight kickoff returns. So let’s give him and his 204 yards of work some recognition.

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Carolina Panthers vs. New Orleans Saints game recap: Everything we know

Let’s be nice and just say that the Panthers didn’t exactly get off to a roaring start in 2024 . . .

Unfortunately, the beginning of the latest chapter for Carolina Panthers football looked a lot like the previous story.

Here’s everything we know from Sunday’s regular-season opener in New Orleans . . .

Final score: Saints 47, Panthers 10

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Keys to the game

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
  • The Panthers were beat by their offense, which converted on one of their 10 third-down attempts and one of their three fourth-down tries.. Quarterback Bryce Young, who was largely errant on the afternoon, completed just 13 of his 30 throws for 161 yards and a pair of interceptions.
  • They were also beat by their defense, which allowed New Orleans to score on every one of their first nine possessions of the game. Carolina ended up relinquishing 379 total yards and a Saints franchise record for points in an opener.
  • Oh, and they were even beat on special teams. The Saints got four field goals from kicker Blake Grupe, a 47-yard punt return from wideout Rashid Shaheed and a blocked punt from tight end Juwuan Johnson—who also scored one of the team’s five touchdowns.

It was over when . . .

Chris Graythen/Getty Images

. . . it started.

The Saints never allowed the Panthers a centimeter of oxygen, dialing up a 59-yard touchdown pass to Shaheed on the very first possession of the afternoon. Then, on Carolina’s very first touch, Young was picked off on his very first pass of the season by cornerback Will Harris.

New Orleans never even thought of looking back, scoring on each of their next eight drives.

Players of the game

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
  • LB Shaq Thompson: 10 tackles (two for a loss)
  • WR Adam Thielen: three receptions, 49 yards
  • WR Xavier Legette: four receptions, 35 yards, 28-yard kick return

What’s next?

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Panthers (0-1) will host the Los Angeles Chargers in their home opener next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

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Panthers name 4 team captains for 2024 season

Democracy was in action for the Carolina Panthers when it came to determining this year’s captains.

The Carolina Panthers officially announced their team captains for the 2024 campaign on Wednesday.

Quarterback Bryce Young, defensive lineman Derrick Brown, linebacker Shaq Thompson and safety/special teams ace Sam Franklin Jr. will wear the ‘C’ on their jerseys this season. Head coach Dave Canales, who previously stated that he wanted one representative for each of the game’s three phases, was asked about Brown and Thompson both getting the honor on defense.

“The people spoke,” Canales replied with a smile following this afternoon’s practice. “And there was a lot of votes for both guys, and I just said, ‘Great, that’s fantastic.’ That’s exactly what we want is for guys to identify that leadership, the people that stand for what we’re about here, our play style, playing with great effort, great enthusiasm, toughness, playing smart and finish.

“These are guys that finish everything they do. So I love that they chose the guys they did because they really exemplify what we’re looking for from our team.”

Brown and Franklin Jr. are first-time captains, with Thompson earning the duty for the fifth time. Young has now received the nod for the second time in as many seasons.

Canales added that the team will also have a rotational captain during the year.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales says he’d like to have 3 permanent team captains for 2024

Panthers HC Dave Canales said he’s planning on having three permanent team captains (and a rotational fourth) for the 2024 season.

“Team captain” may be an even more exclusive title for the Carolina Panthers.

With the regular-season opener now officially less than one week away, the Panthers are getting closer to naming their team captains for the 2024 campaign. Head coach Dave Canales, who is in his first year at the helm, was asked how many of them he expects the locker room to have.

“I’d like to have three—representative from offense, defense and special teams, and we’ll have a rotational fourth player just week to week as we see fit,” he told reporters following Monday’s practice.

Three (and a rotational fourth) is a relatively low number for the position. The Panthers have tabbed at least six captains in each of the last four seasons, even going as high as eight in 2022.

The early favorites to nab the honors may be second-year quarterback Bryce Young, 10th-year linebacker Shaq Thompson and longtime long snapper JJ Jansen—who is in his 16th year with the franchise.

Canales stated that the captains will be announced on Wednesday.

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Initial 53-man roster projection for the 2024 Panthers

Here is our final projection for the Panthers’ initial 2024 53-man roster:

Now that the preseason is officially in the books, the Carolina Panthers have another task to tackle—the big cutdown.

Between now and 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the Panthers and the rest of the NFL’s 31 teams must get down to their initial 53-player rosters.

Here is our final projection for Carolina’s initial 53:

Quarterbacks (2)

In: Bryce Young, Andy Dalton
Out: Jack Plummer

Plummer impressed in the summer finale, completing 21 of his 29 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns. But that still won’t be enough to devote a third spot on the roster to a quarterback.

Running backs (4)

In: Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, Raheem Blackshear, Mike Boone
Out: Jaden Shirden
Reserve/NFI list: Jonathon Brooks

Boone has benefitted from the inactivity of both Blackshear and Brooks, who isn’t expected back for at least a handful of weeks into the regular season. And luckily for the former, his successful track record as a kick returner keeps him around.

Wide receivers (6)

In: Diontae Johnson, Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette, Jonathan Mingo, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, David Moore
Out: Terrace Marshall Jr., Michael Strachan, Jalen Coker, Sam Pinckney

The sixth and final spot came down to Marshall Jr. and Moore. Moore’s experience on special teams and his previous history with head coach Dave Canales in both Seattle and Tampa Bay give him the edge.

Tight ends (4)

In: Tommy Tremble, Ian Thomas, Ja’Tavion Sanders, Jordan Matthews
Out: Feleipe Franks, Jacob Hollister, Jesper Horsted

Matthews earned his spot with a spectacular summer. The 32-year-old opened the preseason with a team-high 48 receiving yards in New England and ended it with a touchdown to kick off the last outing in Buffalo.

Offensive linemen (9)

In: Ikem Ekwonu, Damien Lewis, Austin Corbett, Robert Hunt, Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Yosh Nijman, Cade Mays, Chandler Zavala
Out: Ricky Lee, Jeremiah Crawford, Mason Brooks, Andrew Raym, Jack Anderson, Ike Boettger, Tyler Smith

Given that he’s the only true center on the roster, Raym has a shot to stick on. But the versatility of backups such as Nijman, Christensen and Mays allows the Panthers to keep the number of hog mollies at nine.

Defensive linemen (5)

In: Derrick Brown, A’Shawn Robinson, Shy Tuttle, Nick Thurman, LaBryan Ray
Out: Jaden Crumedy, T.J. Smith, Ulomoo Ale, Jayden Peevy, Walter Palmore, Junior Aho

Crumedy, the team’s sixth-round selection from this spring, could be in trouble while dealing a high-ankle sprain. So could Smith, who’d be a favorite to sneak back on as a practice squad member after recording a pair of sacks this preseason.

Outside linebackers (5)

In: Jadeveon Clowney, K’Lavon Chaisson, DJ Johnson, Eku Leota, Luiji Vilain
Out: Cam Gill, Derrick McLendon, Kenny Dyson
Reserve/Physically unable to perform list: D.J. Wonnum, Amaré Barno

Vilain and Gill could be battling for the fifth locker. But if it actually doesn’t go to either, look for the Panthers to pick up a pass rusher off the street.

Inside linebackers (4)

In: Shaq Thompson, Josey Jewell, Trevin Wallace, Claudin Cherelus
Out: Chandler Wooten, Tae Davis, Aaron Beasley

Canales does not take special teams prowess for granted. Cherelus and Wooten could claim spots with theirs.

Cornerbacks (6)

In: Jaycee Horn, Michael Jackson, Troy Hill, Chau Smith-Wade, Dicaprio Bootle, D’Shawn Jamison
Out: Willie Drew, Chris Wilcox, Quandre Mosely
Injured: Dane Jackson

The “significant” hamstring injury to Jackson (Dane, that is) could force the Panthers to keep a few outside options—including both Bootle and Jamison.

Safeties (5)

In: Xavier Woods, Jordan Fuller, Nick Scott, Jammie Robinson, Alex Cook
Out: Demani Richardson, Rudy Ford
Injured: Sam Franklin Jr.

As Canales has stated, there’s no replacing Franklin Jr.—who will be out for quite a bit while healing up a broken foot. Cook, however, could give the Panthers a little bit back on special teams.

Specialists (3)

In: Eddy Piñeiro, Johnny Hekker, JJ Jansen

Well, nothing to see here.

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Panthers LB Shaq Thompson on defense losing Brian Burns: ‘It’s not about Burns’

Panthers LB Shaq Thompson had a little fun when asked about former teammate Brian Burns on Wednesday.

The Carolina Panthers defense is no longer about Brian Burns.

Following Wednesday’s outing of training camp, linebacker Shaq Thompson was asked about the loss of the two-time Pro Bowl pass rusher. The 10th-year veteran, a teammate of Burns for five seasons, responded with a bit of humor.

“Ah, forget Burns. We don’t need Burns,” he said jokingly. “That’s my guy. I’ma miss him. Hope he does well out there in New York. I’m happy for him. He got paid and stuff like that.”

He sure did.

After failing to reach middle ground with Burns on an extension, the Panthers shipped the 26-year-old off to the New York Giants in March. Burns would promptly get the deal he was looking for from his new employer—signing a five-year, $141 million pact with Big Blue.

Carolina’s defense will likely miss Burns, who led the team in sacks in each of the past two seasons. The departure may hurt even more considering the Panthers just finished dead-last in that category in 2023.

Thompson, however, seems to believe the unit is fine the way it is.

“But it’s not about Burns right now,” he continued. “We got [Jadeveon] Clowney, we got all these other guys coming in here, learning this defense and excelling at this defense. I’m happy to be out here with these guys, sharing the same field with these guys.

“Be out there for Clowney, be his secure blanket. If he doesn’t know something just go out there, talk to him, make sure he understands his technique and stuff like that. But not just him. The young guys—Eku [Leota], Luiji [Vilain] and all the guys that are outside ‘backers.”

Along with Leota and Vilain, who both stood out in last Thursday’s preseason opener, the Panthers will also look to free-agent signees D.J. Wonnum and K’Lavon Chaisson as well as 2023 third-round pick DJ Johnson to provide the pressure.

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Panthers get big names back from injuries on Monday

Monday’s practice saw a few important Panthers return to the practice field.

The Carolina Panthers are getting healthy.

Monday’s installment of training camp played host to a handful of notable, and much-welcomed, returns. On offense, the team got back wide receiver Xavier Legette (foot) and tight end Tommy Tremble (hamstring).

Head coach Dave Canales talked a bit about Legette’s recovery from his injury on Saturday.

“Yeah, he’s doin’ great,” Canales said of his rookie pass catcher. “Again, it’s a really a day-to-day thing. And we’re just trying to get the discomfort out of the foot completely, clear it up before we start getting him into really fast change-of-direction things. So the in-line stuff is great. And we’ll be smart about that and bring him along.”

Canales, however, didn’t seem hopeful about Legette or Tremble suiting up for this weekend’s preseason matchup with the New York Jets.

Also joining the party this morning was linebacker Shaq Thompson, who has been sidelined with a hamstring issue of his own. Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero was asked how the 10th-year veteran looked during his first day back.

“He looked good, he looked good,” Evero replied. “He picked up where he left off at. The one thing you don’t have to worry about with Shaq—whether he’s rehabbing or out there playing is that he’s gonna work his butt off. I didn’t see any rust or anything like that from that standpoint.”

Thompson missed 15 games last season after fracturing his fibula in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints. The 30-year-old is currently on the final season of his contract.

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Panthers HC Dave Canales provides injury updates on handful of key players

Panthers HC Dave Canales provided the latest on a few notable injuries.

The Carolina Panthers are continuing to proceed through the summer with caution.

Head coach Dave Canales provided some injury updates on a handful of notable players early this afternoon. Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer asked Canales about tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas, left guard Damien Lewis and inside linebacker Shaq Thompson.

“Tommy is probably a week-ish out with the hamstring,” Canales said of Tremble, who has been shut down with his setback. “Trying to get him to full health before we get him back out there. Ian, Ian’s got a calf that’s gonna take some time. That’s gonna take us really closely up to Week 1. So our goal is to just get those guys back. Instead of forcing them back out here, let’s make sure we get them healthy and feel really good about getting them out.

“Damien Lewis—the shoulder, just trying to make sure we’re managing that. It’s still a little bit stoved up right now, so we’re just trying to get his shoulder to calm down so he can get back out here. But he’s been getting auxiliary work.

“Shaq, same thing, just the hamstring. He caught it early, so we’re just trying to get on top of that, making sure he’s getting his conditioning and putting him out there.”

Canales and the Panthers have already lost one of their leaders, safety and special teams ace Sam Franklin Jr., to a broken foot. The timeframe for his return is not yet known.

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Panthers projected depth chart heading into 2024 training camp

You may want to keep this projected depth chart handy ahead of the Panthers’ 2024 training camp.

Summer break is nearly over for the Carolina Panthers.

On Friday, rookies will report back to Charlotte for the start of this year’s training camp. They’ll be followed by the veterans after the weekend, who will be in right before the first outing of practice on Wednesday.

But what do the team’s pecking orders look like across the program as of now?

Here is our full projected depth chart for Carolina’s current 90-man roster heading into camp:

Offense:

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th
QB Bryce Young Andy Dalton Jack Plummer
RB Chuba Hubbard Miles Sanders Jonathon Brooks Raheem Blackshear Rashaad Penny Mike Boone Jaden Shirden
WR Diontae Johnson Jonathan Mingo David Moore Cam Sims Sam Pinckney
WR Xavier Legette Terrace Marshall Jr. Michael Strachan Jalen Coker Daewood Davis
SWR Adam Thielen Ihmir Smith-Marsette
TE Tommy Tremble Ian Thomas Stephen Sullivan Ja’Tavion Sanders Jordan Matthews
LT Ikem Ekwonu Yosh Nijman Ricky Lee Jeremiah Crawford
LG Damien Lewis Cade Mays
C Austin Corbett Brady Christensen Andrew Raym
RG Robert Hunt Chandler Zavala Nash Jensen J.D. DiRenzo
RT Taylor Moton Badara Traore Christian Duffie

Defense:

1st 2nd 3rd 4th
DE Derrick Brown LaBryan Ray T.J. Smith Junior Aho
DT Shy Tuttle Nick Thurman Ulumoo Ale
DE A’Shawn Robinson Jaden Crumedy Popo Aumavae
OLB Jadeveon Clowney K’Lavon Chaisson Amaré Barno Eku Leota Derrick McLendon
ILB Shaq Thompson Trevin Wallace Chandler Wooten Claudin Cherelus
ILB Josey Jewell Tae Davis Michael Barrett Jackson Mitchell
OLB D.J. Wonnum DJ Johnson Cam Gill Luiji Vilain Kenny Dyson Jr.
CB Jaycee Horn D’Shawn Jamison Lamar Jackson
CB Dane Jackson Dicaprio Bootle Willie Drew
SS Xavier Woods Jammie Robinson Sam Franklin Jr. Demani Richardson Clayton Isbell
FS Jordan Fuller Nick Scott Alex Cook
NCB Troy Hill Chau Smith-Wade

Special teams:

1st 2nd
K Eddy Piñeiro Harrison Mevis
P Johnny Hekker
LS JJ Jansen
KR Raheem Blackshear Ihmir Smith-Marsette Xavier Legette
PR Ihmir Smith-Marsette Xavier Legette

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