Panthers DB Horn returns, Ekwonu ‘battling’ for starting job, and other camp takeaways

Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn is as important to Carolina’s defense as running back Christian McCaffrey is to the offense.

Horn started training camp on the PUP list after reporting soreness in his surgically repaired foot after condition testing but was activated before Monday’s practice. He spent Day 5 working only on individual drills and riding a stationary bike. Coach Matt Rhule said the team’s No. 1 cornerback is considered day-to-day.

“He just has a little bit of soreness, not even in the bone, just in kind of his overall foot. So once the soreness went down, the doctors felt like we can begin to ramp him up,” Rhule said. “So we took them off PUP and let him do some individual (drills). “It’ll be a day-by-day process until he’s full go.”

In 2020, the Panthers finished 31st in third-down defense. The team allowed opponents to convert 49% of their tries. Offenses just had to get to third-and-medium against Carolina because the chances of a receiver opening up against man coverage was 50-50.

Which is why Carolina selected Horn No. 7 overall last year. In theory, he changes the defensive math. Carolina can deploy Horn, Donte Jackson and C.J. Henderson in man coverage, leaving eight other defenders to either rush the passer or drop into coverage. Such flexibility will allow defensive coordinator Phil Snow to call as an exotic defense as he’d like, assuming his cornerbacks stay sticky.

But the Panthers’ defense quickly reverts to a more conservative style in Horn’s absence. Like an offense minus McCaffrey, Carolina cannot maximize its output without Horn. He’s the key to Carolina creating more turnovers, playing better two-minute defense and shoring up its red zone defense.

The Panthers won’t rush Horn into any team drills or competitive situations. But his activation from the PUP list is a step in the right direction.

Ekwonu “battling” for starting job

Last week Panthers’ No. 6 pick Ikem Ekwonu said he’s “a different animal” once the pads come on. Ekwonu practiced with NFL pads on for the first time on Monday and demonstrated some of his raw power, especially during 11-on-11 sessions. During a team red zone segment, Ekwonu was the lead blocker on a pitch play that nearly scored. He bulldozed a second-team linebacker who did not fully embrace Ekwonu’s pancake-seeking block.

Ekwonu is working mostly with the second team at left tackle while second-year player Brady Christensen is with the ones.

“I don’t think we’re bringing Ikey along slowly. As a rookie, you get opportunities, but you have to earn what you get. You have to fight and battle,” Rhule said. “He certainly wants to be a starter. If he’s going to, he has to battle. Brady’s going to have to battle. And we’re just taking a very long approach here. We don’t need to make these decisions this week.”

Both the first and second-team offenses are rushing the ball effectively during camp. Panthers running backs are bursting through wide-open lanes during team sessions and scoring from in close during red zone.

The first day with pads is another accumulation period. Rhule said players need a day to get the feel of pads back. There is a natural caution that comes with wearing pads again. He said he expects Tuesday and Wednesday to be highly-competitive practices.

“We’re rushing the ball really well. Coach Snow said it to me the best. (He said) ‘This is the week where we find out if we can stop the run’”, Rhule said. This is a passing league. But if you want great quarterbacks to not be great passers then take away the run and make them one dimensional.”

Darnold, Mayfield, Corral in a “just” competition

The distribution of quarterback reps during Panthers training camp may not always be fair but it will be just. That is what Rhule told Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Matt Corral and P.J. Walker ahead of camp starting last week.

That trend continued on Monday as Darnold took the majority of first-team reps while Mayfield handled the twos and Walker and Corral shared the third team.

Mayfield had his best Panthers practice yet, throwing three touchdowns and only two incompletions. After practice, he acknowledged he did not play well during the team’s Back Together Saturday practice at Gibbs Field. But he bounced back in pads despite still not having a complete grasp of the offense.

“For me, it’s obviously not second nature yet. But I’m trying to make those steps to where you learned the reads well enough to where it’s just reaction, to get through your progressions and knowing where to go when it’s different coverages,” Mayfield said. “Last week was definitely a little bit slower than I would like to be. But I think that’s to be expected. I’m looking to make those steps this week, when there are some repeated calls and concepts.”

If recent trends continue, Darnold will play sharp against the second defense tomorrow while the throwing lanes tighten for Mayfield against Jackson, Henderson and Jeremy Chinn.

Darnold had two sloppy red zone running back exchanges which were not necessarily his fault but were offensive errors. He said ball security comes first, acknowledging there were some plays from Saturday’s practice he and the entire offense would also like to have back.

Mayfield echoed similar regrets about Saturday. Both quarterbacks have been turning the ball over too often.

While Mayfield and Darnold compete, Corral is soaking up mental reps. He said the first week of camp was challenging but he’s beginning to slowly find a rhythm despite taking limited reps.

“It’s tough, but it’s just like I said, you can control what you can control,” Corral said. “Don’t mess up the reps that you get. “You got to take every rep, and you can’t take any rep for granted.”

This story was originally published August 2, 2022 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Panthers DB Horn returns, Ekwonu ‘battling’ for starting job, and other camp takeaways."

Ellis L. Williams

The Charlotte Observer

Hailing from Minnesota, Ellis L. Williams joined the Observer in October 2021 to cover the Carolina Panthers. Prior, he spent two years reporting on the Browns for Cleveland.com/the Plain Dealer. Having escaped cold winters, he’s thrilled to consume football, hoops, music and movies within the Queen City.