CHARLOTTE – The Panthers were back beneath the sun on Saturday, and Dave Canales' deal with the weather ran out, as the Panthers held their muggiest and hottest practice to date. It was a ramp up though for what is sure still to come the remainder of August and into September.

Saturday was coming off an off day for the guys, which is partly why Canales felt the day started slow.

"Early on, we had a walk through, started a little flat," the coach admitted following Saturday's practice.

The lack of juice wasn't hard to miss, as coaches became more vocal than in practices past, and demanded more than was initially being offered. Before the team could get into the meat of practice, two voices spoke up.

"It was really cool to see Bryce Young, to see Derrick Brown talk to the guys and say 'Ok, here we go, we don't get to waste any time. We're right back to work.'" Canales continued. "And then by the time we got to practice, the energy that was there from the first drill all the way through the last. So, I love the guys responding.

"I think for me, it's so important, as we ask of them things, to see them respond. And it just kind of talks about the character of this group and they've been really good with that so far."

Saturday was not a padded practice, which can help with the juices flowing. But the time drills began in earnest, following some tough love from Young and Brown, guys were dancing, hotly contesting the results of one-on-one drills and celebrating each play in the run game.

For Young, on the precipice of his second year in the league, becoming more and more comfortable being the voice that rings out over his team is a positive step forward for the quarterback, and a boost for his teammates.

"I love to see the growth day in and day out," right tackle Taylor Moton said of his QB. "I believe he's a tremendous leader and he's really stepped into that role and I love playing with him.

"He's making sure…we all come in with a head on straight, making sure that we're all where we're supposed to be…he's bringing us up like today. Little things like that, it makes a big difference, especially when it's from QB1."

Canales hopes to add another tight end soon

The Panthers tight end unit has been looking slim in recent days, a fact that hasn't bypassed Dave Canales. Tommy Tremble is still "a week-ish out," according to Canales and coaches want him at full strength before rolling him back into drills

Ian Thomas will need time to rehab his calf and Canales said that timeline will "take us really closely up to week one." The Panthers open the regular season on September 8, at New Orleans.

"Our goal is to just get those guys back, instead of forcing them back out here," Canales said Saturday.

Still, their absence is felt, as the unit is leaning heavily on a young and/or newer corps, like rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders, 2023 free agent Jordan Matthews and newly acquired free agent, Feleipe Franks. The extra snaps are great opportunities, said Canales, but having so few on the field gives him pause, and he'd like another a part of practice soon.

"Really practicing with three tight ends is really iffy," Canales admitted. "So, we're looking, we're doing our due diligence. We have some guys that we got our eye on that we're going to try to bring in in short order because we got to be able to practice with a strong group. It's good for both sides.

"The defense needs to see multiple tight end sets, a big part of what we do. So we'll definitely be looking for somebody else to have another opportunity to show us who they are, in case we need them going forward."

Panthers add two defenders; plan remains the same at backup QB

Backup QB Andy Dalton was able to throw in early drills with the quarterbacks on Saturday. But his quadricep injury kept him from participating in team drills, as it did Thursday night during Fan Fest as well.

While his light participation on Saturday can still be seen as progress, the plan is still to add another arm, as Dalton's timeline to recovery remains unknown.

"We're definitely going to bring a quarterback in," Canales reiterated Saturday.

The process is simpler said than done, as the roster numbers have to be manipulated, Canales explained. "So, we have to put our brains together with the personnel and coaching staff to say, where does that number come from to be able to add that quarterback?"

The tentative plan is to have a backup quarterback in soon, at least in time for the first preseason game on Thursday, which he (whoever he may be) would play in. Canales isn't married to the idea of a veteran versus a younger guy, as long as the competent experience is there.

"Somebody with a little bit of professional experience so he's used to being under center, used to doing some of those things, so we can really get a good look at our guys down the roster at the end of these preseason games," Canales shared. "We got to be able to still function and get our plays off."

While a quarterback remains on the horizon, the Panthers did add two new faces on Saturday. Or rather one new, one familiar. Both are defensive backs; safety Clayton Isbell, who was originally signed by the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in April, and veteran corner Anthony Brown.

In addition to Tremble and Thomas, two other starters were forced to sit out again on Saturday: linebacker Shaq Thompson and offensive guard Damien Lewis.

Canales said coaches and trainers are just making sure they're managing Lewis' shoulder for the time being, as it's "still a little bit stoved up." The lineman is still getting in auxiliary work, according to Canales, in the time being.

Thompson's hamstring was something Canales said was caught early and trainers are just "trying to get on top of that, making sure he's getting his conditioning."

The Panthers practice schedule under the Canales regime is extremely regimented, planned down to every snap. As such, there is caution in bringing back players too early, even to get them acclimated.

"The cool part is the tempo of our practices are, the energy and the intensity is so high, we're pushing them so hard that these guys kind of can feel that if they're not quite right," Canales said. "They can't really float through anything that we're doing. And so they're being smart about that."

9 to 5 connection is stronger every day

Stop us if you've heard this before, but the Bryce Young to Diontae Johnson connection is coming along swimmingly. The quarterback and wide receiver (acquired in a trade from the Steelers this March) needed both the voluntary offseason work and minicamp to figure out how the other moves, as Canales put it at the time. But each day of training camp practice exhibits another link in what is becoming a strong chain.

In arguably the play of the day Saturday, Young used his legs to roll out of the pocket, buying time for Johnson to break away from a defender across the middle of the field, and come completely free, just in time for Young to find him near the sideline for a catch that drew the biggest reaction from the crowd all day.

Dolly said it best; 9 to 5, what a way to make a living for the Carolina Panthers.

Taking time for Julius

In case you haven't heard (and if you haven't, where have you been) Panthers legend Julius Peppers was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. The Panthers current team planned on watching his induction following practice, but a rain delay in Canton, Ohio pushed the day's schedule back. As such, Canales said the team would stick to their schedule and watch the speech back later in the day. But the team will be shown the iconic moment in franchise history.

Coaches and staff members were given Julius Peppers Hall of Fame shirts, featuring his number 90 across the chest, to wear for practice.

"I had an opportunity to coach against him a couple of times in different places," Canales shared. "Chicago, Green Bay, (Carolina). So, a lot of high-level respect for him and really exciting for the organization."

Make sure to check out our complete coverage of Julius Peppers' induction into the Hall of Fame here.