CHARLOTTE — For all the new the Carolina Panthers have been working through this offseason — new coach, new GM, new half of a roster — it's almost easy to forget the fundamental change to training camp.

It's at the same place they're used to being, and that gave the first day of training camp a more familiar version of the first day of school vibes.

Count cornerback Jaycee Horn as a fan of staying at home at Bank of America Stadium.

"Yeah, I like it," Horn said with a wide grin. "It felt kind of weird at first, just seeing the fans out here and stuff like that, but just a whole new vibe, new practice field, a new look. It was fun. We still got the same work in. So it was good."

Of course, Horn's among the slightly less fortunate few since players with four years of experience and fewer are staying in a nearby hotel. (Vets can stay at their own place of residence, making it an even more familiar experience.)

"I'm still young, so I've got to stay in the hotel rooms, but some of the vets get to go home, and I'd be kinda jealous after the day, but it's all good," he said. "It's part of camp."

He was quick to add that the hotel rooms were still nicer than dorms at Wofford (though the player dorms were quite nice), but they've taken other measures to recreate the feeling of going away,

They're down to one ping-pong table in the locker room (having 90 guys on the roster chews up more real estate), but they're still playing.

"I mean, we still do meetings and stuff out of here," Horn said. "But it still adds to the team camaraderie, being around the guys because you can't go nowhere after curfew."

Head coach Dave Canales took a moment before practice started to talk to the fans who came out to watch, thanking them for helping make this a memorable camp.

Having never experienced the bucolic Wofford lifestyle (and having worked for the Bucs and Seahawks who hold camp at their own places), this is kind of what Canales is used to, so he enjoyed it.

"I just think about the advantage of it is for our community as well," Canales said. "To be able to come, to be around us, creating those moments for our guys. And even just like at the end of practice, bringing them up for two last plays, guys, can we have that reset mentality regardless of what's happening around us?

"I love the noise. I love the music. I love the fans being here so that they can just lock in and execute and do their job at the highest level at any part of our practice because we want to finish. But it was really cool. It was really cool to address the fans beforehand, just to see the faces and the people who are pulling for us. And just to know that again, what is it going to be all about. It's just getting our football right, and making sure that we're bringing a product every day while we're improving."

— Having done this for 30 training camps now, I've learned not to read too much into any particular play in any particular practice.

But it is beginning to appear that Bryce Young-to-Diontae Johnson is going to be a thing.

The quarterback and the traded-for wideout connected several times during Wednesday's practice, but it was some of the moments between the receptions that stood out to Canales. A year ago, veteran Adam Thielen was the only reliable target for large stretches of the season. Having a guy who can get open and make plays once he's open is a new thing for Young, who clearly enjoys having this kind of help.

"I think it's just for Bryce learning this mover; Diontae is a special mover, and he's really explosive and really fast through his turns," Canales said. "So I've, I've watched them just kind of grow that chemistry. Getting out here today is another step in building that, and really just a curiosity. You see them; when Bryce's reps are done, he walks right over to him, he's talking to Diontae to Adam, and just making sure they're on the same page for some of those things."

Having that kind of connection will obviously help, as they attempt to build a coherent offense.

(It also doesn't hurt that Young has a few other targets. Jonathan Mingo and Xavier Legette each had nice catches Wednesday, a reminder that this offense may have some potential.)

— That being said, it wasn't like it was a full-bore, head-knocking kind of practice.

They won't put pads on until next week, and there's a gradual ramping up of football activity. So there was a lot of installation, a lot of special teams work, and an easing into the whole thing.

"I can tell guys were just chomping at the bit to get out there and get to work," Canales said. "So, in general, just a great day of work, just recapturing the work ethic. That's what this time of year is about, especially early in camp, getting back to the intensity of what the drills feel like and introducing them to the different team settings that we're doing.

"And so I thought that part, we definitely did well and then, of course, just having to work through a little bit of the kinks. Just a little bit rusty, working together, getting our snaps, and doing some things like that."

Canales said they'll still be installing for the first eight practices, so he's looking for details in their work in run drills until they're actually hitting and having contact.

— As someone who has lived here most of his life, it's still a little surreal to step back and remember that training camp is in downtown Charlotte (and yes, I've been here long enough to remember it wasn't always called Uptown).

I mean, look at that skyline back there behind the fields (that's changed a lot over the years, too. There's a training camp in the middle of an honest-to-God city. How cool is that?

— The vibes were good for the fans in the covered bleachers. First, it's covered, so you're protected from the sun on the sunny days. It was mostly overcast Wednesday, but that's something that's going to come in handy in the future.

Speaking of hot days, here's a little inside football pro tip for fans coming out in the future. Our friends from Morris Jenkins (who know how to keep cool) have frozen treats for fans — just saying. Stay cool out there.

There's also a dedicated post-practice autograph area for kids, which is a nice touch for the young ones.

— Young was the first player on the field, signing a few autographs on his way in before going into his elaborate warm-up and stretching routine. But he wasn't the first football person out there.

Run game coordinator Harold Goodwin was out there an hour before practice, walking laps around the clean new grass fields to get a little exercise in.

- The play of the day may have been turned by backup safety Alex Cook, who intercepted Andy Dalton and took it to the house.

The play itself was nice, and the reception was even nicer as the entire defense raced downfield to celebrate with him.

Cook, a second-year player, was signed off the Giants practice squad last October and started a couple of games down the stretch. He's a smart player in the back of the defense, impressing the coaches last year with his ability to pick things up quickly, and he's a solid player behind starters Xavier Woods and Jordan Fuller.

— Outside linebacker DJ Johnson — who has a chance to latch onto regular work depending on D.J. Wonnum's timeline — spent much of the practice running on the side with the performance staff.

Canales said because Johnson was battling an illness recently and didn't take the conditioning test yesterday, they wanted to ease him in.

Johnson, last year's third-round pick, is a solid and physical presence at the position, not like some of the leaner edge-rushers competing for time. And given the defense's inclination to stop the run, that's got a very specific value.