During what felt like the hottest practice of training camp so far this year, quarterback added to the sizzle of his with a pair of impressive throws during team drills Saturday. Young, with the team in shells and shorts, threaded a laser through traffic in 11-on-11 team drills. The ball sliced through the defense and found over the middle for about a 15-yard gain.
Thielen made an impressive snag with defenders all around him. Later, Young lofted a hovering shot to the end zone for in red-zone team drills. The ball hit Johnson in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
Young saw Johnson streaking behind the defense in the end zone and simply floated the ball to his receiver. Young has had a solid summer. While he isn’t dazzling with an onslaught of deep balls or looking like a human joystick in the pocket, he is effectively moving the ball and finding his targets.
With Young to the , his summer evaluation — so far — has come with the defense unable to hit him in practice. Young’s upside is hard to measure after an abysmal situation sunk him last year during his rookie campaign. But, so far, during his first training camp with Dave Canales, the quarterback has been fine, and at times, has looked like the elusive playmaker who .
Still, practice is practice. And Young’s future will be largely dictated by what he does in his second year of his NFL career. Practice has been positive, but it’s ultimately not the proof that Panthers fans crave.
Carolina is less than a .