6 updates from Dan Morgan as Carolina Panthers charge into 2025 training camp
Every Carolina Panthers player on the active roster arrived at Bank of America Stadium on Tuesday.
And it appears the buzz from the end of last season never left.
Pro Bowl guard Robert Hunt got chills as he wondered aloud how the Panthers could “surprise” some people this year. And second-round pick Nic Scourton smiled as he relayed his offseason in Charlotte — about the walks he took, and the pets he took care of, and the “juice” he feels the city has as it waits for its team to soar.
But there’s one key figure in the Panthers organization who avoided the topic of expectations on Tuesday: general manager Dan Morgan. He read an opening statement, one that outlined “clear” goals: “improve our consistency, develop our young core, have our vets lead the way and compete with a relentless team-first mindset.”
No mention of timelines, or records, or competing for a playoff berth. And Morgan had his reasons for that.
“I think you have to go out there and work on a daily basis, and you just gotta earn it,” he said. “It starts out there on the practice field.”
Here are six updates from Morgan ahead of the Panthers’ first training camp practice of 2025 on Wednesday.
Derrick Brown has been cleared for all activities
First, some good news for Panthers fans: Morgan told reporters that 2023 Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown has been cleared for all activities in this year’s training camp and that he’s “looking great, he’s feeling great.”
Brown missed all but one game in 2024 after sustaining a torn ligament in his knee Week 1 — which was the first of several dominoes to fall that ultimately yielded the difficult defensive season the Panthers had to weather in 2024.
Morgan said that while Brown is good to go, the team will be thoughtful about his load management.
“We’re not just going to throw them out there and say, ‘Go ahead,’” Morgan said. “We want to do it the right way. And bring (him) along slowly. He’s chomping at the bit to get out there and be full-speed and be in there every play with his teammates. But we have to be smart.”
The 3 other injuries — and the Panthers’ choice to not sign a punter
The Panthers announced Monday that they’d be without three players at the start of training camp: tight end Tommy Tremble (back, active/physically unable to perform list), wide receiver Dan Chisena (calf, active/PUP list) and punter Sam Martin (hamstring, active/non-football injury list).
Morgan expounded on each of those injuries Monday. He said that the team will likely not sign another punter in Martin’s absence; they’ll use the JUGS machine as an adequate stand-in while Martin heals from his “minor” ailment. He said that Tremble’s recovery from his back injury — of which he had successful surgery in May — is “ahead of schedule” and that “we feel really good of where he’s at.”
Adding a safety?
It’s been a discussion point all offseason: What are the Panthers going to do at safety?
The team answered swiftly during free agency by going out and getting Tre’Von Moehrig, who was widely believed to be the best safety on the market after a thunderous stint with the Las Vegas Raiders. The team also retained Demani Richardson and drafted Lathan Ransom out of Ohio State.
Still, the question of acquiring another ball-hawk safety to complement a player like Moehrig — who plays so close to the line and is so versatile head coach Dave Canales has mentioned using him as a linebacker in some packages — is up in the air.
Morgan addressed it Monday.
“We have a lot of young, talented guys that we’re excited about on the roster,” Morgan said. “I’m just looking for continuous growth on the daily basis. Just to see them go up there, see them get better every single day.”
Nic Scourton was never going to miss training camp
Scourton, the Panthers’ second-round draft pick, was never going to miss training camp. The 20-year-old pass rusher said as much in his availability Monday — on top of many other fascinating things, from his walks around the city, to his journey gaining back some weight as he finds his ideal build. (He’s now 265 pounds, he said.)
Scourton was one of a majority of second-round picks who didn’t have their contracts signed for most of the NFL offseason after two teams — the Browns and the Texans — doled out fully guaranteed deals to linebacker Carson Schwesinger and wide receiver Jayden Higgins, respectively. Scourton was signed to a four-year deal; precise terms of the deal haven’t yet been disclosed.
Morgan commented on the process Tuesday.
“I’m really lucky to have (vice president of football operations) Brandt (Tilis),” Morgan said. “Brandt deals with a lot of that stuff. He has a pulse on what’s going on around the league. And (Scourton) was going to be signed. I wasn’t worried about it at all. I knew that eventually it would get done.”
Morgan ‘excited’ for wide receiver competition
Morgan avoided making any predictions about the wide receiver room Monday — a group that is quite crowded after drafting two wideouts in April and signing a 2021 Pro Bowler in Hunter Renfrow this offseason. All the general manager said was that he was “excited” about the receiver competition and the team wants to “create competiton” because “I think that just brings out the best of everybody.”
All eyes remain on Bryce Young
Bryce Young’s ascension last year was predictably an integral part of the discussion Monday. One of his most ardent supporters, offensive guard and Pro Bowler Robert Hunt, said he could tell that his confidence skyrocketed at the end of last year and thus has sustained through the 2025 offseason.
Morgan commented on what he hopes Young will do in his third season in the NFL.
“When you saw Bryce at the end of the season, obviously it was exciting, but that was last season,” Morgan said. “We’re really not looking back at that. We’re excited for what’s coming ahead. And part of that was the draft — drafting TMac (Tetairoa McMillan), drafting Jimmy Horn; JT Sanders developing in his second year.
“So I think having those type of weapons around him definitely brings a different level of excitement out there.”
Quick hits
▪ The Panthers announced late Tuesday that they released veteran Josey Jewell as the inside linebacker continues his recovery from a concussion he suffered late in the 2024 season.
▪ The Panthers have signed former Seahawks tight end Tyler Mabry, per the NFL transaction wire, in a corresponding move after Jewell’s release. Mabry has been with the Seahawks since 2020; he appeared in 10 games and has one catch for a 7-yard touchdown. He’ll give depth to a tight end room that needs it after Tremble’s move to PUP list.
▪ Bobby Brown III was placed on the active/non-football injury list. The defensive tackle can be activated at any time during camp. He’s on the NFI list with a hamstring injury, according to a league source, and isn’t expected to miss much time.
This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 3:09 PM with the headline "6 updates from Dan Morgan as Carolina Panthers charge into 2025 training camp."
