The Panthers are in their final full week of training camp before Week 1 in Chicago, and it was a loaded day on the podium. Tetairoa McMillan was presented with the PFWA's 2025 Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year awards — becoming the first Panther ever to win Rookie of the Year and just the second to win Offensive Rookie of the Year, joining Cam Newton (2011) — and his reaction to the hardware (straight to storage) tells you everything about where his head is for year two.
We're breaking down all three pressers from today: Dave Canales on why AJ Dillon is stacking reps with the first team while Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks get managed, what he's actually doing on the sideline now that he's not calling plays, and the honest update on Brooks' Week 1 status. AJ Dillon opens up about his first summer in Carolina, the RB1 mindset he's carried since Green Bay, his read on McMillan as a teammate, and becoming a father again in the middle of camp. And McMillan himself talks slot usage, playing 20 pounds heavier, why he doesn't believe in a sophomore slump, and the one goal he actually cares about this year: winning a playoff game.
We also go through the full updated depth chart on both sides of the ball — where Darren Waller actually sits at tight end and why it doesn't mean what you think, Monroe Freeling's camp promotion at right tackle, and the running back room that's more crowded (and more banged up) than it looks on paper.
Then we open the mailbag for a few of your questions on Dillon vs. Hubbard, Waller's ramp-up, the Brooks timeline, and whether the ROY award changes anything about how McMillan gets used this season.
This is Two Growls One Roar — your home for Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, and South Carolina Gamecocks coverage. Camp week continues, Chicago is one week out, and we've got you covered on everything happening inside the building.
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#KeepPounding all the way to Chicago.
