The Panthers’ trip home from their preseason opener against the Patriots didn’t go exactly as planned.
Delta Airlines announced that the team’s flight back to Charlotte ran off the runway after landing early on Friday morning. The airline said in a statement, via WCNC, that “the right main gear of Delta 8860 exited the taxiway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport following a normal arrival.”
No one on the plane was injured and they were later bused to the terminal to get on their way home.
When reached for comment, the team referred to the airline’s statement. The Panthers will stay at home for their second preseason contest on August 17, which probably suits everyone who was on the plane Friday morning just fine.
Safety Caden Sterns won’t be joining the Panthers after all.
The Panthers claimed Sterns off of waivers on Tuesday, but his stay in the organization has turned out to be a very brief one. The Panthers announced that Sterns failed his physical and he will be placed back on waivers.
Sterns missed all but one game last season with a torn patellar tendon, but his departure from Denver was not due to a failed physical. The 2021 fifth-round pick had 49 tackles, four interceptions, two sacks, and nine passes defensed in 21 games for the Broncos.
The move leaves the Panthers with an open spot on their 90-man roster.
The Panthers claimed safety Caden Sterns off waivers, the team announced Tuesday.
The Broncos waived Sterns on Monday, and the Panthers were first in the waiver wire order based on the final standings in 2023.
Sterns, 24, played for Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero in Denver.
The Broncos made Sterns a fifth-round pick in 2021, and he played 21 games with five starts in his time in Denver. He totaled 49 tackles, four interceptions, two sacks and nine pass breakups.
Sterns played only one game last season because of a torn patellar tendon.
The Panthers waived guard J.D. DiRenzo with an injury designation in a corresponding move.
While some coaches will have their starting quarterback take the field in the preseason opener, Dave Canales will not be one of them.
The Panthers’ HC told reporters in his Tuesday press conference that Bryce Young will not play in Thursday’s contest against the Patriots.
“We’ll take that week-to-week and get a sense for, do we need to get him out there in this system and get a couple of series and do that? That’s something that I’ve done in the past. We’ve done both. So, for this game, he will not play,” Canales said.
Canales was a part of a staff that had starters play last year with the Buccaneers, but Canales noted that Tampa Bay was having a quarterback competition between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask.
“This is different. We know who our guys is and he’s doing a fantastic job,” Canales said of Young. “The growth and all that matters. I’ve seen the plus side of going out there and just being able to have the cadences, the mixes, the plays coming in, the play clock, the situations and all that — those are really important as well. But I also know, we’re depending on those guys, too. So, the flip side of that, too, which we’ve seen some different models around the league is let’s make sure that we’re throwing those situations at them, getting our move-the-ball periods so we can function and see where we’re at.”
There is an inherent risk of injury in preseason play, which is a significant part of why Young won’t be on the field this week. But Canales also pointed to the upcoming joint practice with the Jets as an opportunity for Young to get quality reps.
“You can’t play scared, but you’ve got to be smart, and so yeah, it’s a factor for sure,” Canales said. “We’re thinking about that. With the guys we’re counting on, we’re definitely taking that into consideration, for sure. In our live move-the-ball periods, we’re going ones-vs.-ones all camp. Those are so valuable, especially at the end of practice when we’re tired, we get into the move-the-ball settings. We’ll have the Jets in here — that’s going to be a fantastic day. I can’t wait. That’s great work for those guys, so we’ve got to take advantage of those windows.”
Young threw for 2,877 yards with 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2023.
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is making quarterback decisions for the first time this season and the first calls he has to make involves who will play in the team’s preseason opener against the Panthers this Thursday.
The Patriots have Jacoby Brissett, first-round pick Drake Maye, sixth-round pick Joe Milton, and Bailey Zappe on the roster. Mayo was asked at Tuesday’s press conference if he plans to get all four of them into the matchup with Carolina.
“As of today, that’s the plan, to have all of those guys out there playing,” Mayo said. “Once again, it goes back to competing. So, yesterday, you guys saw the live tackling period and things like that, that I think is very important. You don’t want the first time these guys have to get hit or hit someone else to be in the preseason game. So, we’ve got to see what these guys can do with live action.”
Mayo didn’t say who will start, but Brissett is seen as the likely choice for that role with Maye following him in the rotation. Mayo wouldn’t specify how much the rookie will play, saying only that confirming he’ll play is “more than you’ve ever gotten” in the Bill Belichick days.
