During his first press conference of training camp, Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan addressed his failure to show up for a youth training camp by saying, “I never committed to that.”
McMillan has since said he shouldn’t have said that.
“During my press conference this past weekend I misspoke about a summer youth camp,” McMillan tweeted. “For clarity, I agreed to host a camp with FlexWork Sports but in February I noticed a conflict in my schedule and notified the FlexWork team of the change in my availability. FlexWork agreed on my behalf and emailed all camp attendees that day offering refunds for those that didn’t want to attend the other camp option.”
The last part conflicts with the reporting regarding the timing of the notification, and regarding the claim from some parents that they never received word that the camp had been canceled.
And so the lesson to be learned is this — if a player commits to a camp (or any other appearance that entails fans paying a fee) and then can’t make it, make sure to follow up with the event organizer to ensure that the cancellation was handled properly. In this case, McMillan dropped the ball when it comes to ensuring that FlexWork Sports didn’t drop the ball.
Panthers Clips
Last week, Panthers General Manager Dan Morgan said that the team had “no plans” to bring in another quarterback even after the retirement of Will Grier.
But, plans can change.
Carolina is bringing in former Buccaneers backup Kyle Trask for a workout, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
Trask, a second-round pick in 2021, finished his rookie contract with the Buccaneers before re-signing with the club last offseason. They then released him during roster cuts. Trask then spent time with the Falcons’ practice squad in the second half of the season.
Trask has familiarity with Panthers head coach Dave Canales, who was the Bucs’ offensive coordinator in 2023.
Carolina currently has Kenny Pickett and Haynes King at QB on its roster behind starter Bryce Young.
Next month, linebacker Luke Kuechly will enter the Hall of Fame. The following month, he’ll enter the broadcast booth.
Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reports that Kuechly will be Netflix’s No. 1 game analyst this year.
Kuechly will debut in the land of the kookaburra on September 10, for Netflix’s broadcast of the 49ers-Rams Week 1 contest from Australia.
He auditioned for the job earlier this month, at the NBC Sports studios in Stamford, Connecticut. Per Marchand, Kuechly showed “immediate chemistry” with Noah Eagle, and the Netflix executives liked the idea of bringing a fresh, new name into the booth.
Kuechly will work four games in all this year, since two of the Netflix games will be played on Christmas Day.
And while it’s only four games for 2026, Netflix’s contract runs through 2029. If Netflix decides to jump in the pool for a full-season package as of 2030, Kuechly would be in prime position to be their primary analyst.
The 35-year-old Kuechly has called Panthers radio games, so he has some experience in this space. He’ll step onto a massive platform when he shows up in Melbourne.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn is ready to get on the practice field.
The Panthers announced on Tuesday morning that they have activated Horn from the non-football injury list. Horn landed on the list as camp opened last week due to a cut on his foot.
Horn worked on side fields while the rest of the Panthers practiced last week and Tuesday’s move clears him for a full slate of activities. Tuesday’s practice will be the first fully padded one of the summer for the defending NFC South champions.
Four Panthers remain on the team’s injury lists and offensive tackles Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton are expected to remain out into the regular season.
Veteran running back Miles Sanders missed most of last season with a knee injury, but he’s trying to get back on the field ahead of the 2026 campaign.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports that Sanders worked out for the Raiders on Monday. Fowler adds that Sanders has been fully cleared after having surgery to address his injured knee.
Sanders played four games for the Cowboys last year before being shut down. He had 20 carries for 117 yards and a touchdown along with eight catches for 30 yards.
Sanders spent the previous two seasons with the Panthers and the 2019 second-rounder opened his career with four seasons in Philadelphia. He has 4,462 career rushing yards and 1,274 receiving yards.
The Raiders have Ashton Jeanty at the top of a running back group that also includes 2026 fourth-rounder Mike Washington, Dylan Laube, Chris Collier, and Roman Hemby.
On the first day of 2026 training-camp practice, Panthers linebacker Nic Scourton suffered a season-ending ACL tear. Given that it happened during the mandatory, five-day acclimation period, the NFL Players Association is investigating the situation.
Via Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer, a Panthers spokesperson said on Sunday morning that the team is aware of the situation and will cooperate with the NFLPA.
The investigation begins, and possibly ends, with a review of the video of the injury. That will show whether Scourton was doing something that the CBA prohibits in the early days of training camp.
The rules aren’t nearly as specific as they could be. Some have suggested that this would be an occasion to create more precise standards aimed at giving players who have been away from football for more than a month a chance to ease their bodies back into practicing, before the pedal is fully pressed against the metal.
If Scourton’s injury happened under circumstances that comply with the current rules of the five-day acclimation period (and there’s currently no reason to think otherwise), the mere fact that an ACL tear happened so early in the process suggests that there should be tighter restrictions for the first official day that the players are practicing.
Everyone should want that — players, teams, and the league. The best players should be available to play in as many games as possible. While injuries are inevitable when the games are played, no player should ever be lost for the entire season during a no-contact practice to open camp.
Season-ending injuries are one of the constant risks of training camp, and Panthers linebacker Nic Scourton experienced one on the first day of 2026 practice.
Scourton suffered an ACL tear on a field that reporters have characterized as wet. Given that the first five days of camp are supposed to be an “acclimation period,” the outcome merits closer scrutiny.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the NFL Players Association will review video of the practice to understand the circumstances. If it was a non-contact fluke, that’s one thing. If the Panthers were straying beyond the limits of the acclimation period, it’s another.
Article 23 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement contains general rules regarding the five-day, on-field acclimation period. Article 23, Section 7(a) provides that "[t]he first day of a Club’s preseason training camp shall be limited to physical examinations, meetings, and classroom instruction; no on-field activities shall be permitted other than running and conditioning.” The on-field work is “limited to Phase One-type conditioning, timing and testing, except that all coaches are permitted on the field.”
On days two through five, no live contact is permitted, with only helmets and protective shirts permitted during one of the two practices each day.
The video of the practice will reveal plenty as to how the injury happened, and whether the specific conditions complied with the limits of the acclimation period.
The Panthers had several players in for workouts on Friday and that led to some roster shuffling on Saturday.
They announced that they have signed defensive tackle Kyon Barrs, defensive tackle Elijah Garcia, and cornerback DeCarlos Nicholson to their 90-man roster. Offensive tackle Derrell Bailey, linebacker Jared Bartlett, and cornerback Mike Reid were waived in corresponding moves.
Garcia is the only new arrival with NFL regular season experience. He has played in 17 games for the Broncos, Giants and Falcons over the last four seasons. He has 28 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery
Barrs has spent time with the Seahawks and Cardinals while Nicholson was briefly on the Browns after going undrafted this April.
Earlier this month, news emerged of a Tetairoa McMillan youth football camp that didn’t involve McMillan. Or, ultimately, a camp.
It was clear from the reporting that the company that set up the event, FlexWorks Sports Management, bungled it. On Friday, McMillan was asked about the situation during his first 2026 training camp visit with the media.
“I don’t want anybody to think that I don’t like kids or anything like that,” McMillan told reporters. “You know, I love the kids. Obviously, you know, they’re the next generation. So, [I] try to give back as much as possible. But, yeah, I don’t know where that came from. I never committed to that. . . . I look forward to seeing all the kids that expected me to be at that camp either at a game or come out to a practice, or, you know, just so I can make up for it.”
How did the miscommunication happen regarding the camp?
“I have no idea,” McMillan said. “I wish I knew.”
While it seemed at first that McMillan may have been offering to provide game tickets to the kids who had signed up for the camp that never happened, it’s not clear whether that’s the case.
“You know, obviously, there’s a lot of people that wait for us [at] practice either before practice or after practice,” McMillan said. “So, you know, just stop by or, you know, just come to a game. Fill up the Bank of America Stadium, do whatever you can, just to give back.”
McMillan should be pissed. Even if he never committed to the youth camp, FlexWorks damaged his reputation and brand. Even if he has a perfectly valid explanation (and he apparently does), the fact that someone else put him in a position where he had to explain himself should have him asking pointed questions and demanding clear answers from the company that misled young fans and their families to believe he’d be participating in the camp.
The Panthers added even more depth at offensive tackle on Friday, after signing offensive tackle Derrell Bailey earlier in the day.
Carolina claimed offensive tackle Ryan Hayes off waivers from the Titans, the team announced.
The Panthers are currently practicing without tackles Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton.
Hayes, 26, was on the practice squad of the Falcons last season.
He entered the NFL as a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins in 2023 out of Michigan. He has also spent time with the Colts, the Dolphins a second time and the Falcons. He has appeared in one game, which came with the Dolphins in 2024.
In a corresponding move, the Panthers waived wide receiver Kobe Prentice.
