Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips make instant impact on defense in debut

That was the point of those big additions.

The Panthers set all the wrong kind of records on defense in 2024, but continued to stack pieces around Pro Bowlers Horn and Brown, and got to the middle of the pack defensively last year. The hope is that impact players on every level now (along with their 2025 free agent addition Tre’von Moehrig) can push them higher.

Panthers head coach Dave Canales noted the “splash plays” the new guys made Saturday, and specifically talked about the difference getting pressure from Phillips can make for the other rushers like Umanmielen and the defense as a whole.

“They all challenge each other,” Canales said. “It’s a great room. They enjoy working together. It’s a hardworking group. (Position coach) AC Carter does a great job with those guys, in the pre-practice, during practice, finding ways to just improve their techniques, their hand placement, all those things, and they really enjoy it.

“It’s great to have a veteran guy in the room who knows how to get after it, who knows how to work and set that tempo for guys, and Princely’s been one of our guys that has really stood out this training camp with the chase and with the effort and the style that we’re looking for, and it’s just good to see that translate out there on the field.”

Again, it was only a quarter, but it was certainly a hint of what they’re looking for.