Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers get rocked in ‘lopsided’ practice with Texans
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
The Carolina Panthers better be glad that Wednesday’s joint practice against the Houston Texans didn’t count in the NFL standings.
Read more How Dolly Parton helped thousands of NC families foster a love of reading
If it had, the Panthers would have sustained a massive loss.
Carolina’s offense in particular got overwhelmed by a Houston pass rush that knocked the Panthers offensive line back like it was playing on roller skates. Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, Houston’s bookend edge rushers, had their way against every offensive tackle they faced, with rookie Monroe Freeling at right tackle and Rasheed Walker at left tackle both having tough days. Hunter, by some counts in a practice where the quarterback isn’t actually tackled, had at least four sacks. With little time to throw, Young had barely any luck against Houston’s secondary.
Said head coach Dave Canales in his opening comments describing the practice: “In two words, Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson. I think that’s four words actually, but those guys are fantastic players. That’s exactly what we need to see. Monroe needs it. Rasheed (Wallace, the Panthers’ current starter at left tackle) needs it. You know, when we dropped back today, we couldn’t really do much.”
Canales also characterized the Houston rush as “phenomenal.”
“It was pretty lopsided today,” Canales said, “I’ll be honest.”
The Panthers’ first-team defense fared a little better against Houston’s first-team offense on the other field — the matchups were occurring simultaneously. But the Texans still had some success there behind quarterback C.J. Stroud, who went No. 2 in the same NFL draft in 2023 where the Panthers chose Young as the overall No. 1 selection.
Obviously frustrated at times on the field, Young threw two interceptions and never got his team anywhere close to the end zone. While the Panthers’ interior linemen held up better, Walker and Freeling constantly got beat around the outside. Second-string quarterback Kenny Pickett had more opportunities when the teams played their top backups and threw TD passes to both John Metchie and Jimmy Horn.
“For sure, they got after us,” Young said. “You know, I have a lot of respect for them. Really good unit. We have to do better…. It’s not fun on a day like this…. It sucks to have a day where you don’t feel like you produce very well, but it’s a great training opportunity.”
Canales said he took it upon himself to talk to Young late in the practice as things continued to go poorly.
“Days can get frustrating like that,” the coach said. “And he (Young) and I kind of talked about it… and just said, ‘Hey, look, there’ll be days like this. We can make adjustments. We can use chip help. We can run the ball. We can throw quickly to manufacture.. You’ve just go to be patient.’”
The Panthers’ defense fared a little better than offense. But the first-team Texans offense led by Stroud still found their positive plays — so much so that head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters that his offense “took a jump from where we were last practice.”
Read more NC high school football Week 2 schedule changes due to thunderstorms
From a 1,000-foot view:
The Panthers didn’t allow any deep passes and for the most part appeared to control the line of scrimmage. Texans running backs Woody Marks and David Montgomery mostly found their success on stretch runs, but even those were relatively few and far between. The Panthers also kept the first-team out of the end zone in one of their two drives that started in the red zone.
At the same time, the Panthers saw very little impact from their pass rush — a disappointment considering the beleaguered state of Houston’s offensive line — and Stroud didn’t struggle to find short completions.
The highlight? The Panthers’ defense forced a three-and-out on the Texans’ first-team offense’s second series. On a third-and-7, Stroud faced his toughest pocket of the afternoon and still completed a pass to Nico Collins, though it was right in front of the sticks.
The lowlight? The two-minute drill period. That was truly the only time the Panthers got gashed all afternoon. The sequence:
— Short completion to tight end Dalton Schultz.
— Acrobatic catch by Xavier Hutchinson (doing so despite an illegal contact penalty being called on the corner in coverage Corey Thornton).
— Short completion to Justin Watson.
— A drag route to rookie Lewis Bond, who took it 25 yards for a score; this play was so bad that it looked there was a missed assignment.
Leader and defensive end Derrick Brown told reporters after practice that he thought the defense’s day was “average” — except for the two-minute drill.
“Self-accountability, right?” Brown said. “We didn’t like the way that two-minute ended. But I mean, s—-, we’re going to go in there and get better. We’re going to go in there and be honest with one another. And it doesn’t start with the coaches. It starts with the players.”
Read more Krispy Kreme brings back fan-favorite doughnut. Here’s when to get it
This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 1:35 PM.
