Having those fingerprints all over a program is how the Panthers have been able to build what, on the field, is a relatively young team. Moore is working back from an injury sustained in Week 4. He’s in the building every day, running at practice, offering tidbits during team drills, listening in, and mentoring guys in the locker room, texting Idzik his stream-of-consciousness thoughts during a game.
Renfrow has been a healthy scratch most of the season. But the veteran, who made it clear the Panthers were one of the few teams he’d come back to football for after a year off dealing with illness, has embraced the role he’s playing in the progression of guys like Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, and others.
“He’s very self-aware,” Idzik said of Renfrow. “He knows how the league works, and he’s great at communicating. As long as you communicate with those guys on the front end, like we did with Hunter, as we kind of cycle through different lineups at the receiver position, he was great with it. He handled it great. He attacks every practice like he’s up on game day.
“They have a fun time having him on the scout team. I know he’s continuing to stress the defense a little bit in that regard, but he and I have great conversations every day, just route concepts. ‘Hey, here’s a little thing I think that would be great for TMac.’
“I think he’s such a selfless player that he looks at the game plan like a coach would and says, ‘OK, I watched the tape too. I think there’s some cool things that you could add,’ and we’re receptive to all of it.”