Jaelan Phillips, Devin Lloyd and the rest of the Carolina Panthers’ new recruits will begin work at Bank of America Stadium on April 20.
The first phase of the offseason program will launch later this month, the team announced Friday. Organized team activities (OTAs) will begin on May 26, with six workouts spread out through June 4. Those workouts are considered voluntary.
Mandatory minicamp will run June 9 to June 11.
Phase one of the program lasts two weeks and features “activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only,” according to an NFL release. Phase two lasts for three weeks and includes non-contact work on practice fields, with offensive players lining up against offensive players and defensive players lining up against defensive players.
Phase three, considered the OTA window, features 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills — without live contact — with the offense against the defense.
On Monday, head coach Dave Canales said he expected running back Jonathon Brooks, a second-round pick in 2024, to be able to participate in the offseason program after missing all of last season.
“Yep, I would think so,” Canales said during the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix. “All the work that he’s done up until this point, it’s all about putting him in a football scenario with other people around him. When we start with phase one (of the offseason program), we don’t see the defense — we’re not even on the field yet. So, we’re doing all that stuff, and then once we get into phase two, on the field, there is no opponent that we’re going against, so I would imagine he’d go through all of that stuff.”
GM Dan Morgan noted last month that tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders, who underwent season-ending ankle surgery last year, should be able to participate in the offseason program as well. Sanders has battled ankle injuries throughout his two seasons with the Panthers.
The Panthers will have a busy summer, even with a break between minicamp and training camp. Carolina will start training camp early — with a date to be announced in the future — because the team will play against the Arizona Cardinals in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game on Aug. 6.
This story was originally published April 3, 2026 at 1:14 PM.
The Charlotte Observer
Mike Kaye writes about the Carolina Panthers for The Charlotte Observer. He also co-hosts “Processing Blue: A Panthers Podcast” for The Observer. Kaye’s work in columns/analysis and sports feature writing has been honored by the North Carolina Press Association (NCPA). His reporting has also received recognition from the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE).Kaye previously covered the entire NFL for Pro Football Network, the Philadelphia Eagles for NJ Advance Media and the Jacksonville Jaguars for First Coast News. Support my work with a digital subscription