The second day of the Carolina Panthers‘ team organized activities (OTAs) was a little more exclusive than the first. As opposed to Tuesday, Wednesday’s on-field session was closed off to outside media members.

Nonetheless, we still learned a thing or two about the current state of the squad.

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Carolina sent their three coordinators—Brad Idzik (offense), Ejiro Evero (defense) and Tracy Smith (special teams)—to the lectern yesterday morning to chop it up with reporters ahead of practice. Here are the biggest takeaways from each chat . . .

Early stages of the kicker competition

With Eddy Piñeiro left unsigned, the Panthers are on the hunt for a new placekicker. The two contenders for the job are veteran journeyman Matthew Wright and undrafted rookie Ryan Fitzgerald.

Smith broke down the differences between them.

“Matt is more experienced,” Smith stated. “He’s played on more NFL teams. He has a whole year of the kickoff rule he’s dealt with. The box is checked. He knows what he’s doing on that. He’s ahead mentally on all that stuff.

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“Ryan is coming straight from college. So all of the rule stuff, it’s all first time out. It’s practicing with an NFL team—it’s completely different, the lifestyle and all those things. So he’s different in that way. But also a very successful last two years in college, has a great leg.

“So we’re kinda seeing pros and cons of each guy and seeing where it goes. There’s no reason to really call a leader anywhere in the near future.”

Wright, who has picked up 17 different stints with nine NFL teams, has converted on 55 of his 63 career field goal attempts (87.3 percent). He has also booted through 41 of his 43 extra point tries.

Fitzgerald, over his last three seasons at Florida State University, converted on 44 of his 54 field goals (80 percent) and 129 of his 130 extra points.

Rebuilding the edge

The Panthers are leaving their pass-rushing responsibilities to the youngsters.

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32-year-old Jadeveon Clowney was released three weeks ago, leaving the unit without one of its 2024 sack leaders. And while Evero was thankful for Clowney’s work last season, he and the organization are hoping its fresher faces will seize their new opportunities.

“We’re certainly looking for everyone in that room—and really, on the entire defense, coaches included—to perform better,” Evero said of the outside linebackers. “But in terms of leadership, I certainly love what Pat Jones is gonna bring to the table, what D.J. Wonnum is gonna bring to the table, DJ Johnson going into his third year, the leadership of Coach [AC] Carter as well.

“So, at the end of the day, there’s opportunity for everyone in that room. There’s competition for everyone in that room. There’s competition all the way across our defense and we’re excited about that.”

Carolina signed Jones to a two-year, $15 million deal this spring. The 26-year-old is coming off a career-high 7.0 sacks and 12 quarterback hits.

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They also drafted two pass rushers, Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen, in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft.

Adding another element to the offense

Speaking of the draft, the Panthers started off their class by selecting wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with the eighth overall pick.

Idzik was asked what he thinks the 6-foot-4 All-American pass catcher adds to the offense.

“TMac, he does a phenomenal job of being friendly to the quarterback in every route he runs,” Idzik stated. “You talk about shaving the top of routes on in-breaks to out-breaks and being a hands catcher, he does a great job in that right. And I think he’s just another element to this group of guys, that when they’re playing confident, you have to take advantage of defenses that are not pushing coverage towards one individual or the other.

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“So, I think that’s what we’re most excited about. He’s a true pass catcher. He’s got the whole route tree under his belt that he can run and we’re just trying to keep him up to speed with the rest of the guys as we push the envelope on how much they can handle.”

McMillan comes in off a very productive collegiate career. He reeled in 213 receptions for 3,423 yards and 26 touchdowns during his three years at the University of Arizona.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers 2025 OTAs: Biggest takeaways from Day 2