SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Panthers reached one of training camp's milestone moments Sunday when they practiced in pads for the first time.
The defense in particular made the most of the moment.
"It was a great day for us on defense," assistant head coach Steve Wilks said.
Wilks was in the last of two days filling in while head coach Ron Rivera attended his brother's funeral, and Carolina's secondary coach couldn't help but notice what his unit was able to accomplish in pads after the offense more often held the upper hand without pads.
"The biggest thing we always emphasize is not giving up the big play, and we didn't today," Wilks said.