Carolina Panthers 2019 Training Camp is in the books and things finished off with the second day of joint practicing with the Buffalo Bills.
All eyes from Panther fans were once again on quarterback Cam Newton and the battle for his backup.
Newton faced an opposing team defense for the first time on Tuesday since his Monday Night matchup against the New Orleans last season due to his shoulder injury. He had some ups and downs (put story here from yesterday.)
On Wednesday, Newton continued the up-tempo pace against Buffalo in 7-on-7, 11-on-11 and red zone drills.
Kyle Allen and Will Grier continued their battle for the backup quarterback as the Panthers hey ready for their second preseason game on Friday against Buffalo at Bank of America Stadium.
Here's a rundown of the quarterbacks and the final day of training camp:
CAM NEWTON
Newton followed up yesterday's red zone struggles by completing his first five passes in 7-on-7 drills.
The most impressive catch to begin the day was a one-handed snag by tight end Greg Olsen.
Newton finished his first series 5-of-6, with completions to receivers Curtis Samuel and DJ Moore, and running back Christian McCaffrey
"That was pleasing (to see Newton do that)," head coach Ron Rivera said.
In Newton's second series, he completed two passes to tight end Chris Manhertz, but had two near interceptions.
First, Bills cornerback Kevin Johnson almost picked off a Newton-to-Samuel throw and then second-year linebacker Tremaine Edmunds broke up a pass intended for Olsen.
Newton later connected with Samuel in red-zone drills for what now seems like a daily occurrence between the two. Newton's pass was around 40 yards.
However, Newton had a fumbled snap, a delay of game and was nearly picked by Johnson again.
But overall, Rivera was happy with how the offensive first unit performed.
"I am real pleased with what I saw on the offensive side, especially from the first unit," Rivera said. "When you have playmakers you just want to get the ball in their hands."
KYLE ALLEN & WILL GRIER
Allen began the day with an interception from Bills linebacker Deon Lacey that was intended for receiver Terry Godwin.
Allen's best play came during 7-on-7's when he threw a deep ball to receiver Torrey Smith. It was their second long pass in the same amount of days.
Grier had some short completions but nothing spectacular that stood out. One of his best throws was dropped by receiver Chris Hogan.
Both Hogan and Aldrick Robinson struggled.
"Stuff like this is very important because you get a whole different type of intensity and you really had to use our stuff and follow the rules as players," Rivera said. "Everything these guys saw was new."
OTHER NOTABLES
Rookie defensive end Brian Burns dressed for practice but after a few warmups in team drills, he left early due to an ankle injury he's been dealing with all week.
Offensive tackle Norman Price and linebacker Antwione Williams were carted off the field towards the end of practice.
Rivera said he would almost rather have joint training camp practices more than actual preseason games.
"I'm not sure if playing as many games are as important as they used to be," Rivera said. "I would do a mix of them because if you can get two teams to come together that can focus on working and developing, you can help each other out a lot."
The battle for back up running back behind McCaffrey is still ongoing. Reggie Bonnafon, Cameron Artis-Payne and rookies Elijah Holyfield and Jordan Scarlett are the four potential options.
"It's still a battle. We're not even at our second game yet. We'll get a better feel on Friday to see where we are and see how it shakes itself out," Rivera said. "It was great to see what Elijah and Reggie did last week. Those are the types of things we need to see from our young backs."
This could have been the last training camp for the Panthers in Spartanburg, after 25 years. With former owner, Jerry Richardson, a Wofford College alum, no longer with the team and the team's contract expiring contract and the team eventually moving its headquarters to Rock Hill, Carolina may find a new summer home.
"It's been really good. The staff and fans, they've come out and drove and supported us, but who knows," Rivera said. "We'll see what happens. It's been great since we've been here."