South Charlotte Today

On Monday, the practice field was filled with bucket hats and ball caps as several veterans took maintenance days following a rigorous padded session on Sunday. According to Dave Canales, Thursday's preseason opener might follow a similar pattern.

Canales has yet to make a final decision regarding playing time until after Tuesday's full-pad practice. He did not rule out the possibility of keeping quarterback Bryce Young out of the preseason entirely. While recognizing the need for reps with new center Austin Corbett and for an all-new offense, he emphasized the importance of maintaining players' health for the regular season.

"There could be," Canales responded when asked if Young might sit out the preseason. "You know, I keep going back and forth with that because there's some value to just allowing him to play with Austin. And then there's also the flip side of which we know we're counting on those guys, and that's another approach too, and different teams have different philosophies for how they do that. So that's something that I've been kind of wrestling with."

In recent years, starting quarterbacks have seen reduced preseason reps, often not playing until the regular season opener. Young expressed trust in Canales and his staff to make the right decision regarding his participation.

"I think it's a process, and I trust in whatever they feel like the process is," Young said. "Obviously, us being back, we all are competitors. We all are excited for the season. We're all excited to be on the field together and compete. We all have that competitive edge to us."

Young played 54 snaps in his rookie preseason last year—11 in the opener after joint practice with the Jets, 21 in the second game, and 22 in the third game. He noted there were benefits from last year's experience.

"I think that you learn how good people are in the NFL," Young said. "Everyone's out there, preseason or regular season; it's the best of the best competing... So it was great."

Canales confirmed rookie wideout Xavier Legette's foot injury showed no structural damage but stated Legette would not play in Thursday's opener due to precautionary measures.

"So, the MRI revealed no fractures in the foot, which is fantastic news for us really to just find that out," he said about Legette who left practice on Sunday.

Wideout Terrace Marshall Jr., who collided with cornerback D'Shawn Jamison during practice Monday, walked off with assistance from athletic trainers after staying down momentarily.

The team saw alumni Greg Olsen and Luke Kuechly along with former tight ends coach Pete Hoener on-site Monday.

Veterans such as Adam Thielen, Taylor Moton, Josey Jewell, A'Shawn Robinson, Troy Hill along with others returning from injuries also had rest days Monday.

"The communication in between," Canales remarked when asked about what he expected from non-practicing players on maintenance days. "As we rotate our groups... Making sure that Austin for sure is having those little dialogues with Bryce throughout..."

Brady Christensen worked at right tackle while Cade Mays started at center due to Moton’s absence Monday as part of efforts to assess depth across positions on offensive lines.

Defensive back Jaycee Horn demonstrated notable skills by making a one-handed grab during a scout team rep while veteran safety Xavier Woods received attention for breaking up a pass intended for Jonathan Mingo without securing it himself—a common competitive scenario among defensive backs aiming high performance standards.

Rookie Ja'Tavion Sanders previewed his upcoming song performance before teammates by singing bars from Luke Combs' "Beautiful Crazy" when prompted by reporters.