Carolina Panthers holding joint practice with Pop Warner team after Week 1 preseason loss

The Carolina Panthers are coming off the second-worst season in their 30-year franchise history. A 2-15 season isn’t easily erased from the minds of players or coaches. Nor can it be erased from the record books, as much as Panthers team owner David Tepper would like.

However, 2024 is a new year, which means the Panthers get a fresh start, just like the other 31 NFL teams. So I guess we shouldn’t be surprised when the Panthers want to try something new, like practicing against a new form of competition.

Carolina Panthers set to scrimmage against local Pop Warner football team

The Carolina Panthers just wrapped up their first preseason game of the 2024 season on Thursday. By Saturday, they’ll be back in action, but in a much different way.

According to Sheena Quick of Fox Sports, the Panthers are set to host a joint practice/scrimmage with a local Carolina-area Pop Warner team. This means that if your child is a member of the Pop Warner 11U Police Activities League (PAL) Panthers, they’ll get the opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday. A chance to share the same field with Heisman winner Bryce Young.

The plan is for the PAL players to warm up with the NFL Panthers and even participate in an intra-squad scrimmage with fans cheering along the way. Once the session ends, they’ll gather for a few final words from first-year head coach Dave Canales, plus PAL head coach Tae Brown, just like a normal NFL practice.

This get-together is part of the NFL’s Play Football Month initiative, meant to highlight football being practiced and played at the youth level. When reached for comment, Coach Canales shared just how much the game means to him, and why he wants to pass it on to younger levels of the sport.

“It means a great deal to share this experience with the PAL Panthers and it reinforces that the fundamentals and preparation for football teams, no matter what the level of play, is universal.”
Dave Canales on the Panthers’ Pop Warner practice

For those available and interested, the practice will begin at 1:30 PM ET. The joint warm-up will kick off at 2:15 PM. Once practice ends, the scrimmage will begin.