• Last year, Byron Bell was an undrafted free agent signed as training camp fodder. This year, he’s the Panthers starting right tackle. “A year ago, I definitely wouldn’t have thought I’d be having a press conference,” he told Panthers.com’s Bryan Strickland.
  • LB Jon Beason is back on the field and recovered from his season-ending Achilles injury. He’ll play wherever coach Ron Rivera wants him, including on offense if necessary. “We’re all paying rent. … When it’s over, somebody else is going to do it,” he told the Charlotte Observer’s Ron Green Jr.
  • LB Luke Kuechly had an interception in his first training camp practice in the NFL. Coach Ron Rivera is impressed with how advanced the team’s first-round draft pick is compared to other rookies. “He’s way ahead,” he told Fox Sports Carolina’s Andrew Jones.
  • LBs Jon Beason and Thomas Davis were brothers in rehab last season. Davis is looking to become the first NFL player to come back from three ACL tears in the same knee. Beason is recovering from an Achilles injury. The Charlotte Observer’s Tom Sorensen talks to both of them about their rehab.
  • K Justin Medlock knows the best way to make the team: Never miss. He was a perfect “40-something for 40-something” during offseason minicamps and made his first six once camp opened. Panthers.com profiles Medlock, who was about to sign a three-year CFL contract when the Panthers came calling.

For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Carolina Panthers from blogger Shawn Krest, follow@CBSSportsNFLCAR.