-All three quarterbacks had their moments during Wednesday's unseasonably cool practice, but those charged with defending the pass enjoyed even more moments. The Panthers' defensive backs (and linebacker Luke Kuechly) were aggressive to the ball, closing fast to bat away several passes.

Cornerback Ross Cockrell, coming off a season lost to injury, did one better with a perfect break for an interception on a quick pass attempt by Grier. Safety Rashaan Gaulden was all over the place – quite literally – making his mark at both safety and nickel corner.

"It's good to watch Ross come back after what he's been through," Rivera said. "Rashaan played both safety and nickel for us, and I thought he did a nice job. Very enthusiastic. Working really hard. He'll continue to work at both spots."

-Rivera added that Gaulden has "to be careful when we're out there," a reference to Gaulden knocking the ball out of Heinicke's hand in the pocket on a blitz – a no-no with the quarterbacks in red jerseys. Rivera later called rookie pass rusher Brian Burns over when Burns did much the same to Grier, although Burns' maneuvers to get close to the quarterback so quickly in the first place certainly were a positive.

-Rivera worked to push the pace throughout team periods, prodding the offense to get into and out of the huddle quickly.

-With Newton unable to utilize his deep ball ability much of last season, it felt almost novel to see some long passes uncorked Wednesday. Heinicke let one fly to Alliance of American Football product Rashad Ross, who appeared to have a step on corner James Bradberry, but the ball sailed too far for anyone.

-Later, a Heinicke deep ball almost appeared to be intended off of his hand for Jackson, who played center field to perfection and came away with an interception to go with the one he recorded during the first OTA on Tuesday. Heinicke came right back with a really nice deep connection with Curtis Samuel between two defenders, a play that fired up Newton on a mostly reserved day for him.