CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton rolled to his right. There was plenty of space ahead for a quarterback who has more rushing yards than any other in the NFL since 2011 to take off and pick up good yardage.

Maybe a touchdown.

Newton dumped the ball to second-round pick Curtis Samuel, who did a quick down-and-out from the slot position to distance himself from the player trying to cover him.

Touchdown.

Newton made this easy throw in Tuesday's practice and didn't put himself in a position where he would have been at risk had this been a game and he wasn't wearing a red jersey that screamed "don't touch me." He put the ball into the hands of a playmaker who had no problem making the play.

Curtis Samuel was shelved for much of training camp but is part of the Panthers' arsenal of speedy slot receivers. AP Photo/Chuck Burton

That's what the Carolina Panthers want this offense to become. They have the slot receivers to help make that happen.

"Being able to create mismatches," receiver Russell Shepard said. "I feel like the slot is the best way to create mismatches with linebackers and safeties with very skilled guys. Being able to take advantages of those mismatches when we have them, that's going to be very valuable to this offense."

The Panthers had that with Jerricho Cotchery in 2015. That's when Newton won the NFL MVP award with a career-best 35 touchdown passes and the Panthers led the league in scoring with 31.3 points a game. Cotchery, even in the last year of his career, had 39 catches for 485 yards and 3 touchdowns.

They didn't really have that threat last season in Philly Brown, more of a wideout. Brown had 27 catches for 276 yards. Now in Samuel, Shepard and first-round pick Christian McCaffrey -- even Damiere Byrd and Brenton Bersin can be thrown into the mix -- the Panthers have multiple slot receivers who are faster than Cotchery ever dreamed of being.

"We're looking for that quick-burst, change-of-direction guy," coach Ron Rivera said.

The Panthers arguably put more effort into the slot position than any other during the offseason. They hired Cotchery to help coach the position, signed Shepard in free agency and drafted McCaffrey and Samuel in the first two rounds.

While McCaffrey is listed as a running back, he plays the slot equally well.

Having that player who can take a short pass and turn it into a big play should make Newton's life easier. It should make life easier for the rest of the receivers because of the space it will create for them on routes.

There were glimpses of that in training camp with Shepard and McCaffrey. Samuel was shelved for much of that time with a hamstring injury, but he returned to team drills this week and could play in Thursday night's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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"Speed. Playmaking ability," Shepard said of what Samuel brings. "He can get up to top-end speed like no other. Regardless of whether we're handing the ball to him or throwing to him, he's a threat on the field."

McCaffrey has gotten most -- if not all -- of the attention from Carolina's rookie class because of his wow factor. His first move has made everyone from Pro Bowl middle linebacker Luke Kuechly to safety Mike Adams look silly.

But Samuel has that same wow factor that Ohio State used to its advantage last season. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound speedster caught 74 passes for 865 yards and 7 touchdowns; he also rushed 97 times for 771 yards and 8 touchdowns.

"I feel like I have enough moves to make a play happen," Samuel said with a smile. "I don't want to give away too much. We'll wait and see."

We saw a glimpse of it Tuesday.