Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo has been the talk of training camp.
As it turns out, the second-year receiver’s hot start is a result of a few things: Working out with Bryce Young, getting his mind right, and working out with the famous No. 89 – Steve Smith Sr.
On Monday’s episode of The Clubhouse with Kyle Bailey, Smith joined the show and revealed he and Mingo worked out together often in the offseason. Since then, the two have been inseparable.
“I don’t need to watch film on Jonathan Mingo the way y’all watching it,” Smith said. “Me and Jonathan put some work in this offseason. So he was getting some work in with me in the morning, outside at the end of the week after he was already working. We were doin’ a lot of work together.”
.@SteveSmithSr89 joined @KyleBaileyClub on the @ClubhouseKB as he weighed in on some of the biggest stories so far in @Panthers training camp, and who he thinks at this point should be the favorite to win the NFC South.#KeepPounding
Full Interview: https://t.co/ByC5bjp2hg pic.twitter.com/B1LTdYjZhV
— Sports Radio WFNZ (@wfnz) July 30, 2024
Smith continued: “He calls me, I call him. When I see something or he has a question, there’s an open line of communication. This Batman and Robin talking, and trying to figure out how can we corral Joker, which is the corners he’ll be goin’ against this year.”
Mingo has turned Dave Canales’ head throughout the early portion of camp. Canales has been impressed with his approach to the game and the fluidity Mingo is playing with.
“You see Mingo, Terrace Marshall really showing who they are. David Moore, you throw the ball that his way, he comes up with it,” Canales said recently. “I’ve really seen those guys come through, and when we can depend on them. So it’s a really good room, it’s a really good competition, some different styles of players. Ihmir making some nice plays.”
The way Mingo sees it, the game is slowing down for him. He is finding a genuine connection to second-year quarterback Bryce Young. That is exactly what the Panthers are hoping for moving forward.
“[We] just going out there working,” Mingo said on Monday. “Keeping the same mindset. Just trying to help this team win.”
Trying to help Mingo win was Smith, who won several big games throughout his career.
