Panthers WR coach Shawn Jefferson pads up, gives hits during drills

Yes, that was 54-year-old Shawn Jefferson wearing a helmet and pads so he could push around his receivers Saturday at Panthers practice. We’re assuming he got their attention about the importance of being physical.

A journalist with Carolina Blitz captured the moment when Jefferson, a long-time NFL receiver, began schooling his guys. This is his first year coaching the Panthers wideouts. We’re assuming the kids won’t soon forget when someone their father’s age threw down with them.

Check it out for yourself.

Panthers wide receiver coach Shawn Jefferson is padded up and delivering hits during wide receiver drills. pic.twitter.com/jKA3jo2A2U

— Carolina Blitz (@KeepBlitzin) August 5, 2023

Shawn Jefferson started his NFL life in 1991, when the old Houston Oilers selected him in the ninth round of the draft. Jefferson was a star with Central Florida. He ended up playing for the Chargers, Patriots, Falcons and Lions during his 13-year career. That also included 12 post-season appearances with two coming in the Super Bowl.

He began his NFL coaching career in 2006. He was Kliff Kingsbury‘s associate head coach at Arizona the past two years. With the coaching change, he found himself on Frank Reich‘s new staff. With his players, he’s been there, done that to the score of 470 career receptions for 7,023 yards.

Shawn Jefferson says his receivers will ‘go against the grain’

When Shawn Jefferson arrived at Carolina, he promised a vibe change.

“We wanna be different,” he said, when asked about his players’ versatility. “We wanna go against the grain. (And) We just don’t wanna be just stagnant where people can say, ‘Okay, we know what they’re gonna play here.’ I wanna move these guys around because I think it’s an advantage to us, and we’re all about putting stress on the defense.”

And he’s still serving as a motivator to his new group of wideouts. They’re all trying to build chemistry with rookie quarterback Bryce Young, who was the top pick of his year’s draft.

DJ Chark is setting up to be Young’s best deep-ball receiver. That is, if Chark can stay healthy. Shawn Jefferson insists that he will, although Chark has missed 18 games the past two seasons.

“He’ll be healthy this year, I can assure you that,” Jefferson told reporters. “We’ve been grinding through offseason (and) training camp. And training camp is about getting these guys calloused up. He’s not getting hurt this year. We’re going in with that mindset that he’s not getting hurt. He’ll play a full season this year.”