Panthers Legend Steve Smith is the Batman to Jonathan Mingo's Robin

Matt Alquiza | Aug 3, 2024

Jun 4, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jonathan Mingo (15) makes a catch during OTAs. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Peanut butter and jelly. Batman and Robin. 2011 Matt Alquiza’s prom "date" and the guy she actually spent all night dancing with. Jonathan Mingo and Steve Smith. Four inseparable duos, including one that may define the ceiling of the Carolina Panthers offense in 2024 and beyond. 

Steve Smith’s love for his former franchise is effervescent. The Panthers’ all-time leading receiver left his mark on the city as a player, and continues to do so as an ambassador for the team. Smith has been seen in the booth during games, on the sidelines during practice, and all over the place donning Process Blue. However, his most impactful moments of this offseason have come away from any cameras or organized team activities. They’ve come in private training sessions with sophomore wide receiver Jonathan Mingo. 

Mingo has been the unquestioned star of training camp thus far. Every day Twitter feeds across the Carolinas are lit up with beat writers detailing the wide out’s latest exposes. He’s open at every level of the field, no matter the coverage, in all drills. Mingo can not be stopped this summer. He’s on a mission to prove that his disappointing rookie season will not define him. He’s dreaming of what can be, unburdened by what has been in his career thus far. And a Panthers’ legend is by his side through it all.

.@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

In a recent appearance on WFNZ, Steve Smith detailed his relationship with Jonathan Mingo. “Me and Jonathan put some work in this offseason. He was getting some work in with me at 7 o’clock in the morning outside at the end of the week after he was already working. We were doing a lot of work together…This is Steve Smith and Jonathan Mingo are joined at the hip. He calls me, I call him when I see something or he has a question. There’s an open line of communication. It’s batman and robin talking about how we can corral the Joker, which is the corners he’s taking on this year.”

Phew.

There are few better mentors when it comes to wide receiver play than Steve Smith. What Smith lacked in physical gifting, he made up for in technique, relentless work, and dawg. The Panther great is the exact type of player that Dan Morgan described when he said the franchise was in need of more dawgs. Jonathan Mingo’s rookie season was one to forget for a myriad of reasons. His offseason with Steve Smith has his sophomore season looking like it’s going to be one to remember.

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