Two down, eight to go.

   The Carolina Panthers agreed to terms Wednesday night with fourth-round draft pick Ryne Robinson, who figures to have a major impact on the team’s return game.

   The speedy receiver from Miami of Ohio agreed Wednesday night to a four-year contract worth $2.103 million that includes minimum base salaries of $285,000 (for 2007), $370,000 (2008), $460,000 (2009) and $550,000 (2010). If Robinson reaches certain performance incentives his base salary could increase in 2010. According to sources close to the situation, the Panthers have yet to receive the signed contract from Robinson, but that should arrive on Thursday.

   Robinson was a standout receiver at Miami of Ohio, catching 258 passes for 3,697 yards and 22 touchdowns. He set school records for receptions and receiving yards and his 5,656 all-purpose yards are the fifth most in conference history.

   However, Robinson is currently fifth on the Panthers depth chart at receiver behind Steve Smith, Drew Carter, Dwayne Jarrett and Keary Colbert. Although he could see some action as a slot receiver on third downs as a rookie, he’s likely to make the biggest impact as a return specialist. The Panthers ranked dead last in the league in kickoff (19.4 yards) and punt return (4.6 yards) average last year. Robinson averaged 13.9 yards and scored seven touchdowns on 121 punt returns at Miami of Ohio. He returned only eight kickoff returns, but the Panthers are giving him a chance to win that job as well.

   Robinson becomes the second draft pick to agree to terms, joining tight end Dante Rosario, a fifth-round pick.

   The Carolina Panthers have expressed some interest in signing free agent safety Donovin Darius, who was recently released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to sources.

   However, it's uncertain if the team has made him a concrete offer at this point or if talks are still in the preliminary stages. Either way, there has been some contact made. Oakland and Buffalo are also interested, but you'd have to think Darius, who is 32, would want to come to a team that gives him a shot to win the Super Bowl -- and certainly Carolina appears much closer than Oakland and Buffalo.

   The problem with Darius is he's coming off two severe injuries.

   He broke his leg last year and tore the ACL in his knee the year before that, causing him to miss more than 20 games. Remember, the Panthers took a chance last  year on another veteran safety with a history of injury problems (Shaun Williams) and things didn't work out well.

   Still, it wouldn't be a bad move for the Panthers to some depth give their core safeties include Mike Minter (retiring after this season), Nate Salley (unproven) and Deke Cooper (journeyman).

   Here's an item that didn't get much play at minicamp:

   Evan Mathis, who started 15 games last season at right guard for the Panthers last season, finished last camp working behind Jordan Gross at right tackle. It could be the Panthers seeing if Mathis is versatile enough to move outside if needed in a pinch, but a permanent move is not out of the question.

   As of right now, the Panthers are pretty deep at guard and center after moving last year's starting right tackle Jeremy Bridges to right guard. Justin Hartwig is working as the first-team center and former Pro Bowler Mike Wahle is back healthy and will play left guard.

   The depth there is solid. The team also has Geoff Hangartner, who can play both center and guard. He started 15 games last  year at center. And, don't forget the Panthers used a second-round draft pick on center Ryan Kalil this past April. Also, they still have Will Montgomery, a late-round pick in 2006 who started a few games last year at guard. and, guard D'Anthony Batiste is also competing for a roster spot.

   So it makes sense to give Mathis a shot at tackle, where the Panthers are a little low on depth.

   Outside of Gross and Travelle Wharton, who are slated to start at the two tackle spots, the only backup worth mentioning is Rashad Butler, a third-round pick in 2006 who did not play as a rookie. Butler took all the reps at left tackle at minicamp while Wharton rehabbed from a knee injury. Of course, Bridges could always slide out to tackle, where he started 14 games last season, so it's not like last year where Wharton's injury completely devastated the team's offensive line.

   Mathis, a third-round pick in 2005, once had a fiery exchange with former offensive line coach Mike Maser, but Mathis later said it did not affect their relationship. Still, working for a new O-line coach in Dave Magazu certainly won't hurt his chances.

   Mathis is considered the strongest player on the Panthers offensive line.  

   Obviously, the Carolina Panthers would like to get offensive tackle Jordan Gross and defensive end Julius Peppers signed to long-term deals, but as of yet that hasn’t happened. However, stay tuned over the next few months for updates on contract talks.

   It makes sense to get Gross done first.

   His contract is up after this coming season. Peppers is signed through 2008.

   Gross certainly wasn’t pushing for a new deal or trying to pressure the team when asked about it on Wednesday, but admitted he’d love to have a contract in place before he reports to training camp on July 27 so it won’t become a distraction.

   Either way, he hardly seemed worried that a deal would get done eventually.

   “It would be nice,” said Gross, who is moving back to right tackle this season. “I'd like to just so you don't have to worry about it. I'm not the type of guy that wants to draw anything out or make a big fuss over anything. But, yeah, it would be a little more difficult during the season because you've got a lot more on your plate.”

   When Panthers owner Jerry Richardson brought five players to his lake house a few weekends ago, Gross and Peppers were among those invited. Obviously Richardson views them as an important part of the franchise’s future as the team moves forward.  

   "That's a point he made, that we've got a lot of leaders on this team who have been leaders for a long time,” Gross said. "He was kind of letting us know what he expects us to do now and try to take the reins a little bit.''

   Keep in mind, the players are still in shorts, but here's some players I think have looked sharp so far in minicamp:

   1. TE Jeff King -- Looks like he could potential develop into a weapon at tight end. King caught just one pass last year.

   2. WR Dwayne Jarrett -- He's made three of four outstanding catches and hasn't had any problems getting off the line of scrimmage.

   3. QB Jake Delhomme -- Not always a great "practice player," Delhomme has been very accurate so far in camp.

   4. FB Steven Jackson -- Has a chance to replace Brad Hoover in 2008.

   5. WR Steve Smith and DE Julius Peppers -- When don't these two superstars look great?

   6. CB Ken Lucas -- Still not 100 percent (shoulder), but has broken up a few balls. He had a great year in 2005 -- can he stay healthy and return to that level this year?

   Steve Smith returned to practice on Wednesday after missing two days to attend a family function...

   However, Kris Jenkins still has not shown up for camp, nor is he expected to on Thursday -- the final day of camp.  Although the minicamp is slated to run through next week, it's almost a certainty that head coach John Fox will wrap up camp today and give the players next week off. In each of the past five years Fox has cancelled the final week of minicamp.

   Jenkins' agent, Tony Paige, originally said at the beginning of minicamp that his client was attentending to personal business and family matters but there was a chance he might it back for the end of camp. Of course, the real reason Jenkins isn't here is he wants a new contract.

   Panthers GM Marty Hurney said he hasn't spoken with Paige in a couple of weeks.

   Just got this in the old e-mail.

   According to BetUS.com, the Carolina Panthers are a 20-1 underdog to win the Super Bowl this coming season. That shouldn't surprise many as the Panthers are coming off a tough 8-8 season and haven't done much to upgrade their roster this off-season in the way of free agency.

   However, BetUS.com went on to add some other unique odds associated with the Panthers.

   They include:

   --Odds that a Panther player gets arrested - 1/3

   --John Fox gets fired as head coach - 15/1

   --David Carr Starts more games than Jake Delhomme - 5/1

   --DeShaun Foster records over 1000 yards rushing - 5/6

   Strange, but true, there are other odds as well associated with the BetUS.com, including that you see pigs fly (1,000,000,000/1), you throw out your back (1,000/1) or you slip on a banana peel (150/1). I didn’t research it, but it’s believed that the Detroit Lions’ chances of winning the Super Bowl are the same as hell freezing over (1,000,000,000,000/1).

   The Carolina Panthers head back to the field on Monday as minicamp (the NFL likes to call them Organized Training Activities, we like to still call them minicamps) for their third straight week of practice.

   It appears likely camp will wrap up on Thursday, one week ahead of schedule.

   Of course, that's always the way. Coach John Fox always lets his players out a week early as a way of throwing them a bone for their hard work. Fox feels comfortable with how much has been installed during minicamp, so not much is expected to change.

   On Monday, I'll be writing about reserve running back Eric Shelton, who hopes a new offensive coordinator means a fresh start.

   The Carolina Panthers signed fifth-round draft choice Dante Rosario from Oregon.

   A 6-4, 240-pound tight end, Rosario played in 49 games with 27 starts for the Ducks, seeing action at four different positions - halfback, H-back, fullback and tight end. He posted 94 receptions for 1,003 yards and 11 touchdowns and rushed 27 times for 84 yards and two touchdowns. An honorable mention Pac-10 choice as a senior in 2006, Rosario ranked second on the team with 42 catches, a school single-season record for tight ends, for 426 yards and one touchdown.

   Owner Jerry Richardson shared the following story on Tuesday at a luncheon at the Charlotte Conventention Center, where he was honored with a "Jerry Award" from the Charlotte Regional Partnership. Here goes:

   Saying last season "didn't exactly leave me with a warm, wonderful feeling,"  Richardson set out to change the team's karma. Last weekend, he invited five of the team's star players - Jake Delhomme, Steve Smith, Julius Peppers, DeShaun Foster and Jordan Gross -- over to his stately home for what he described as a little "bonding experience."

   The players were a little surprised when Richardson put everyone's name - including his own - into a hat and drew names, splitting the group up into two teams. One team consisted of Foster, Peppers and Gross; the other Smith, Delhomme and Richardson.

   They went on to compete if four events - three-man tennis, basketball, water skiing and eight ball pool.

   Peppers' team won the basketball game 11-9, despite a late rule put in by Richardson.

   "I figured if I'm 40 years older than you then I get to hold (your arms) and not let go," said Richardson.

   It didn't seem to matter.

   "Julius threw me around like a rag doll," Richardson said. "Then I decided, well, I'm not going to mess with Julius for awhile and I would (cover) Jordan Gross. And he dragged me around and ran around like I wasn't even on the court."

   As for the tennis, which lasted about 45 minutes, Richardson said, "If you've ever seen three guys on a side playing tennis, especially guys this size, it's an interesting sight."

   Richardson isn't sure if the bonding experience worked or not.

   But he's sure of one thing -- it won't become a weekly event. By the time the competition was over, he was feeling every bit of 70 years old.

   "I hurt from my jaws to the tip of my toes," he said. "My knees hurt. My shins hurt. My hips hurt. I hurt all over."

   Said his son Jon Richardson, "He needed a masseuse afterward."

   We're now in the second week of Organized Training Activities here are Bank of America Stadium and thus far none of the team's rookies have found a spot working with the first team.

   First-round pick Jon Beason is working behind Na'il Diggs at outside linebacker (although that will change at some point), while Dwayne Jarrett continues to work behind Drew Carter at receiver and center Ryan Kalil is playing behind Justing Hartwig at center. Jarrett and Kalil are second-round picks.

   Defensive end Charles Johnson is behind Stanley McClover at right defensive end.

   This isn't altogether unusual and a few of these guys -- Beason and Jarrett, particularly -- have a shot to move into the starting lineup. It's kind of a wait-and-see situation with Kalil. Fourth-round pick Ryne Robinson should have no problem getting a jersey on Sundays as the Panthers at least plan on him returning some punts. He is also working on kickoff returns right now, as is DeAngelo Williams.

   None of the rookies have stood out, per say, at this point but it's still early and they're still learning the system.