CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The day they moved into their house in Charlotte, Jaelan Phillips and his fiancée could barely walk around the block with their newborn son without having their new neighbors stop them every 20 minutes to talk.Phillips wasn’t complaining. The Carolina Panthers’ outside linebacker is embracing all his new city has to offer three months after signing a four-year, $120 million contract to leave the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.But the surest sign that Phillips is feeling at home might have come Tuesday when he and quarterback Bryce Young engaged in some friendly trash-talking — during the team’s first minicamp practice and after.While Young was wrapping up a media session at Bank of America Stadium, he spied Phillips standing at the back of the room and poked him about the defense’s enthusiastic response to a play that had been a positive for the offense.“We had a little 5-yard gain, like a first down, and everyone (on defense) is cheering, acting like it would have been a big tackle, a big hit,” Young said. “It’s great that they have to bring the juice a little bit. But also, we’re very happy as well. It’s rare the offense and defense are very happy after a certain play. So sometimes have to give them a little reality check.”A smiling Young slapped hands with Phillips on his way out of the room. Then it was Phillips’ turn to return fire.“He came over there chirping because — I don’t even know why. It was like a quick little out route. And he’s, ‘Oh, it’s a first down.’ We were like, ‘We don’t care. It’s practice. You turned (up), yelling,’” Phillips said. “It was like a calm chirping. You know him, he’s a chill dude. But he was talking.”On the Panthers’ teams under Ron Rivera, practices were marked by intense trash-talking between linebacker Thomas Davis and quarterback Cam Newton, whose chirping was far from calm. Not to make too big a deal over a minicamp practice in early June, but having two of the biggest names on either side of the ball getting their teammates riled up with their jawing seems like a good sign.“That’s what it’s all about. It’s infectious. When there’s a lull in energy, if somebody’s yelling — whether that’s real juice, fake juice, it doesn’t matter — it’s all the same thing,” Phillips said. “So what can start as a joke, everybody will actually be fired up.”The Panthers didn’t sign Phillips to the most lucrative deal in franchise history just to be a rah-rah guy in practice. But adding two Dan Morgan-certified dawgs — Phillips and free-agent linebacker Devin Lloyd — to a defense that already boasts Derrick Brown, Jaycee Horn and Tre’von Moehrig could help the Panthers earn back-to-back playoff berths for the first time since those Rivera-coached teams made the postseason in three consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2015.“It’s just an exciting group to be a part of,” Phillips said. “I feel that young energy, and I feel like we all kind of know what we have. So it’s our responsibility to really hone that in.”Fans will expect more from Phillips because of the size of his contract. That’s the way professional sports work. But the 27-year-old Phillips, the Miami Dolphins’ first-round pick in 2021, is anticipating getting lots of help.“I don’t need to put everything on my back,” he said. “We have guys all around that can make plays, so I can just focus on being a leader and bringing what I bring to the table.”Among the things Phillips brings is a hulking presence. Asked if there had been a moment this spring that reinforced why the Panthers signed him, head coach Dave Canales said: “Well, any time you walk by him.”“He’s 6-5, 260-ish pounds and he’s shredded. He can run like a deer,” Canales added. “I think that’s what they like. When you’ve got an opportunity to get a special player like that who can make an impact, it’s encouraging.”Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero also believes the combination of Phillips’ size and speed can set him apart as an edge rusher.“He’s really, really fast,” Evero said. “There’s not a lot of humans in the world that are that big that can move the way he does.”But Evero also raved about the “football character” Phillips has demonstrated since the offseason program started in April.“The way he is in the classroom. He’s a great teammate. He’s great to hang out with it,” Evero said. “When it’s time to do the work and be about the business, he’s certainly the best at that. When we talk about getting on the grass and … doing all the work that it takes to refine your techniques and fundamentals, he’s A-plus in that aspect as well.”Phillips spent his first 4 1/2 seasons in Miami, where he said he and his fiancée Samantha “had our fun (and) did our stuff.” But Phillips believes the couple’s move to Charlotte, which came shortly after the birth of their son, Shiloh, was the right one for this stage of their life.“I just think the vibe of this city has been super down to earth and friendly, family-oriented. The food’s been pretty good. It’s been a great experience,” Phillips said. “It’s been really cool — the nature, it’s beautiful. I love the suburban feel.”Phillips has loved watching his son grow and the other joys of parenthood, but said it hasn’t given him any additional motivation. He still has goals he hasn’t reached. And while he didn’t want to share those publicly, a few would seem to be fairly obvious for a player who’s never finished a season with double-digit sacks, made a Pro Bowl or been an All-Pro selection.“Obviously, there’s certain things you want to accomplish. I don’t want to put numbers out there to get anybody’s expectations anywhere,” he said. “But for me, more production. Self-confidence. Getting into a consistent place to where I feel like I’m going out there and dominating like I know I can every game and every snap.“I think I’ve had flashes of greatness or flashes of what I know my capabilities to be. But it’s getting that consistent.”