Carolina Panthers Offseason Progress Report

Will the Panthers defense repeat as the worst in NFL History? Can Bryce Young take another step toward QB stardom?

Panthers Quarterback Bryce Young

Overview

2024 Record: 5-12

General Manager: Dan Morgan

Head Coach: Dave Canales

Starting Quarterback: Bryce Young

Key Extensions:

CB Jaycee Horn (4 years, $100 million, $72 million guaranteed), OT Taylor Moton (2 years, $44 million, $40 million guaranteed)

Key Additions:

S Tre’Von Moehrig, LB Christian Rozeboom, DL Bobby Brown III, DL Tershawn Wharton, EDGE Patrick Jones, RB Rico Dowdle, WR Tetairoa McMillan, EDGE Nic Scourton, EDGE Princely Umanmielen

Key Departures:

EDGE Jadeveon Clowney, LB Josey Jewell, S Sam Franklin, WR Adam Thielen

Offense

Offensive Coordinator: Brad Idzik (Dave Canales calls plays)

2024 Ranks:

EPA/play: 25th Success Rate: 22nd PPG: 23rd (20.1ppg)

Projected Starting Offense (11 personnel):

QB Bryce Young

RB Chuba Hubbard

WR Tetairoa McMillan

WR Jalen Coker

WR Xavier Legette

TE Tommy Tremble

LT Ickey Ekwonu

LG Damien Lewis

C Austin Corbett

RG Robert Hunt

RT Taylor Moton

Offense Notes:

Not many units went on as big a rollercoaster as the Panthers offense did last season. To start, second-year quarterback Bryce Young had two awful performances, earning him a spot on the bench. Veteran QB Andy Dalton put forth a valiant effort in Week 3, but quickly performed worse than what Young had been putting on tape. Following a car accident involving Dalton, Young was named the starter again and never looked back. He wasn’t a superstar by any means, but following back-to-back victories before their bye week, Young seemed to be the guy the Panthers hoped to get with the 1st Overall Pick.

In an effort to build off the late-season surge, the Panthers have brought back the entire offensive line from last season. Adding weapons in the draft, including McMillan, should give Young a stable group of receivers, something he hadn’t had in his first two seasons. The hope for 2025 is that with a full year in the system, Young and the rest of the offense can take a step following the impressive showings in the latter half of last season. Diversifying the run game and deploying more talented receivers will help in that regard.

Defense

Defensive Coordinator: Ejiro Evero

2024 Ranks:

EPA/play: 32nd Success Rate: 32nd PPG: 32nd (31.4ppg allowed)

Projected Starting Defense (Base 3-4):

DE Derrick Brown

DT Bobby Brown III

DE Tershawn Wharton

OLB DJ Wonnum

OLB Patrick Jones

LB Christian Rozeboom

LB Trevin Wallace

CB Jaycee Horn

CB Mike Jackson

S Tre’Von Moehrig

S Nick Scott

Defense Notes:

There is almost nothing positive to say about the 2024 Panthers defense. Aside from Jaycee Horn playing at a Pro Bowl level, this unit was abhorrent. At the bottom of the league in most defensive categories, the Carolina Panthers allowed the most points in an NFL season ever, the second most total yards, and the third most rushing yards. It wasn’t just the raw numbers allowed either; a lot of the players couldn’t make routine plays, failing to tackle with their full bodies and lapsing in coverage. At times, it looked like the opposing offenses were playing collegiate-level defenses.

Naturally, the Panthers invested heavily in the defensive side of the ball this offseason. Three new starters along the defensive front were brought in via free agency, as well as star safety Tre’Von Moehrig on the back end. The Panthers also spent four of their eight draft picks on defense, with three of those selections going to the defensive line. Perhaps the biggest addition to this unit is Derrick Brown, who, after setting the record for most tackles by a defensive lineman in a single season in 2023, missed all but one game of 2024 with a knee injury. This group will look much different in 2025, and hopefully much better.

Outlook

Overall, the Panthers are an interesting team to watch in 2025. If you split the season into the first Bryce Young/Andy Dalton games and the games in which Young became the starter again, you’d have wildly differing opinions on the team. Yes, the defense was rough in both splits, but the offense had a bit of hope in the Weeks 8-18 contests.

Going into 2025, the Panthers have to play at and/or above that level on offense; they can’t afford another slip from Young like he had in Weeks 1 and 2. When Young played well, they were in almost every game. Now imagine that level of play on offense with the 26th best defense instead of the worst by a long shot - you get a different perception of what this team can be.

Ultimately, even if Young ascends and the defense regresses towards the mean a bit, I’m not sure the Panthers have the talent to go head-to-head with the top dogs every week. If the defensive improvement is real (and I’m not sure it can be with the current scheme), this team should be able to compete for the division. Otherwise, we might be looking at the end of the Bryce Young era.

Expectation/Goal for 2025: Compete for NFC South, don’t have the worst defense of all time again

2025 Schedule

\(\begin{array}{c c} \textbf{GameWeek} & \textbf{Opponent} \\ \hline \text{Week 1} & \text{@ Jacksonville, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 2} & \text{@ Arizona, 4:05pm} \\ \text{Week 3} & \text{vs. Atlanta, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 4} & \text{@ New England, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 5} & \text{vs. Miami, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 6} & \text{vs. Dallas, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 7} & \text{@ New York Jets, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 8} & \text{vs. Buffalo, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 9} & \text{@ Green Bay, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 10} & \text{vs. New Orleans, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 11} & \text{@ Atlanta, 1pm} \\ \textbf{Week 12} & \textbf{@ San Francisco, MNF, 8:15pm} \\ \text{Week 13} & \text{vs. LA Rams, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 14} & \text{-- BYE WEEK --} \\ \text{Week 15} & \text{@ New Orleans, 4:25pm} \\ \text{Week 16} & \text{vs. Tampa Bay, 1pm} \\ \text{Week 17} & \text{vs. Seattle, TBD} \\ \text{Week 18} & \text{@ Tampa Bay, TBD} \\ \end{array} \)

Primetime games are BOLDED, all times EDT/EST