Quarterback

Last off-season, the Panthers were coming off of a 2023 season in which they had the worst record in the league at 2-15 and didn’t even get their own #1 overall pick, which was part of the trade package they used to move up with the Bears to get the #1 overall pick in 2023, which they used on Bryce Young. Young was the biggest part of the problem in 2023, completing 59.8% of his passes for an average of 5.46 YPA, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, finishing with a 56.4 PFF grade (40th among 45 eligible quarterbacks), and leading an offense that ranked 29th in first down rate and 32nd in yards per play. 

Going into 2024, the Panthers made significant upgrades on offense around Young, particularly on the offensive line, but their defense looked likely to be worse after losing Brian Burns and Frankie Luvu. At the start of the season, the Panthers’ offense didn’t look any better, while their defense declined significantly, which was exacerbated by the loss of defensive tackle Derrick Brown for the season to injury in week 1. Playing poorly on both sides of the ball, the Panthers lost their first two games of the season by a combined 60 points.

Needing to make a change somewhere, the Panthers opted to bench Bryce Young after just 18 career starts, replacing him with veteran journeyman backup Andy Dalton. That decision improved things on their offense right away. The Panthers won their next game against the Raiders and, while that was the only game the Panthers won out of five with Dalton under center, Dalton looked like a clear upgrade over Bryce Young, completing 66.3% of his passes for an average of 6.18 YPA, 7 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions and finishing with a 68.1 PFF grade.

Dalton then suffered an injury, opening the door for Young to get his starting job back and some time on the bench proved to be exactly what he needed. Young started the rest of the way, completing 61.8% of his passes for an average of 6.60 YPA, 15 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions in 10 starts after taking back the starting job. In terms of PFF grade, Young ranked 13th among quarterbacks in the NFL over that stretch at 83.2. The Panthers finished the season just 5-12, but their defense was a much bigger part of the problem than the offense, as they ranked 24th in both first down rate and yards per play, while ranking dead last in first down rate allowed and yards per play allowed. 

There is still some concern for Young developing into a franchise quarterback long-term, but he has done more than enough to keep his starting job into 2025 and his long-term projection is a lot better now than it was a year ago. He will continue being backed up by Andy Dalton, who is one of the most accomplished backup quarterbacks in the league, completing 62.6% of his passes for an average of 7.04 YPA, 253 touchdowns, and 150 interceptions in 168 career starts. However, he’s now heading into his age 38 season and hasn’t been a regular starter for a team since 2019, so he is definitely nearing the end of the line. The Panthers will obviously be hoping Dalton stays on the bench all season with Bryce Young continuing to develop into the quarterback the Panthers expected him to be when they used the #1 overall pick on him.

Grade: B

Receiving Corps

The Panthers opted to use their first round pick, 8th overall, on a wide receiver to help Bryce Young, Tetairoa McMillan. It was a surprising pick because the Panthers seemed to have much bigger needs on defense and McMillan didn’t seem like the best available player either, as he was the top option by default in a weak wide receiver class and probably should have been selected somewhere in the 15-20 range. He does have the upside to develop into a #1 receiver long-term, but he’s an underwhelming option compared to the other wide receivers taken in the top-10 in recent years: JaMarr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, Drake London, Marvin Harrison, Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze. 

This is the second straight year the Panthers have used a high draft pick on a wide receiver, as they traded up to take Xavier Legette at the end of the first round, 32nd overall, in 2024. Legette was underwhelming as a rookie with a 49/497/4 slash line and 1.19 yards per route run, but he has the upside to be a lot better in his second year in the league, though that’s obviously not a guarantee. Legette actually was outplayed by an undrafted rookie Jalen Coker, who was behind Legette in terms of overall production at 32/478/2, but who was far more efficient, averaging 1.72 yards per route run and totaling almost the same amount of receiving yardage on much fewer targets, 84 to 46. Legette may still have more upside than him long-term and this is a deeper wide receiver room with McMillan being added, but Coker still has a chance to earn a role in 2025.

The veteran of the group is Adam Thielen. Thielen led the team with a 103/1014/4 slash line 2023 and, while that dropped to 48/615/5 in 2024, that was primarily because he missed 7 games due to injury and, overall, his yards per route run average actually increased significantly from 2023 to 2024, going from 1.59 to 2.06. However, Thielen is now heading into his age 35 season, so it remains to be seen how much longer he can continue being a useful receiver, let alone a #1 option. With McMillan being added and Legette and Coker going into their second seasons in the league, I would expect Thielen to play a much smaller role in 2025 than he has over the past two seasons.

The Panthers have four good wide receiver options, so they don’t have much need for depth behind them, but they also have veteran David Moore and 6th round rookie Jimmy Horn. Moore has a decent 1.32 yards per route run average in eight seasons in the league, but that fell to 1.04 in 2024 and now he’s heading into his age 30 season, so he is definitely best as a deep reserve. Horn, meanwhile, is unlikely to contribute in any sort of positive way as a rookie.

The Panthers aren’t nearly as good at tight end. Ja’Tavion Sanders led Panthers tight ends in snaps played last season (531 snaps), but he only had a 33/342/1 slash line with 1.09 yards per route run, while finishing with a 52.5 PFF grade. He was only a 4th round rookie last year and he could be better in his second season in the league, but that’s not necessarily a guarantee. Tommy Tremble also played a role last season with 518 snaps, but he wasn’t any better, with a 23/234/2 slash line, 0.89 yards per route run, and a 54.4 PFF grade. That’s largely in line with how Tremble has played in four seasons in the league since being drafted in the 3rd round in 2021, as he has a career 0.76 yards per route run average, while finishing below 60 on PFF in all four seasons. 

The Panthers did use a 5th round pick in this year’s draft on Mitchell Evans, who has the opportunity to earn a role in a thin position group, but he’s unlikely to make a positive impact as a rookie and, overall, it’s likely their tight end group remains a liability in 2025. The Panthers have a deep wide receiver group with a high upside to somewhat offset their issues at tight end, but their tight end situation does hurt their overall grade in the receiving corps and, as much upside as their wide receivers have, there is also some downside as well, as it is a combination of inexperienced young players and an aging Adam Thielen.

Grade: B

Offensive Line

Along with Bryce Young’s improvement, the biggest reason for the Panthers’ offensive improvement last season was their offensive line, which went from 27th in pass blocking grade and 28th in run blocking grade on PFF in 2023 to 16th in pass blocking grade and 8th in run blocking grade in 2024. The biggest difference was the addition of a pair of talented guards in free agency, Damien Lewis and Robert Hunt, who finished the season with PFF grades of 75.5 and 67.7 respectively, after being signed to contracts of 4 years, 53 million and 5 years, 100 million respectively.

For Lewis, last season was a career best, but it was his 3rd season in five years in the league above 70, so it didn’t come out of nowhere. The 2020 3rd round pick has been inconsistent in his career though, finishing below 60 on PFF in his other two seasons, including a 59.6 PFF grade as recently as 2023. Lewis could remain an above average starter in 2025, but that’s not a guarantee. For Hunt, last year was actually a down year, as he had PFF grades of 73.7 and 77.1 in 2022 and 2023. He’s also been a bit inconsistent in his career, but he’s never finished below 65 on PFF in all five seasons in the league (71 starts), since being selected in the 2nd round in 2020. He comes with a relatively low floor and could easily have a bounce back season in 2025.

The Panthers’ starting tackles in 2024 were the same as 2023, with Ikem Ekwonu at left tackle and Taylor Moton at right tackle. Ekwonu had a career best year in 2024, with a 71.7 PFF grade, but that didn’t come out of nowhere, as he had PFF grades of 65.3 and 67.4 in 2022 and 2023 and has always had a huge upside, as the 6th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Still only in his age 25 season, Ekwonu should remain an above average starter in 2025 and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he continued developing and had a career best year. 

Moton, meanwhile, had a 77.2 PFF grade in 2024 that was very in line with how he’s played throughout his career, as he’s never finished below 69.3 on PFF in eight years in his league. Moton missed three games with injury last season, but those were the first three games he’s ever missed in his career. Moton is now going into his age 31 season, so he could start declining this season, but, unless he declines significantly, he’s likely to remain at least a solid starter and it’s very possible he doesn’t decline at all, as he hasn’t shown any signs of doing so yet.

Center is the one uncertain position for the Panthers on this offensive line. The Panthers are probably hoping Austin Corbett can win the job, stay healthy, and play well, but that’s not a guarantee. At his best, Corbett had PFF grades of 70.9, 68.8, and 69.1 in 2020, 2021, and 2022, but he has played just nine games due to injury over the past two seasons since then. Corbett’s past success has also mostly been at guard, as the five starts he made at center last season were his first five starts at the position in his career. Corbett had a 62.2 PFF grade last season, but that’s a limited sample size and now Corbett is going into his age 30 season and coming off of another significant injury. He could stay healthy and continue being a capable starting center in 2025, but that’s not a guarantee.

Corbett will face competition for the starting center job from Cade Mays and Brady Christensen, who had some success at center in Corbett’s absence last season. Mays had a 66.1 PFF grade across eight starts at center, while Christensen had a 63.6 PFF grade in six starts, four at center and two at tackle. Mays, a 6th round pick in 2022, was not as good in five starts at guard in 2023 (58.3 PFF grade) and barely played as a rookie (51 snaps), but he showed potential in his new position at center in 2024, albeit in a small sample size. At the very least, he should be a solid reserve option in 2025, if Corbett manages to win the starting job. 

Christensen, meanwhile, is a 2021 3rd round pick who started 24 games in his first three seasons in the league prior to last season, 4 at left tackle, 1 at right tackle, 1 at right guard, and 18 at left guard, and he received PFF grades of 61.6, 57.3, and 56.7 across those three seasons. He would probably be best as a versatile reserve who can play any of the five positions upfront if needed, but he’s also probably in the mix to start at center if he outplays Corbett and Mays. 

In addition to Mays and Christensen, the Panthers have other good reserve options. Swing tackle Yosh Nijman has made 25 starts at tackle over the past four seasons, while receiving PFF grades of 63.2, 63.1, 61.7, and 57.9 respectively. Reserve guard Chandler Zavala, a 2023 4th round pick, struggled with a 26.2 PFF grade across 374 snaps as a rookie, but took a big step forward in 2024 with a 71.2 PFF grade across 198 snaps. This was an above average overall offensive line last season and should remain one again this season.

Grade: B+

Running Backs

The Panthers also had a good running game last season, ranking 10th in the NFL with 4.58 yards per carry, led by feature back Chuba Hubbard, who rushed for 1,195 yards and 10 touchdowns on 250 carries (4.78 YPC). Hubbard benefitted from good run blocking, but he also played at a high level as well, averaging 3.46 yards per carry after contact and breaking tackles at a 19.6% rate, leading to him receiving the 9th highest run grade among running backs on PFF. All of that was a big leap forward for Hubbard, who averaged 3.92 yards per carry across 505 carries with 2.76 yards per carry after contact and a 16.0% missed tackle rate in three seasons in the league prior to last season, after being selected in the 4th round in 2021. 

It’s possible Hubbard isn’t quite as good again in 2025, but I would still expect him to at least be an above average feature back. The Panthers also hedged against Hubbard’s potential regression by signing Rico Dowdle in free agency and using a 4th round pick on Trevor Etienne, giving them more options than last season, when backup running back Miles Sanders only averaged 3.73 yards per carry on 55 carries. Dowdle went undrafted in 2020, but showed some potential with 4.06 yards per carry, 2.91 yards per carry after contact, and a 47.2% carry success rate across 89 carries in 2023 and then broke out with 4.59 yards per carry, 3.28 yards per carry after contact, and a 53.6% carry success rate across 235 carries in 2024. 

Dowdle will be the #2 back in Carolina behind Hubbard, who signed a 4-year, 33.2 million dollar extension during last season, but Dowdle also got a decent chunk of change with a 1-year, 2.75 million dollar deal in free agency this off-season, so he figures to be heavily involved as a backup for a Panthers team that seems to want to rely on their running game and wants a one-two punch at the position. Dowdle could also be the primary passing down back, as he has a decent 1.00 yards per route run average for his career, as opposed to 0.82 for Hubbard. Etienne will be the third back, but he could be good insurance in case either of their top-2 backs get hurt and he also has potential as a receiver, so he also could be involved as a passing down back. This is a talented backfield overall.

Grade: A-

Interior Defenders

As I mentioned, the Panthers had one of the worst defenses in the league last season. Their offense looks like it is going to be at least decent in 2025, but if this team is going to legitimately contend for a playoff spot, they will need to take a big step forward on the defensive side of the ball. The Panthers didn’t make any off-season additions that look likely to move the needle in a significant way, but they do at least get back interior defender Derrick Brown after he was limited to just one game by injury last season, which should be a huge boost to this unit.

In the previous two seasons before missing most of last season, Brown finished with PFF grades of 84.4 and 90.1 across snap counts of 870 and 938 respectively, showing the potential that made him the 7th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. He only managed 3 sacks, but he added 22 hits and a 7.9% pressure rate in 34 games in those two seasons, while dominating as a run defender, with PFF grades of 80.6 and 90.0 against the run, good for 3rd and 2nd among interior defenders in those two seasons. Still only going into his age 27 season, with only one game missed in four seasons in the league prior to last season, Brown has a great chance to bounce back at least to close to his 2022 and 2023 form.

In Brown’s absence last season, A’Shawn Robinson (761 snaps), LaBryan Ray (626 snaps), and Shy Tuttle (610 snaps) all played significant roles and all three struggled mightily, with PFF grades of 54.6, 33.0, and 42.7 respectively. All three remain on the roster, but the Panthers did make a pair of additions at the interior defender position in free agency and, while they are not true impact players, they should still be a significant upgrade at the interior defender position for the Panthers.

Tershawn Wharton was the big addition, coming over from the Chiefs on a 3-year, 45.05 million dollar deal. Wharton has been an effective pass rusher throughout his career, with 13.5 sacks, 13 hits, and a 7.1% pressure rate in 72 career games since going undrafted in 2020, including 6.5 sacks, 4 hits, and a 7.3% pressure rate last season, but he has consistently struggled against the run, finishing below 60 in run defense grade on PFF in all five seasons. He’s also only played 447 snaps per season in his career, primarily as a situational pass rusher. Given the size of his contract, the Panthers may be expecting more than that out of him in 2025. He should remain an effective pass rusher, but he will be a big liability to this team if he has to play an expanded role in run defense situations.

Bobby Brown was also added on a 3-year, 21 million dollar deal and he’s kind of the opposite of Wharton. He has finished above 60 in run defense grade on PFF in all four seasons in the league since going in the 4th round in 2021, but he has only managed a 3.1% pressure rate with just half a sack and 1 hit in his career. He’s also played an even more limited snap count than Wharton in his career, maxing out at 472 snaps per game in a season, while averaging 243 snaps per season across his four seasons in the league. Like Wharton, he will likely play an expanded role in Carolina, but he’s unlikely to make much of an impact in passing situations.

Of the three holdovers who struggled last season, A’Shawn Robinson is the most likely to play a significant role in 2024. Not only was he the best of the bunch by default last season, but he is the most accomplished of the bunch in his career, finishing above 60 in PFF in five of nine seasons in the league, on an average of 34.5 snaps per game and 483 snaps per season. However, two of his four seasons below 60 have come in back-to-back seasons and now he heads into his age 30 season, so his best days are almost definitely behind him. Even in a reserve role, he could struggle.

Shy Tuttle has also had some success in his career, finishing above 60 on PFF in his first four seasons in the league, but he has finished below 60 in back-to-back seasons as well, especially struggling last season, and now he too is going into his age 30 season. LaBryan Ray, meanwhile, is a 2022 undrafted free agent who has never had any success, also struggling with a 54.6 PFF grade across 356 snaps in the first action of his career in 2023 before being even worse in 2024. He may not even make the final roster, with the Panthers also adding Cam Jackson in the 5th round of the draft to give them more depth. With Derrick Brown returning from injury and Tershawn Wharton and Bobby Brown being upgrades by default, this position group looks significantly better than last season, when they were one of the worst interior defender groups in the league.

Grade: B

Edge Defenders

The Panthers also added edge defender Patrick Jones on a 2-year, 15 million dollar deal and used second and third round picks on Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen to overhaul their edge defender group, but in the process they released Jadeveon Clowney to save 8 million non-guaranteed ahead of in his age 32 season in 2025 and he was arguably their best defensive player last season, with a 70.8 PFF grade across 650 snaps that was the highest PFF grade by any player on this defense who played significant snaps last season. As a pass rusher, Clowney had 5.5 sacks, 5 hits, and a 12.7% pressure rate and he was also a solid run defender.

It’s unlikely any of the Panthers’ edge defender additions will be as good as Clowney was last season. Scourton and Umanmielen have upside, but are just rookies, while Patrick Jones has finished below 60 on PFF in three of four seasons in the league since being drafted in the 3rd round in 2021, while totaling just 12 sacks, 14 hits, and a 7.7% pressure rate in 57 career games. The Panthers also should get a healthier season out of DJ Wonnum, who missed nine games last season, but he’s an underwhelming player as well, with PFF grades below 60 in four of five seasons in the league and 27 sacks, 25 hits, and a 8.5% pressure rate in 70 career games. DJ Johnson could also be in the mix for a role, but the 2023 3rd round pick has received PFF grades of 50.4 and 54.2 across snap counts of 231 and 392 in two seasons in the league. This looks like a very underwhelming position group after the release of Clowney.

Grade: C

Linebackers

Things aren’t much better at the linebacker position for the Panthers. The Panthers signed Josey Jewell to a 3-year, 18.75 million dollar deal last off-season to replace talented free agent departure Frankie Luvu, but he was a disappointment, finishing with a 56.5 PFF grade across 796 snaps in 12 games. That was the first season of his 7-year career where he finished below 60, so he could bounce back in 2025, but he also is going into his age 31 season, so it’s very possible his best days are behind him and that he will continue struggling.

The rest of this linebacking corps isn’t any better. Trevin Wallace finished second among the Panthers’ linebackers with 582 snaps played last season, but the 2024 3rd round pick struggled as a rookie with a 56.0 PFF grade. He could be better in his second season in the league, but that’s not a guarantee. The Panthers signed Christian Rozeboom to a 1-year, 2.5 million dollar deal in free agency and he will compete for a role, but the 2020 undrafted free agent has struggled in the two seasons in his career in which he has played significant snaps, with PFF grades of 49.0 and 59.0 across snap counts of 552 and 828 in 2023 and 2024 respectively. This is likely to be a below average linebacking corps again in 2025.

Grade: C

Secondary

The best free agent addition the Panthers made on defense this off-season is safety Tre’Von Moehrig. A 2nd round pick in 2021, Moehrig has started 64 of the 66 games he has played in that time and he has mostly been an above average starter, with PFF grades of 72.5, 54.1, 70.2, and 67.5 in four seasons in the league. Still only in his age 26 season, Moehrig should continue playing at a similar level and could potentially even have further untapped upside.

The rest of the Panthers’ safeties are a concern though. Four Panthers safeties played more than 300 snaps last season and three of them struggled, with Xavier Woods (1,216 snaps), Jordan Fuller (574 snaps), and Nick Scott (324 snaps) finishing with PFF grades of 57.0, 53.8, and 52.6. The only Panthers safety who finished above 60 on PFF last season was Demani Richardson, but he still had an underwhelming 60.1 PFF grade and he is a 2024 undrafted free agent who played 403 snaps, so he’s no guarantee to develop into even a capable starter long-term. 

Richardson may end up as a starter in 2025 though due to the lack of a better option. Nick Scott remains on the team, while Woods and Fuller are gone, but Scott has received PFF grades of 47.5, 54.2, 44.0, and 52.6 across an average of 573 snaps per season over the past four seasons and now heads into his age 30 season. The Panthers did use a fourth round pick on Lathan Ransom, but, even if he manages to become a starter as a rookie, it’s unlikely he would play well. 

Things are better at cornerback for the Panthers, though largely by default. Jaycee Horn was decent with a 65.4 PFF grade across 1,034 snaps last season and that was actually a career worst grade for him in four seasons since going 8th overall in 2021, as he finished with PFF grades of 67.8, 71.4, and 84.1 in 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively, though it also was the first time he stayed relatively healthy, missing just two games after missing 28 total in his first three seasons in the league. Horn is still only going into his age 25 season, so he may have further untapped upside and could eventually put it all together across a healthy season, but he has yet to do that.

Horn will continue starting opposite Mike Jackson, who had a 67.2 PFF grade across 17 starts in 2024. It was the best full season as a starter of his career, but he also had a 60.2 PFF grade across 17 starts in 2022 and flashed a lot of potential with a 77.0 PFF grade across 474 snaps in 2023. Still only in his age 28 season, he should remain a solid starter again in 2025. However, the Panthers’ depth behind Horn and Jackson is very questionable.

The only other cornerback who played more than 100 snaps for the Panthers at cornerback last season who is still on the roster is Chau Smith-Wade, a 2024 5th round pick who struggled with a 51.6 PFF grade across 301 snaps. He is probably the favorite for the #3 cornerback job, with the Panthers making no significant cornerback additions this off-season. Their other best option is Akayleb Evans, a 2022 4th round pick who only played 29 snaps last season, after struggling with a 54.9 PFF grade across 855 snaps in the only significant action of his career in 2023. The rest of the cornerback depth chart consists of former undrafted free agents with little to no NFL experience. The Panthers’ secondary isn’t quite as bad as some other units on this defense, but this is still a unit of concern.

Grade: B-

Kicker

The Panthers’ kicking game was also an issue in 2024, as Eddy Pineiro finished with 2.98 points below average. The Panthers moved on from Pineiro this off-season, replacing him with journeyman Matthew Wright and undrafted rookie Ryan Fitzgerald. Wright is the favorite for the job. He has kicked for six teams in six seasons in the league and has actually accumulated 3.02 points above average over that stretch, with 2.82 points of that coming last season. It remains to be seen if he can be above average for a full season, but he at least has upside.

Grade: B

Conclusion

The Panthers’ offense improved significantly down the stretch last season, with Bryce Young seeming to turn a corner in his development, and there is a good chance that continues into 2025. Their defense should be better by default, in large part due to the fact that they figure to be healthier, after having the third most adjusted games lost to injury on defense of any team in the league last season, including the absence of their best player Derrick Brown for all but one game. However, their defense still lacks talent in a significant way, which makes it highly unlikely this team will be able to compete for a playoff spot unless their offense can take things to a completely different level in Bryce Young’s third season in the league. It’s possible, but it seems much more likely that other teams will end up in the post-season in the NFC.

Prediction: 3-14, 3rd in NFC South