The Carolina Panthers are heading into 2026 with a target on their back, and one NFL analyst thinks the whole thing could unravel fast.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton predicted Carolina will “fall apart” and finish 7-10, a record that would leave the Panthers out of the playoffs after reaching the postseason last year. Moton’s view is built around the idea that the team is due for major regression after squeezing into the field in 2025 with an 8-9 mark.
“The Panthers are headed for significant regression,” Moton wrote. “In 2025, they lost three of their last four regular-season games but still clinched a playoff berth with an 8-9 record.
The NFC South is still a weak division, but one of these teams (the Saints) will finish above .500. There's a reason Carolina is hesitant to give quarterback Bryce Young an extension; he barely eclipsed 3,000 passing yards last season.
Between Weeks 8 and 11 against the Green Bay Packers (on short rest), Denver Broncos, Saints and Baltimore Ravens, this team will fall apart on a losing streak.”
That’s a sharp turn from a season ago, when Carolina won the NFC South title despite finishing below .500 and needed help in Week 18 to lock up the division. Dave Canales and his staff now have to show the Panthers were more than just the best team in a weak division.
The schedule won’t make that easy. Carolina is lined up to face the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks.
Bryce Young sits right at the center of the conversation. Last season, he threw for 3,011 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while adding 216 rushing yards and two rushing scores. That production helped push the Panthers to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 campaign.
Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft, now has 8,291 passing yards, 49 passing touchdowns, 30 interceptions, 718 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in Carolina. He’s set to make $12.1 million this season in the fourth year of his rookie deal, while his fifth-year option carries a guaranteed $25.9 million.
That contract situation makes this season especially important. Young needs another strong year to put himself in line for an extension, and if the Panthers stumble and miss the postseason, the Alabama product could be in trade discussions next offseason.
Carolina opens the 2026 season at home against the Bears, with Caleb Williams coming to town in a matchup that won’t be easy. Still, the Panthers believe they have the talent to handle it.
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Panthers Depth Chart Just Raised The Pressure On Several Roster Battles
Before the Panthers even took the field for their first preseason game, their unofficial depth chart offered a few early hints about how the roster battles are shaping up. Trevin Wallace is positioned ahead of Claudin Cherelus at the second linebacker spot opposite Devin Lloyd, Jimmy Horn is listed over John Metchie, and Cam Jackson appears set to start on the defensive line, all of which gives the coaching staffs early pecking order a little more clarity.
The chart also added more pressure to an already crowded tight end group, especially after Carolina signed Darren Waller following the release. Ja'Tavion Sanders has slid behind other players in the competition and is no longer sitting in a comfortable spot, which means the next stretch of camp work and preseason snaps could carry a lot more weight than usual for anyone trying to stick on the final roster. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Camp Suddenly Has A Receiver Battle Bryce Young Fans Will Watch
Training camp has already thinned out several parts of Carolinas roster, with injuries hitting premium spots and forcing the Panthers to look deeper down the depth chart for answers. One of the more interesting openings has come at wide receiver, where free-agent pickup John Metchie III has been working into the mix behind the top names and into a job that suddenly looks more approachable than it did a few weeks ago.
The competition for the No. 3 role has drawn notice because Xavier Legette and David Moore are in the picture too, but the intrigue around Metchie goes beyond the camp reps. He already has a built-in connection with Bryce Young from their Alabama days, a link Panthers fans know well, and it gives this battle a little extra weight as the offense tries to sort itself out around a quarterback who could use reliable options emerging fast. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Receiver Battle Just Put A Surprising Roster Hope On Edge
With Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan already looking secure, the Panthers receiver room has turned into a fight for whatever comes after the obvious names. That leaves a cluster of camp standouts trying to make the best possible case over the rest of the preseason, with Jimmy Horn Jr. and John Metchie among the players working to stick on the final group.
Horn has shown enough in camp to keep his name in the conversation, which is part of why the roster picture has gotten tricky. The Panthers still have decisions to make at wide receiver, and as those calls get tighter, one of the more surprising possibilities is that a solid summer wont be enough to guarantee Horn a place when the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]