The Panthers are walking into training camp with real momentum, but that doesn’t mean the questions have disappeared. If anything, the progress under Dave Canales has only sharpened the spotlight on the roster’s biggest unknowns.
Start with the team’s direction. Carolina moved from 5-12 in Canales’ first season to three more wins in his second, and that came with a division title in a terrible division.
The Panthers also came close to knocking off the Rams in the NFC wild card game, which only feeds the optimism around Bryce Young and this group. Young’s career resurgence has changed the conversation, and after being picked ahead of C.J.
Stroud in the 2023 NFL Draft, year four feels like the moment when the training wheels come off.
But even with that upward trend, there are still players who need to answer for themselves. Xavier Legette is one of them.
The Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick has been a major disappointment so far, and his grip on a role looks shaky. He already lost his spot to Tetairoa McMillan last season, and now he could be pushed further down the depth chart by Jalen Coker or Chris Brazzell II.
In a wide receiver room that is both talented and hungry, Legette has to earn enough targets to matter.
Then there’s Jonathan Brooks, and his situation is all about availability and production. The third-year running back out of Texas has spent two years waiting, including back-to-back ACL surgeries, and the Panthers need him to deliver once he’s healthy.
It’s not his fault that the wait has been so long, but the league doesn’t hand out patience for free. As a second-round pick, Brooks will get a real chance in camp to show he can live up to that pedigree.
In Other News...
Bryce Young Disrespect Is Fueling A New Panthers Debate
Bryce Youngs standing around the league has become its own kind of Panthers talking point, and not just because of the usual noise that follows a former No. 1 pick. The conversation has only picked up as Young heads into another season with Carolina, where his early career has already produced a sizable body of work and a contract situation that keeps the next step very much in view. He is still playing under his rookie deal, and the Panthers have every reason to keep measuring him against the expectations that came with being drafted first overall in 2023.
Inside the building, though, there is no sign of wavering belief. Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik has praised Youngs competitiveness and the way he handles pressure, describing him as the kind of quarterback the Panthers want when the game tightens up. That confidence matters because the outside debate keeps circling back to the same question: whether Youngs reputation around the NFL matches what Carolina sees every day, or whether the latest slight is only adding fuel to a longer argument about where he belongs. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Rookies Enter Camp With Real Week 1 Jobs On The Line
Training camp has a way of sorting out the Panthers rookies quickly, and this group arrives with more than the usual amount of urgency. A first-round pick is in the mix at left tackle, while Aaron Hall has a clearer path to the roster because of Tershawn Whartons injury. Elsewhere, Lee Hunter, Chris Brazzell II, Sam Hecht and Zakee Wheatley all enter camp with legitimate reasons to keep the coaching staff watching closely, whether that means a role on the depth chart or a real shot at playing time.
The bigger point for Carolina is that these arent just developmental names tucked away for later. Several of them are tied to jobs that matter in September, from protecting the quarterback to helping stabilize the line of scrimmage and filling out the secondary. The Panthers have enough open competition spots that a strong camp could change the shape of the roster, and the early weeks will tell which rookies are ready to force their way into the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
These 3 Panthers Additions Could Make Carolinas Defense Dangerous
Dave Canales Panthers took a real step forward in 2025, climbing from 5-12 the year before to 8-9 and winning the NFC South behind a defense that made clear progress under Ejiro Evero. The unit moved up the rankings, gave up fewer touchdowns and started to look like a group that could support a team trying to turn a division title into something more lasting.
Now Carolina has added more pieces to that side of the ball, and the appeal is obvious. Jaelan Phillips brings pass-rush upside, Devin Lloyd gives the middle of the defense another athletic playmaker, and rookie defensive tackle Lee Hunter adds more size and juice up front. The question is how quickly those additions can mesh with the holdovers and whether the Panthers can keep building on the momentum they already showed, especially with Phillips carrying some recent durability concerns into the mix. [Read more 🡒]