The Carolina Panthers have spent years trying to climb back to relevance, and 2026 finally looks like the first season in a while when the roster might actually support that leap. They haven’t finished above .500 since 2017, and that same year was the last time they reached the playoffs before last season. Since then, the Panthers have lived in the space between rebuilding and hoping.
Last year was a step forward in one sense, but the record still told the story: under .500 and a minus-69 point differential. That’s not the profile of a team ready to turn the corner. Even so, the roster around Bryce Young has been rebuilt enough that Carolina can now make a real case for a winning season.
That matters because the Panthers’ 2023 roster was, by any reasonable measure, one of the weakest in the league around a rookie quarterback. It’s still not a finished product, and the pass-catching group remains the biggest question mark, but the overall support system is better than it has been for Young so far.
The standard is low. The Panthers are at least clearing it now.
The defense is part of the reason optimism is creeping back in. Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport pointed to the additions of Jaelan Phillips, Devin Lloyd and Lee Hunter as upgrades to a unit that ranked 16th overall last season. He also noted the team added receivers John Metchie III and Chris Brazzell II to help Young.
Metchie may not even make the roster, but Brazzell brings some intrigue, and the bigger point is that Carolina’s defense should be moving upward from the middle of the pack. On paper, this looks like the strongest Panthers roster since maybe 2019.
Davenport made clear that Young remains the hinge point. The help around him is better, but still not elite.
What the defense can do, though, is make life easier by creating extra possessions, limiting the points needed to win and improving field position. That kind of support can change the shape of a season.
Carolina needs Young to take another step, and Davenport believes the setup is good enough for that to happen. As he put it, "The Panthers have the pieces to repeat as division champs, but an 8-9 record isn't likely to get it done this year," the analyst concluded.
That’s the real challenge facing Carolina. The roster is good enough to hang around in the NFC South race, but with the division improving, the Panthers may need to finish above .500 for the first time since 2017 to actually get where they want to go.
Davenport ranked the Panthers 20th in his Power Rankings, below the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which may feel a bit harsh. But the larger point stands: Carolina finally has a roster that can support a meaningful jump.
After years of waiting, the pieces are there. Now the Panthers have to turn them into wins.
In Other News...
Tetairoa McMillan Camp Mess Has Panthers Fans And Parents Heated
What was supposed to be a youth football camp tied to Tetairoa McMillan instead turned into a frustrating day for families at A.C. Reynolds High School on July 1, when parents showed up expecting an event that was no longer happening. McMillan was not involved in planning and could not attend, and FlexWork Sports later confirmed the camp had been canceled back in February, leaving a messy gap between what families were told and what was actually on the calendar.
The school added another layer to the confusion by saying it never approved the event in the first place, and the NCHSAA dead period would have blocked facility use anyway. For Panthers fans, it is the kind of off-field headache that reflects poorly on everyone attached to the name, especially when the communication breakdown lands on parents who were simply trying to give their kids a football experience. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers May Finally Have A Real Answer To Bryce Young's TE Problem
The Panthers have spent the offseason trying to sort out a tight end room that still looks more functional than threatening for Bryce Youngs passing game. Tommy Tremble, JaTavion Sanders and Mitchell Evans are the names currently in line for the job, but Carolina has been working with a group that needs more proven help in the middle of the field, especially as the rest of the passing options remain relatively thin behind Tetairoa McMillan and Jalen Coker.
One possible path to easing that pressure is a veteran addition in free agency, and the fit makes sense on paper because Carolina is looking for a pass-catching tight end who can give Young a more reliable target. The appeal is easy to see after a strong run earlier in the players career, though the most recent season was far less productive, which leaves the Panthers weighing upside against the risk that the answer might not be as simple as the need. [Read more 🡒]
John Metchie May Have One Edge Panthers Fans Should Watch Closely
John Metchie IIIs arrival gives the Panthers something more than another name in the receiver room. After signing a one-year deal, he is back alongside Bryce Young, the quarterback he once caught passes from at Alabama, and that shared history matters in a competition where timing, trust and familiarity can separate the last few roster spots.
Metchie is now in the mix with several other wideouts as Carolina sorts through its depth chart, but the connection with Young is the one edge fans will notice first. The two already know how to work together, and for a team trying to sharpen its passing game, that kind of built-in chemistry can make Metchie a player worth watching closely as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]