The Carolina Panthers have high hopes regarding some young players on the squad stepping up into larger roles in 2025. Whether they can cope with extra responsibilities will go a long way to determining the team's success next season.
Dan Morgan was a busy man throughout his second recruitment period at the helm. He focused almost solely on fortifying the defense, which was necessary after Ejiro Evero's unit put together a historically bad campaign. A the same time, there was a vote of confidence for the flashes demonstrated by those who occupied lesser roles effectively.
The Panthers made encouraging strides over the second half of 2024. For this to become something more sustainable, these five potential breakout stars must thrive when the regular season gets here.
Carolina Panthers' potential breakout stars who could thrive in 2025
Xavier Legette, WR
The Panthers are placing a significant amount of faith in Xavier Legette, who is entering Year 2 of his professional career. After flirting with the idea of trading for D.K. Metcalf, those in power stood pat with their wide receiver options. That places extra pressure on the former first-round pick out of South Carolina to enter a different stratosphere next season.
Fans have been clamoring for the Panthers to acquire a legitimate No. 1 wideout for quarterback Bryce Young this offseason. Dave Canales believes Legette can be that guy, but he must cut out the mental errors and become a yards-after-the-catch threat to achieve this objective.
Trevin Wallace, LB
Trevin Wallace got more playing time than anticipated last season. Shaq Thompson's torn Achilles suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals thrust him into a starting role. There were some good moments, but there were plenty of rookie jitters thrown in for good measure.
With Thompson no longer around and the Panthers signing only one linebacker in free agency, there's an opportunity for Wallace to firmly establish himself with the correct progress over the summer.
Jalen Coker, WR
Jalen Coker was one of the very few genuine success stories to emerge from Carolina's exploits in 2024. The undrafted free agent forced his way into the team's plans after catching the eye over training camp. When the wide receiver got a chance to shine in a regular-season setting, he took full advantage.
As previously mentioned, the Panthers have confidence in the wideouts available right now. It would be surprising if Morgan didn't add another capable performer during the draft, but all signs point to Coker becoming a focal point after a confidence-building first campaign in the pros.
Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE
Ja'Tavion Sanders flashed tremendous promise in 2024. The No. 101 overall selection in the draft gained more receiving yards than any tight end since Greg Olsen. That's not exactly a high bar for which to aim, but it's a positive development nonetheless.
Things would have been even better had Sanders not gotten hurt against the Kansas City Chiefs. With no new additions to the tight-end unit as yet — although that'll probably change at some point in the draft — a featured role could be in the Texas graduate's future.
Demani Richardson, S
The Panthers needed to regenerate their safety corps this offseason. Tre'von Moehrig came in on big money, and Nick Scott re-signed to bolster depth. Demani Richardson is the only other backend presence under contract, which provides hope he can build on a promising first campaign in Carolina.
Richardson was a nice surprise. The Panthers threw him into the fire before he was ready, which got a positive response from the undrafted free agent. Morgan will likely acquire safety relatively early in the draft, but the Texas A&M product has a fighting chance of making additional progress when reps come his way.