The Carolina Panthers made some encouraging progress over the second half of 2024. That hasn't gone unnoticed by analysts around the media heading into a crucial offseason for the franchise.
Hype is building around the Panthers. Real hype — not the kind that Matt Rhule created through blind delusion or Frank Reich generated through a supposed all-star coaching staff. This time, there's substance attached.
The Panthers have a long-term vision in place. There is finally stability within the key leadership positions after owner David Tepper became enthused by his team's trajectory. Quarterback Bryce Young's sensational turnaround upon returning to the starting lineup only raised optimism further.
There is a lot of hard work ahead. Dan Morgan needs to regenerate the defense and find Young more weapons in the passing game. If the general manager can do this successfully in the coming months, Carolina will be a team to watch when competitive action commences again.
Carolina Panthers tipped to make major strides during the 2025 season
This was a sentiment echoed by Jeff Kerr from CBS Sports. The analyst listed Carolina among five teams who could take a major step forward in 2025, outlining Young's resurgence and the weak NFC South as reasons for optimism where Canales' squad is concerned.
"The Panthers were a bad football team last season, but the final record is deceiving. Carolina was highly competitive in the second half of last season, going 4-5 in its final nine games. The key piece in all this was Bryce Young, who had 20 touchdowns to eight turnovers after he returned from his benching in Week 2 -- including 10 total touchdowns to zero turnovers in the final three games. The NFC South is not a good division, so there's room for the Panthers to up that win total by a few games in 2025."Jeff Kerr
Kerr isn't alone in this opinion. The Panthers are quickly emerging as a dark horse wild-card hopeful according to most projections. It's been a long time since fans could say that with any confidence, but there are several challenging hurdles to overcome before this dream turns into a reality.
Morgan needs to recruit well. He needs to maximize Young's rookie contract through aggressiveness while keeping the bigger picture in mind. That's a fine tightrope to walk, but there is a strong support system in place all working collaboratively to reach their goals.
Again, it's been a long time since this franchise had that.
There are some exciting pieces to build around. Young is the obvious headliner, but the likes of Chuba Hubbard, Jaycee Horn, and Derrick Brown represent franchise cornerstone pieces. One couldn't dismiss Xavier Legette, Trevin Wallace, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Chau Smith-Wade, Jalen Coker, and Demani Richardson progressing after all flashed promise as rookies.
The foundations were laid by Canales in his first season. His unwavering confidence and boundless enthusiasm picked the Panthers up when they needed it most. Even when they were languishing at rock bottom with one win to their name, this purpose and belief stayed the same.
And the results spoke for themselves.
Morgan's job is to find the upgrades needed to make a bigger impact right from the outset in 2025. It could go either way, but if the front-office leader finds the magic formula, Carolina's hype train will reach warp speed.