Dave Canales is bullish about his team's chances in 2025. The head coach believes that the Carolina Panthers can achieve great things if everything clicks, especially considering how competitive they were, for the most part, over the second half of 2024.
However, one NFL analyst threw cold water on these ambitions with a damning assessment of the franchise's fortunes this season.
Nobody is expecting the Panthers to be competing for a Super Bowl during the upcoming campaign. It was always going to be a gradual route back into contention under this regime, but it would be extremely disappointing if Carolina didn't push for a winning record or potentially even challenge for the NFC South.
NFL analyst torches Carolina Panthers' plans for progression in 2025
Matt Johnson from Sportsnaut didn't believe the Panthers' roster was capable of reaching these heights, placing them at No. 29 in his power rankings. The analyst also thought Carolina's inexperienced offense won't have enough to compensate for some possible failings on defense when it's all said and done.
"Simply put, the Carolina Panthers roster isn’t good enough right now for them to be very competitive. Bryce Young showed more than enough flashes in the second half of last season to inspire some confidence, but now everyone needs to see it over a full 17-game season. Carolina has provided him with a solid offensive line and a promising group of pass catchers in Tetairoa McMillan, Xavier Legette, and Jalen Coker. Unfortunately, this passing game is still too raw to overcome how bad the Panthers’ defense is likely to be this season."Matt Johnson
This isn't what Panthers fans want to hear. Canales and general manager Dan Morgan have placed a significant amount of faith in their youth movement, but there is also a solid amount of experience on the team to steer them in the right direction.
The Panthers must demonstrate progress. Canales wants his team to be more competitive, and he's confident that the personnel accumulated by Morgan can match these objectives. Starting well is crucial, which should also provide the positive early springboard needed for a more profitable campaign.
It's a fine margins situation. The Panthers have some difficult upcoming challenges to navigate. Confidence is high, but it'll count for nothing if they cannot become balanced in all phases when it counts.
Anything less comes with potentially grave consequences attached. And nobody will be more aware of that than Canales, who must back up his big talk in Year 2 of his head coaching tenure.