The Carolina Panthers finally gave quarterback Bryce Young the supporting cast fans had been waiting for last season, and the results were encouraging.Â
Tetairoa McMillan immediately looked like a No. 1 receiver, Jalen Coker emerged as one of the NFL's best young breakout stories, and head coach Dave Canales led Carolina to an NFC South title.
Apparently, that wasn't enough to impress ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell.
Carolina Panthers' offensive skill positions continue to generate national scrutiny
Barnwell recently ranked every NFL team's running back, wide receiver and tight end groups entering the 2026 season, and he placed the Panthers at just No. 28 overall.Â
While that's an improvement from Carolina's No. 31 ranking entering last season, it's still a bottom-five supporting cast in the NFL.
"The Panthers got most of what they were hoping for from 2025 eighth pick Tetairoa McMillan," Barnwell wrote, "whose athleticism translated in separating from and running past even high-end cornerbacks for touchdowns."
Coker got some credit too. Considering how dangerous that duo looked late in the year, and with third-round rookie wideout Chris Brazzell II expected to add another vertical threat, it's understandable why some Panthers fans believe Carolina deserves more respect than a No. 28 ranking.
However, past McMillan and Coker is where Barnwell’s patience runs out.
Veteran running back Chuba Hubbard lost his starting job to Rico Dowdle around midseason and only got it back late in the campaign. Jonathon Brooks, the 2024 second-round pick, didn't play a single snap last year due to another ACL tear. Xavier Legette ranked 110th in yards per route run. And Carolina's tight ends finished 30th league-wide in receiving yards.
"This is still a young group," Barnwell added, "but everyone besides McMillan requires some small-sample extrapolation or selective sampling to peg as an average-or-better contributor."Â
Now there's a version of 2026 where this Panthers ranking looks foolish a year from now.Â
Brooks gets a real shot to make a considerable impression at long last. Brazzell becomes a serious threat from the moment he steps onto an NFL field. And Hubbard rediscovers the 2024 form that earned him a decent contract extension.
After all, Carolina won the NFC South with this group as currently constructed. Young doesn't need a complete overhaul around him; he just needs Brooks healthy, Brazzell ready early, and the receiver room behind McMillan to stop being a big question mark.
Ultimately, Barnwell's ranking says one thing: the rest of the NFL still isn't convinced Young has enough weapons. The Panthers now have an entire season to prove that assessment wrong.
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