Every week seems to bring a new version of the Carolina Panthers. Head coach Dave Canales' squad displays flashes of progress, followed by reminders that rebuilding is a complex and messy process.
But over the last two games, something’s started to change. They’re learning how to win, how to respond, and how to turn questions into answers.
Sure, a comeback win over the Miami Dolphins didn’t erase Carolina’s flaws. Bryce Young still has to eliminate early turnovers, and the offense still operates on a thin margin for error. However, it showed that this team is learning how to recover.
Carolina Panthers are forming the culture needed to overcome adversity
The Panthers are starting to look like a group that expects to respond, rather than just hoping to. It’s not an accident that so many of Week 5's heroes were rookies and young players.
This roster has been rebuilt almost entirely around youth, as 12 rookies made the Week 1 roster. In fact, only 11 players remain from before Dan Morgan took over as general manager.
Fans saw it unfold in real time at Bank of America Stadium last time out.
Jimmy Horn Jr. made a clutch fourth-down catch in his first NFL game. Xavier Legette shook off weeks of criticism to haul in one of the most impressive touchdowns of the year. Rico Dowdle, a free agent pickup, put up 206 yards on the ground and 234 in total.
This is what sustainable rebuilds look like: not splashy names, but consistent growth. Carolina isn’t patching holes; they’re laying bricks.
If you want to know what this new Carolina regime values, look at who they’ve invested in.
Derrick Brown and Chuba Hubbard got extensions. Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis were brought in to rebuild the trenches. Jaycee Horn was kept as a foundational piece.
They’re betting on players who set examples, not just records. That’s the culture every franchise talks about, but few actually build.
This roster is full of guys who love football and handle adversity the right way. When Legette dropped a critical pass last year, he immediately hit the JUGS machine next to Hubbard. It's the type of accountability that builds locker rooms.
The parallels to 2013 — a young team that found itself midseason — are fun to talk about, but this isn’t that group yet. That team was ready-made; this one is still being constructed.
But fans can feel something forming.
The defense is climbing the rankings — top 12 in total defense through five weeks. The offense is discovering its identity. And the locker room is made up of players who genuinely believe they’re part of something being built the right way.
That belief, as simple as it sounds, might be the biggest win of all.