5 bold Carolina Panthers predictions for the 2024 season
By Dean Jones
Jaycee Horn plays 17 games
The Carolina Panthers are relying heavily on stud defensive back Jaycee Horn this season. Their cornerback room looks almost unrecognizable from that which concluded the 2023 campaign. That should help, but the need for their star asset to stay healthy for a full 17-game slate cannot be overstated.
Horn is one of the league's most promising outside coverage presences when healthy. Staying on the field's been his biggest stumbling block, turning out 22 times over his first three seasons thanks to a series of frustrating ailments.
The Panthers gave Horn a confidence boost this offseason by triggering his fifth-year option. He went through a much better preparation period this time around after altering his approach. Hopefully, this newfound positivity can bear fruit when the regular season arrives, and the former first-round selection can firmly enter the elite category in 2024.
The South Carolina product has talent, there's no getting away from that. Staying healthy for a full slate and performing to his capabilities will see the Panthers happily hand over a lucrative contract extension next spring.
Carolina Panthers become a top 10 rushing attack
Dave Canales made his intentions known early. He wants the Panthers to become a run-first team. They will be stubborn in establishing their ground game throughout the campaign and have the personnel needed to make significant strides in this key discipline.
Not having Jonathon Brooks over the first four games dents their chances slightly. The second-round pick is still recovering from a torn ACL, so erring on the side of caution until he is 100 percent is the correct approach. Carolina has Chuba Hubbard, Miles Sanders, and Raheem Blackshear to pick up the slack. They also have an improved offensive line capable of carving open holes.
Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis were the two marquee free-agent signings, bringing a level of aggression and nastiness that was sorely lacking in 2023. The new blocking concepts should also bring more from third-year left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, who was drafted No. 6 overall in 2021 thanks in no small part to his mauling contribution in run support.
The Panthers ranked No. 20 league-wide in yards per game in 2023 with 104.1. Canales' offensive mentality and the additions made could see them become a top-10 rushing attack when it's all said and done.