The Carolina Panthers may not be making the playoffs, but they believe they’ve found their future quarterback.
This is important, especially since general manager Dan Morgan now needs to focus on fixing a defense that had a very rough season.
Bryce Young ended his second season on a high note with 21 touchdowns—15 passing and 6 rushing—over his last 10 starts, including five touchdowns in a 44-38 overtime win against the Atlanta Falcons, who were still fighting for a playoff spot.
It was a big turnaround for Young, who had been benched just two games into the season by first-year head coach Dave Canales. Many people thought the Panthers had wasted their No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft when they moved up eight spots to select Young, the former Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama.
However, Young proved the doubters wrong. He earned back Canales’ trust and gave Panthers fans hope that the team’s seven-year playoff drought could soon come to an end.
“Absolutely, Bryce is going to be our starter moving forward,” Canales said when asked if Young had shown enough to be the franchise quarterback. “He earned that job. He won it. He took it and ran with it.”
Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble wasn’t surprised by Young’s strong finish. He praised him for staying positive and working hard, even through tough times.
“I have hyped him up from the day he got here because we have been seeing that the entire time,” Tremble said. “Now the whole world got to see it, especially being the last game of the year. He ended it on a high note and really let people talk about his quarterback play. He’s elite.”
Young expressed how thankful he was for the second chance, which came after veteran Andy Dalton injured his thumb in a car accident on October 22 and had to give up the starting job.
When asked if he felt vindicated, Young responded, “I don’t know if vindication is the word, but I always try to control what I can control. I just want to be the best version of myself every day and I will continue to chase that… I want to embrace the good and the bad, and that is something that was a theme for this entire year.”
Evero remains as defensive coordinator
Canales confirmed that Ejiro Evero will stay as the defensive coordinator despite the Panthers allowing 534 points this season, breaking an NFL record set by the 1981 Baltimore Colts, who gave up 533 points during their 2-14 season.
The Panthers played one more game than those Colts and allowed an average of 31.4 points per game, which ranks as the sixth-worst in NFL history.
“I’ve played against his defenses and I know what this defense will look like,” Canales said. “And I’m committed to that and Ejiro is committed to that. So it’s about developing the players we brought in and evaluating our schemes and being honest about that, and then seeing who is out there to improve our roster.”
Canales didn’t say if the whole defensive staff would return.
“I love EJ and I love his scheme,” said GM Dan Morgan. “But I have to do my part as well, me and my staff, of putting really good players on the field and adding good pieces. … We will continue to be aggressive. We will be smart, but we will be aggressive.”
Brown recovering
Evero faced challenges after the Panthers traded top pass rusher Brian Burns and cornerback Donte Jackson, lost linebacker Frankie Luvu in free agency, and saw two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Derrick Brown and linebacker Shaq Thompson suffer injuries in the first two weeks of the season.
The Panthers signed edge rusher D.J. Wonnum in the offseason, but he was on injured reserve for the first half of the season.
The good news for the Panthers is that Brown is expected to return from a torn meniscus in his knee by the start of offseason team activities.
Thompson’s future in Carolina is less clear after he played in only six games over the past two seasons due to injuries. Thompson, a key emotional leader on defense, has been with the team for the last decade.
Horn’s future
The Panthers’ top priority in free agency will be re-signing their only Pro Bowl player, cornerback Jaycee Horn.
Horn has only played in 37 out of a possible 68 games during his injury-prone four-year career, but he’s been a top shutdown corner when healthy. The Panthers are expected to pick up Horn’s fifth-year option and are likely to offer him a long-term deal.
Specialists’ contracts
The Panthers have had a reliable group of specialists over the last three seasons, including kicker Eddy Pineiro, punter Johnny Hekker, and long snapper J.J. Janson. However, all three are set to become unrestricted free agents this offseason.
Pineiro, who has an 88.1% field goal accuracy, is the third-most accurate kicker in NFL history. He could attract a good amount of attention in free agency, despite not having a particularly strong leg.
Draft position
The Panthers finished with a 5-12 record, marking their sixth straight season with 10 losses. They will pick 8th in the upcoming NFL draft.
