2023 Season-In-Review

Record: 2-15

The good news is that Bryce Young stayed healthy and played 17 games as a rookie for the Carolina Panthers. The bad news, he was not what was expected as the No. 1 pick from 2023. The Panthers began 0-6 heading into an early bye. They shocked the Houston Texans in Week 8 to pick up their first victory and it would be the only one until Week 13. A 1-12 Panther team won a 9-7 game against the Atlanta Falcons. The road did not get better as Carolina was shut out and outscored 35-0 over the final two games of the season.

2024 Carolina Panthers Season Preview

Offense

Key Additions: WR Diontae Johnson, OT Yosh Nijman, OG Robert Hunt, OG Damien Lewis, WR David Moore, WR Xavier Legette, RB Jonathan Brooks

Key Losses: WR DJ Chark, TE Hayden Hurst

The decision that the Panthers made to move up in the 2023 NFL Draft is one that is still under inspection. In year one, it did not look good across the board.

Bryce Young did not impress as he looked over his head at times. On the other hand, C.J. Stroud, who was taken second overall, shined as a rookie. Also, the Panthers lost out on this year’s first-round pick, which was No. 1 overall and eventually used by the Chicago Bears to take Caleb Williams. The lack of weapons was also a problem for the Panthers and it was addressed this offseason.

Adam Thielen was the No. 1 option for Carolina last season. This year, Carolina will feature Diontae Johnson and first-round pick Xavier Legette on the outside. Legette has an NFL frame and many believe he is a true star at the next level. The running back position was also a major question mark last season. Chuba Hubbard has been an option for Carolina in recent years but has proved to be s serviceable backup. The Panthers also drafted Jonathan Brooks out of Texas but he is recovering from a torn ACL.

A strength of Carolina is the offensive line. It has been built up in hopes of protecting the young quarterback. Ikem Ekwonu is an anchor at left tackle while Taylor Moton has emerged as an elite right tackle.

The offense for Carolina did not improved over the course of the season and this led to the hiring of Dave Canales.

Defense

Key Additions: DE Jadeveon Clowney, DE K’Lavon Chaisson, DT A’Shawn Robinson, LB Josey Jowell, CB Dane Jackson, S Jordan Fuller

Key Losses: OLB Brian Burns, LB Frankie Luvu, DE Yetur Gross-Matos, OLB Marquis Haynes, CB Donte Jackson, CB CJ Henderson, CB Shaw Griffin, S Jeremy Chinn

It was an interesting offseason for the Panthers. We saw how they improved the offense in many ways but lost some major pieces defensively.

This begins with Brian Burns, who was ready for a new contract and Carolina sent to New York in a trade. As a replacement, the team went out to get Jadeveon Clowney. This is not an even replacement given Clowney’s injury history and inconsistencies on the field but the ceiling could be high. Clowney will join DJ Wonnum along the edge in Carolina. And of course, Derrick Brown continues to patrol the defensive line.

In the middle Frankie Luvu left for Washington in free agency. The duo at linebacker has a chance to be effective with the addition of Josey Jewell and Shaq Barrett. In the secondary, Donte Jackson was sent away in the trade that landed Johnson from Pittsburgh. This will be the biggest question mark defensively.

Schedule

Week 1: at New Orleans Saints

Week 2: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

Week 3: at Las Vegas Raiders

Week 4: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Week 5: at Chicago Bears

Week 6: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week 7: at Washington Commanders

Week 8: at Denver Broncos

Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints

Week 10: vs. New York Giants – London

Week 11: BYE WEEK

Week 12: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Week 13: vs. Tampa Bay Bucs

Week 14: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week 15: vs. Dallas Cowboys

Week 16: vs. Arizona Cardinals

Week 17: at Tampa Bay Bucs

Week 18: at Atlanta Falcons

Record Prediction: 3-14