I’m expecting big things out of the Carolina offense this year. The Panthers brought in a new head coach Dave Canales. I think this is one of the most underrated off-season moves in the league. While this is the first head coaching gig for Canales, I think he is just what Bryce Young and this offense need. He just recently revived Baker’s career in Tampa as their offensive coordinator. He not only brought “vintage” Baker back, but he did the same thing in Seattle with Geno Smith. This guy speaks quarterback and is exactly what Bryce Young needs. It is a perfect match for this Carolina offense, now let’s break it down.
We all saw Bryce Young and his struggles last season. It wasn’t a fun team to watch and Young did not look first overall pick worthy. I don’t think this is on Bryce at all. He was thrown into a terrible situation in Charlotte with arguably the worst offensive line in the league. This year is different though. Starting at the o-line, there have been some much-needed changes. Carolina acquired Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis in free agency. Both of these guards have a good amount of experience and should be an immediate help to the line. Robert Hunt being a “household name” in the offensive line world has Canales and of course Bryce Young very excited. Austin Corbett will be moving to center. While this might seem like a questionable move to have someone at center who doesn't have much experience with it, Canales is very confident in this move due to the leadership and aggressive qualities of Corbett. I don’t think he would risk his first head coaching job right away by making that move at center if he wasn’t extremely confident, so I like that move a lot. Of course, former first-round pick Ikem Ekwonu will be back. He did have struggles last year we all saw it, but I think with a good off-season and some guidance from the new guys in town, he’s due for a big year. Carolina spent $153M on this new look o-line, they had no choice it had to be done, and what a great investment that will turn out to be.
Now that the Panthers have great potential for some solid protection, we will have a good opportunity to see what Bryce Young can really do. I think Young has the talent to be an elite NFL QB. I think he is the right guy for this Panthers team and is going to surprise a lot of people in the upcoming season. He’s put on some weight this off-season which was needed and of course, has had this off-season to develop his game as well. Young will have his lead receiver back in Adam Thielen who will continue to have a major impact on this team. Along with Thielen, Mingo and Marshall Jr. will be familiar targets for Bryce. Both of them are in the very early stages of their careers and have great potential to put the league on notice. There are some talented newcomers to the team as well. The Panthers acquired Diontae Johnson from Pittsburg who is an insane athlete and my pick to be the leading receiver this year for Carolina. They drafted one of the best WRs in the 2024 class Xavier Legette out of South Carolina. Legette is looking good in camp and will have an immediate impact on this offense. Another rookie coming in is TE Ja’Tavion Sanders out of Texas who is also having a good camp. Sanders is a great receiving TE and will be an extremely reliable target for Bryce right away.
So far, this is looking good for Carolina. They made the perfect move at head coach, strategically revamped their offensive line, added some great talent to the WR room, and have also improved in the backfield. The Panthers drafted Jonathan Brooks out of Texas. Brooks is a very talented back and was the first one taken off the board in the 2024 draft. While he won’t get immediate playing time due to recovering from injury. He should start getting some game action around week fourish. I think Brooks with Chuba Hubbard could end up being a two-headed monster in the backfield if Hubbard can find his groove in year four. Again, just like Bryce Young, this is the best situation in Charlotte since Hubbard has been in the league, I think we see major strides in his game.
This Panthers team had some pretty major changes take place since last season, new GM Dan Morgan is already being extremely successful in his new role. Like I said earlier, this team will shock a lot of people as there aren’t many people out there expecting a lot from Carolina. There should be more seats filled in Bank of America Stadium this year. Opening up against the Saints on September 8th, we could see a 1-0 start. That would not surprise me and from there they just need to take it week by week. As we go throughout the season, they will be more and more comfortable playing with each other as well. This is going to be an entertaining squad to watch, go ahead and buy that Panthers merch now before it’s cool.
I hope you’re right