2026 Panthers Preview

In 2025 the Carolina Panthers made the postseason for the first time since 2017 and won the NFC South for the first time since 2015. Third-year QB Bryce Young threw for over 3,000 yards, had six game-winning drives, and four 4th-Quarter comebacks in a spiritual revival of the Cardiac Cats that ended with a last-second loss to the Los Angeles Rams at home in the playoffs. With a lot of new faces on defense, and a first-place schedule, the Panthers look to build on that momentum in 2026.

Offense

The Panthers offense last year was an inconsistent unit week to week and quarter to quarter that resulted in some truly electrifying comebacks and some headscratching losses. This year they’re hoping for a little bit more consistency that will come from year 4 with Bryce Young, the continuity of Dave Canales and Brad Idzik’s system, and the continued growth of the young wide receiver room. The good news for Carolina is they return 9 of 11 starters losing only Rico Dowdle at RB and Cade Mays at center with 6th OL Austin Corbett gone as well.

We’ll start up front for the Panthers where there is some bad news. Both starting tackles Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton are out for the foreseeable future, while Ekwonu works back from a patellar tendon injury and Moton deals with blood clots. Carolina invested in the OL in the offseason signing tackle Rasheed Walker, who started for the Packers a season ago, and center Luke Fortner who started in New Orleans. They also drafted Monroe Freeling out of Georgia in the first round. When the Panthers are winning it’s because they’re playing how Dave Canales wants to win games, by controlling the game through these long plodding drives and to do that you have to win up front. When healthy this unit is capable of doing that.

Without Dowdle at tailback the Panthers will be running with Chuba Hubbard and Jonathon Brooks at RB with free agent AJ Dillon and the 2nd year Trevor Etienne as other options. Hubbard was banged up in 2025 and put up 511 yards mostly serving as Dowdle’s backup once he came back. Jonathon Brooks was a 2024 2nd-round pick, before tearing his ACL his rookie year and missed all of 2025. The Longhorn is back and ready to go for week 1 vs Chicago with no limitations, and figures to be a big part of the run game as a change of pace speed back to the grinding Hubbard.

In terms of pass catchers the Panthers have their best offensive player but also their most question marks on this side of the ball. 2025 Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan hauled in 1,014 yards and 7 TDs but, the second leading receiver was Jalen Coker who was limited to just 3 starts due to injury. Coker had 394 yards in that limited time and also had 134 yards and a TD in the playoffs vs LA. Another contender for the #2 threat is former Gamecock Xavier Legette who had a disappointing sophomore season but was still the third leading receiver on the team. Other WRs include second year Jimmy Horn Jr., Brycen Tremayne, and John Metchie III.

At tight end the Panthers have some solid blockers in Tommy Tremble and Mitchell Evans but the two aren’t super explosive pass catchers. Carolina went out and signed Darren Waller late in the preseason and the veteran receiving TE is already the 3rd TE on the depth chart and figures to be a part of the passing game over the oft injured Ja’Tavion Sanders. Still look for Sanders to make an impact, as the young TE has been explosive when healthy.

But it all comes down to how Bryce Young performs. The former #1 overall pick is in his fifth year and has not gotten a contract extension despite having the best year of his career a season ago. Young ended last year hot, and played well in the playoffs but for Carolina to build off of last year he has to be significantly more consistent. Young was the lowest graded passer in the first quarter of games in 2025 and for his career he has the lowest passer rating in the NFL in September. On the positive side Young was very explosive with the best completion% and passer rating on deep passes of *any* QB in the NFL a season ago.

With Brad Idzik calling the plays this season as opposed to Canales I’m interested to see if Carolina’s offensive philosophy changes. Last year, the Panthers won games by playing ball control and shortening games but with the growth of some of these young receivers and a healthy Hubbard/Brooks RB tandem, I wonder if we will see a more up tempo attack. That’s honestly when Bryce Young and company through the air looked best last season when they were forced to work it through the air late. It all comes down to how Young has developed going into his fifth year.

Defense

The Panthers featured a defense last year with the highest graded CB duo in the NFL with Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, unfortunately the rest of the unit left a lot to be desired. They were 15th in scoring but were in the bottom 10 in every stat against the run. Carolina went into the 2026 offseason committed to improving the defense that couldn’t get a stop to win the Rams game.

The search for improvements started up front with the signing of edge rusher Jaelan Phillips who had 5 sacks in 2025 and has 28 sacks in his 5-year career. Carolina as a team had the fourth fewest sacks in the NFL last year, their lack of consistent pressure was their undoing in many losses last year. Outside of Phillips the DL also got a buff in 2nd-round draft pick Lee Hunter out of Texas Tech who is already slotted in to start alongside Derrick Brown at DT. Joining Phillips on the outside will be the veteran Pat Jones II, Princely Umanlien, and Trevis Gibson as a pass rush group that is sadly without Nic Scourton for all of 2026 after a training camp ACL tear.

Phillips somehow wasn’t even the Panthers biggest signing on defense as they went out and grabbed All-Pro LB Devin Lloyd from the Jaguars in free agency and then brought in Bobby Okereke late in the preseason, who had 143 tackles for the Giants in 2025. It’s a linebacking unit that desperately needed the overhaul in Ejiro Evero’s 3-4 scheme. After last offseason’s heavy investment at the offensive line it makes sense that Dan Morgan would address his kin next at linebacker.

The secondary was a real strength for Carolina in 2025 allowing the 7th-fewest passing TDs and with Horn and Jackson at corner this ball-hawking unit had the 8th most interceptions. Those two are back, along with depth piece/nickel in some packages Chau Smith-Wade rounding out the starters. At safety Tre’Von Moehrig had the most tackles for loss in a season by a DB ever with 14. Him and Nick Scott were a strong tandem especially against the run and former Ohio State Buckeye Lathan Ransom has been pushing Scott for playing time at safety too.

The defense saw the most investment from Carolina overall in the draft and free agency with the Panthers taking the big swings with Lloyd and Phillips, while also picking up some nice under the radar pieces like 4th-round CB Will Lee out of Texas A&M. Ejiro Evero has his most talented unit yet in his Panthers tenure and now it is on the 4th-year DC to up the ante.

Special Teams

Ryan Fitzgerald had a wonderful rookie campaign for Carolina going 24-29 on field goals with a long of 57 and four of those FGs being game-winners. The Panthers finally have some consistency at the kicking position going into 2026, and the same can be said at punter with the return of Sam Martin who was also good. At kick returner and punt returner it will be Jimmy Horn Jr. early, as he fills in for the injured Trevor Etienne who also hasn’t been the most sure-handed guy back there.

Overall

Carolina enters 2026 with a win total at 7.5 facing a 1st-place schedule that boasts three primetime contests. I think there is a world out there where the Panthers are a better team than ‘25, with an almost similar or worse record due to just how much more difficult the schedule is with road trips to Philadelphia, Green Bay, and Pittsburgh and home tilts against Seattle, Detroit, Denver, and Baltimore. The good news, however, is that the Panthers at the end of the day play in the NFC South where truly anything is possible. I believe that Carolina improved the most out of any team in that division and are positioned for a great shot to repeat as champions of the South.