SEASON PREDICTION 

Carolina is coming off a division championship (albeit with a losing record) and a valiant playoff effort against an NFC powerhouse in the LA Rams. Expectations coming into 2026 are the highest they've ever been in the Bryce Young era, but I'm not so sure they will continue to ride this wave of success. The main reason I feel this way is due to all the injuries that they’ve suffered in camp. Three key players who were expected to make major contributions for 2026 have suffered season ending designations with Nic Scourton, the 2025 team leader in sacks being the biggest blow. There is also some mystery on to how the offense will look with Dane Canales giving up playcalling responsbility in an attempt to focus more on his HC duties.  

The offense still has some positive aspects mainly highlighted with the emergence of Jalen Coker in the second half of 2025. In their sole playoff game Coker nearly singlehandedly won Carolina the match by putting up a monstrous performance of 9 catches 134 yards and a touchdown. If Coker continues to ascend on his upwards trajectory, and McMillan has a year two leap, this could be an elite WR duo. Another thing I'm excited for is finally seeing Jonathan Brooks suit up. Coming out of college, he was my top RB in the class, and I fully expect him to take Hubbard role by week 7 if not sooner. My only concern is if Carolina will allow him to dominate the backfield touches or continue to force Chubbas uninspiring 3-yard plows down the gut. We saw this scenario play out last year with Dowdle, and it led to deserved frustration from Rico's end and a departure in free agency. So, with the backfield and receiving room sorted out (hopefully) it leads us back to the main character who will make or break this team. Young has shown flashes over his first 3 years in the league, but I have yet to see him put together a whole 17 game season where he looks like a franchise QB. Now he is entering the season without his two starting tackles and an O-line ranked near the bottom of the NFL. Pair this with the fact that he is one of the worst starting QBs when faced with pressure and it doesn't make me too confident in Carolina's probability of repeating as division champs.  

Defensively Carolina went out and spent big in free agency to bolster their front seven. Their two biggest adds included signing Jalen Phillips to a 4 year 120-million-dollar deal and Devin Lloyd to a 3 year 45-million-dollar deal. I personally believe they overpaid for Phillips but that they underpaid for Lloyd, so it evens out in the end. Phillips pass rush ability is desperately needed for this squad that finished 3rd worst in the league with just 30 sacks. To make matters worse their sack leader Nic Scourton is out for the year, so the dream they had of a two headed attack when acquiring Philips will have to wait for 2027. While the pass rush may not be great, they at least got the talent in the door to help guide the rest of the front seven, which will be an improvement from last year. Plus, they can rely on their strongest unit of the defense, which is their CB room. The duo of Mike Jackson and Jayce Horn might be the most under-talked CB duo in the entire NFL. Last year they combined for 10 INT's and 27 PD with Jackson leading the league with 19 PD all on his own. When on primetime they showed out in front of the entire world making Purdy look like a mediocre QB by picking him off 3 times. They have continued to elevate these past two years together, and I expect even greater things to come this year. With these two anchoring the backline, they may be able to cover Carolina's holes on the front line and make the overall defense an average unit.  

Taking everything into account, Carolina seems destined for a middling season with frustrating ups and downs throughout. I expect the season to get off with a rocky start due to the new play caller and offensive line holes. Furthermore, there is still uncertainty in what roles each player will play for the team, especially in key positional groups like RB. Defensively I don't anticipate the pass rush to improve much from last year, hence putting a lot of pressure on their two outstanding CBs in coverage. Due to this uncertainty and the fact that Bryce Young has yet to prove himself, I have the Panthers finishing 8-9 and second place in the division.