To know what is next for the Panthers, you first need to look back.
After the devastating 2-15 season in 2023, it was clear that a lot of work was needed.
Since Cam Newton was released in 2019, quarterback play had been a glaring issue. A rotating door welcomed, then quickly dismissed, any potential replacements.
Carolina had to find an answer that stuck for the sake of the franchise’s future. General Manager Scott Fitterer thought it lay in securing the first overall pick in the 2023 Draft.
With a franchise-altering trade with the Chicago Bears, Carolina jumped from ninth to the first overall pick. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was selected to work with new head coach Frank Reich.
Reich seemed the perfect man to nurture the rookie. He was an ex-quarterback, a quarterback coach, a Super Bowl-winning offensive co-ordinator and a head coach who had taken the Indianapolis Colts to the playoffs in two of his four seasons.
Yet he was fired midway through his first campaign after a 1-10 start. Young struggled with Reich’s offence as well as the players Fitterer brought in around him. Fitterer stated, “We do not plan on picking in the top ten again”, justifying his blockbuster trade.
Fitterer relinquished the Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick with the expectation that it would not be a high one – a worthwhile gamble if Young had enjoyed a respectable season. Alas, that pick turned out to be the first overall pick, which Chicago used to take Caleb Williams. Fitterer was fired after the 2023 season.
2024: New brooms
To quickly replace the fired pair, General Manager Dan Morgan and Head Coach Dave Canales were appointed. With a young quarterback low on confidence, the worst roster in the league and no first-round pick, the duo had a mountain to climb.
The 2024 season had the worst possible start with a 1-7 record. Young was benched for five weeks after annihilations in the first two games. But once Canales got his feet under the table, Young was brought back in. He started in Week 8 and the Panthers began to play some sound football.
The season ended with four wins in the final nine games and some very impressive performances along the way. They included excruciatingly narrow defeats to the eventual Super Bowl finalists. Canales led the Panthers to a 5-12 finish, a three-win improvement on 2023.
2025 and beyond: Steady progress
When Morgan and Canales were hired, their task was monumental.
They were taking over the league’s worst team with no draft capital to build for the future. Their short-term job was to create stability and build a team that was nowhere near as bad as 2023. I feel they achieved that.
The current medium-term goal is progression. There were enough signs in 2024 to be optimistic about the future but the work is far from done. Three wins more than the dismal year before is a great place to start. That is the kind of progression I would like to witness going forward.
Another three wins would elevate the team to 8-9 in 2025. That would continue the vast improvement made in 2024 and serve as the best record since 2017. Remember, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South with an 8-9 record in 2022 and 9-8 in 2023.
If this upward trend continues, the Panthers’ aims should be to win the division in 2026 with 10+ wins and become a serious playoff contender in 2027, 2028 and beyond.
