It was a dreadful 2022 for the Carolina Panthers as they were one of the worst teams in football. They fired head coach Matt Rhule after five games in 2022 and traded away the majority of their core pieces. Christian McCaffrey was dealt during the season while DJ Moore was traded away for the No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft. They have a new look heading into the 2023 season, with Frank Reich at the helm.
They used the No. 1 overall draft pick on Bryce Young. They traded up from No. 9 to get the No. 1 pick so they could take Young. They gave away Moore in that trade which seemed like a bit much, but it shows how they view Young and what he can do for this franchise. The first year or two, there may be struggles, but they feel he can get them to be a consistent competitor in the NFC in the future.
Hereās a look at the depth chart for the 2023 Carolina Panthers ahead of your fantasy football drafts.
Panthers depth chart 2023
Quarterback is locked up for Young and it has already been put out that it will be his job in Week 1. It will be a learning curve for him, but many around the organization think he will be a franchise quarterback for them. Running back is another position that appears to be locked up. Miles Sanders was signed in the offseason and there likely isnāt anybody taking that spot from him. RB2 will be a tight battle between Chuba Hubbard and Raheem Blackshear. Sanders was a part of the NFLās best run game last season in Philadelphia and I expect him to bring some of the success to Carolina where he will be playing with another dual-threat quarterback.
Wide receiver is going to be a battle as well. The slot will go to Adam Thielen certainly but there will be battles for the other two spots. Terrace Marshall Jr. and DJ Chark Jr. will likely be the two to win the job, but Jonathan Mingo and Lavish Shenault are two guys who will get themselves on the field. Shenault can also play in the slot, but it will be an interesting battle between these guys in camp.
Lastly, for the offense, the right guard spot is up in the air. Austin Corbett tore his ACL in January and they’ve said heās ahead of schedule, but he will not be ready until the second half of the season. Cade Mays has been getting work with the first-team offense, but Chandler Zavala is a guy who could challenge him for that spot. Heās currently on PUP, but I would expect him to be back pretty soon. The Panthers had a solid offensive line in 2022, but theyāll need to be even better with Young as their quarterback now.
Derrick Brown and Shy Tuttle have the interior defensive line locked down for the Panthers. Theyāre a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of stopping the run and getting pressure. DeShawn Williams and Henry Anderson will battle for the defensive end spot, but Williams is the favorite there. Brian Burns will be an edge rusher for this team and through his first four years, heās been impressive.
In the secondary, there arenāt many surprises or battles you should expect. Jaycee Horn and Donte Jackson will be CB1 and CB2 while Von Bell, Xavier Woods, and Jeremy Chinn will be at the safety positions. Bell was signed in free agency after spending three years with the Cincinnati Bengals.
