The Carolina Panthers are entering a new era. They have a new look offense and a new coaching staff as they look to correct the woes from the early part of last season. After beginning the year 4-8, the Panthers battled back to finish in second place in the NFC South with a 7-10 record.
Frank Reich was hired as the team’s new head coach, with former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero accepting the same role with Carolina. The team made a splash move as they moved up to the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They selected Alabama QB Bryce Young with the choice and expect him to lead newcomers Miles Sanders, Adam Thielen, DJ Chark and Hayden Hurst.
Panthers best-case scenario for 2023
This year, the best-case scenario for the Panthers is that Bryce Young looks like the quarterback they expected him to be from the jump. Even if he struggles early, he settles in at the beginning of the season, and the offense meshes well. Carolina is in a very winnable division, as Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask will lead the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense, the Atlanta Falcons are rebuilding, and the New Orleans Saints are banking on Derek Carr to experience a career resurgence.
The Panthers have a more well-rounded offense than they did a season ago. Their defense will benefit if the offense can sustain longer drives, giving them more of a breather through games. If last year’s squad can finish second in the division, the best-case scenario for this year’s team is to win their first division title since 2015 and clinch their first playoff berth since 2017.
Panthers worst-case scenario for 2023
The worst-case scenario for Carolina is that Young takes a year to develop like most rookie quarterbacks. This would be the worst-case scenario if the Panthers finish third or fourth in the division with anything worse than a 6-11 record.
Sure, the down year wouldn’t make fans happy, and the team would have to go through another round of free agency decisions. A bad record will hurt because the team doesn’t own its first-round pick for the 2024 NFL Draft. The draft pick was packaged to the Chicago Bears in the deal for this year’s No. 1 draft choice. If Carolina ends the season with a top-10 pick, they won’t get to at least have that benefit following a down year. If you add in that Young suffers growing pains in the NFL and doesn’t pan into the team’s quarterback of the future, the trade could end up delaying a rebuild even further.