Carolina Panthers 2024 offseason primer

Highlights

• QB Bryce Young’s rookie season fell short of expectations, now there is pressure to succeed in 2024.
• With hope for offensive success, the Panthers will be aggressive in pursuing a new wideout for the offense.
• The Panthers have some available cap space, but plenty of key defensive pieces are set to hit the open market.

After trading up for the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, there was optimism heading into the season for the Carolina Panthers. Bryce Young was the franchise’s new centerpiece, and new head coach Frank Reich was expected to help him take the strides necessary to make an immediate impression as one of the league’s top young passers.

As far as those expectations, this past season was a complete failure for the organization. Frank Reich was fired after just 11 games with the team, and while there is still potential, Young didn’t meet the standard that was placed on him.

Changes can be made, though, and the Panthers have already started to make them. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Dave Canales has been named the head coach, Dan Morgan has been named as the new general manager, and the Panthers are all in on putting Young in the right situation to succeed.

Panthers bright spots of 2023

Despite injuries, the defense remained impressive

Offensively, things weren’t all bad for the Panthers. Bryce Young started to look better in the back half of the season, showing a level of comfort and poise as a passer that should get him off to a stronger start in 2024. At least a part of that start should be with wideout Adam Thielen, who was a strong safety valve in the offense, producing 103 receptions for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.

On the defensive side of things, the Panthers were surprisingly impressive. The Panthers defense allowed the fourth-fewest yards per game (293.9) and sixth-fewest yards per play (4.9) in 2023, but somehow gave up the fourth-most points per game (24.5).

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Derrick Brown was probably one of the biggest overachievers in the whole league in 2023. To pair with that, defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero will return in 2024, which should help keep that success rolling into next year.

Panthers areas for improvement

Carolina should continue to invest in helping Bryce Young

With a 2-15 record in 2023, the weaknesses of this Panthers team were endless. However, it doesn’t mean they can’t be retooled. Injuries took their toll on the offensive line, and rookie mistakes made that hard to overcome. Defensively, the trenches could stand to improve a bit, but Evero helped establish a good foundation to build on in 2024.

Surrounding Young with the best players you can has to take priority for the Panthers this offseason. If the team can add good-value contracts or high-end impact players to the skill position group, then there is undoubtedly a reason to start building optimism for the offense moving forward.

Injuries to Brady Christensen and Austin Corbett significantly affected the team’s protection last year. The main focus in the trenches will just be on getting them back and healthy, but adding a veteran interior lineman who can move around and step in for any injured lineman could work great as insurance up front.

Defensively, the team has plenty to be excited about. However, the looming concern will be the future of Brian Burns. If the team lets him go via tag & trade, there will be a large hole on the edge with a massive need for pass-rush production. On top of that, the team will need to find a way to retain Frankie Luvu at linebacker, and other veterans from 2023 are set to hit the open market.

Pending free agents

Amid a rebuild, who returns to Carolina?

The Panthers have some tough choices to make; they don’t have the largest budget entering the offseason but want to bolster the roster for more success next season. Outside speculation seems to think the emphasis will land on the offensive side of the ball, but there are plenty of key pieces the team will look at keeping internally, and a large chunk of them come from the defense.

The wide receiver room opens up with three veterans seeing their contracts expire this year. Look for Carolina to bring one or two back, but there may also be a push for some external adds through the open market or the draft. Luckily for the offense, many of their starters from 2023 are back in 2024, which should help the chemistry for next season.

The Panthers’ defense in 2023 showed promise, but plenty of pieces are now set to hit the open market. The priority will be on linebackers Burns and Luvu; can Carolina afford to keep them both while adding the necessary talent to their roster?

Free agency targets

Panthers should look for bargains over big names

The Panthers have some promising pieces throughout their roster, but the team had the league’s worst record for a reason. Getting healthy and implementing some better coaching will go a long way, but finding value in free agency should also help elevate the team and help them enter the next phase of their rebuild.

Running back

Chuba Hubbard took over the majority of the workload over the back half of the season after the Miles Sanders signing failed, rushing for more yards than anyone in the NFL from Weeks 13 to 18 (449). While the team may be fine letting him remain the lead back, adding someone new into the backfield could provide another element to the offense and take some of the pressure off of their young quarterback.

While they probably won’t be in the market for a star looking to become the bell cow, the team could see some value in making moves to acquire someone like Devin Singletary of the Houston Texans, A.J. Dillon from the Green Bay Packers, or Washington Commanders’ back Antonio Gibson.

Wide receiver

If a top wideout option such as Mike Evans, Michael Pittman Jr., or even Marquise Brown becomes available, the Panthers must heavily pursue it. However, if they miss the top tier of free agent wideouts, they will likely weigh their options at the position versus taking someone at pick 33.

Double-dipping to bring in multiple weapons through free agency is also on the table, as Buffalo Bills wideout Gabe Davis is a second-tier free agent WR who could make a lot of sense for the team as a dependable outside threat for the offense.

Edge rusher

Whether the team retains Brian Burns or not, adding some pass-rush help to the roster could help Evero generate more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Bringing in someone who can get to the quarterback while also helping set the edge to boost the team’s run defense would help the defense get even better next season, and that could happen by acquiring names like Buffalo’s A.J. Epenesa or Emmanuel Ogbah of the Miami Dolphins. ​​​​​​​

2024 draft and salary cap situation

Hitting at pick No. 33 is a must for the Panthers

Thanks to the Bryce Young trade, the Panthers will be without their first round pick this year. Still, the team has the first pick of the second, third, and fourth rounds. It won’t be easy, but if the team can manage to land a couple of valuable contributors, it could go a long way to the organization’s short- and long-term success.

At the top of the second round, the Panthers will likely look to add a weapon in some form that can be an asset right away and in the long haul for Young’s future. Unfortunately, the top three WRs of this class are first round locks.

Still, the collection of Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU), Adonai Mitchell (Texas), Troy Franklin (Oregon), Keon Coleman (Florida State), Xavier Worthy (Texas), and Ladd McConkey (Georgia) all have a chance to fall into the second round. While not all those weapons may be available, a few surely will, and Carolina will get their choice of receiver if they decide to address the position at 33.

Regarding cap space, the Panthers currently have about $36.2 million to spend, 15th most in the NFL. They don’t have good reason to restructure many of their current contracts, but the team has enough budget to make a splash if the right opportunity presents itself.

It may be hard to have much optimism as a Panthers fan, but the 2023 season was a bit unlucky with all the unfortunate circumstances that came into play over the year. In 2024, the team may not be hoisting a Lombardi trophy, but there is still plenty to be excited about. It all starts this offseason for Dan Morgan and the front office.

All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference and all contract information courtesy of Spotrac unless stated otherwise.