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[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers focused on improving physicality of their defense

Photo by Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images

Reading between the lines on offseason plans and comments shows a renewed focus on the running game

With the first week of organized team activities (OTAs) in the books, coaches are heaping praise on every step of their plan to build a competitive Carolina Panthers team for the 2025 season. We are firmly in the regularly scheduled “X player is in the best shape of his life” portion of the off season. For all the coach and agent speak that is going to flood the NFL news cycle over the coming months, there is plenty that we can read between the lines if we pay attention.

Specifics of their plans for scheme or player rotation changes are obviously being held very close to the chest right now. Many of these things are also highly fluid at the moment as coaches are only just beginning to see how their new additions work together. The Panthers defense has been almost entirely remade from the squad that started most of the 2024 season.

Coach Speak​

Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero spoke yesterday about how they are evolving the defense beyond just the roster changes.

“We’re trying to really reinforce being physical and coming off the ball and getting some knockback and, we want to make sure that well that’s a big part of what we do,” Evero said Wednesday. This sounds a lot like your average coach speak that boils down to an offensive coach saying they want to score more touchdowns or a defensive coach saying they want to prevent more touchdowns.

Sure, obviously.

But it also rings as the simple truth for a Panthers team that was consistently getting knocked off the ball on defense and letting opposing teams run at will against them. This year projects to be different.

Personnel changes​

For one, the team has finally signed an actual nose tackle to line up in a zero technique in their 3-4 base scheme. The team isn’t going to spend even a majority of their time in that alignment, but it will be central to how they want to defend the run on an average down. Bobby Brown III is going to be an anchor that allows guys like A’Shawn Robinson and the returning Derrick Brown to do more than just be generally in the way of opposing offensive linemen.

Free agent additions defensive end Tershawn Wharton and outside linebacker Patrick Jones II both come to the Panthers with more sacks in rotational roles in 2024 than any Panther playing that entire season. D.J. Wonnum is their stiffest competition, having posted four sacks in half a season of play. Wharton (6.5 sacks) and Jones (7) figure to upgrade a team whose talent could not find its footing last season.

Those guys alone represent a huge upgrade, but that doesn’t account for the Panthers spending two top 100 picks on edge rushers in Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen who will immediately upgrade the depth in their stable of pass rushers while also, hopefully, setting the stage for the future of their position.

The bulk of the Panthers investments in both free agency and the draft were up front on defense. The secondary has been a secondary priority this off season, with only two new faces expected to make the final roster at safety between Tre’von Moehrig and Lathan Ransom, and one veteran, Christian Rozeboom, signed to replace the recently released Shaq Thompson at inside linebacker.

Looking back and looking forward​

Consider that the Panthers 2024 top five sack leaders included, at number four, inside linebacker Josey Jewell with 3.5 sacks (two sacks behind first place), and, at number five, outside linebacker Charles Harris with 3 sacks. Harris’ inclusion is particularly embarrassing for the Panthers as he was waived after Week 9 as the team’s then sack leader.

Brown III, Wharton, Jones II, Scourton, and Umanmielen guarantee an improvement in the physicality of this team. That is a very low bar to clear. The question in front of Evero is whether or not that improvement will be sufficient to raise the Panthers to having a competitive defense in the NFL.

We’ll find out when the regular season starts, but it is at least encouraging that the coaching staff is focusing on the right questions out of the gate.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...or-tershawn-wharton-patrick-jones-bobby-brown

 

[Carolina Panthers]

CSR Weekend Warriors: 5/30-6/1

Here’s a fresh weekend open thread just for you.

Feel free to use this thread to hang out over the weekend and chat about whatever you want (just make sure you follow the ToS ... the rules still apply here) with anyone who decides to stick around.

This is now an open thread!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/2025/5/30/24437148/csr-weekend-warriors-5-30-6-1

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2025 season opener countdown

Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images

Our countdown has begun

May 31st marks 99 days to go until the Carolina Panthers open their season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. That means it is time for our annual roster countdown. We’ll profile either the player whose jersey number corresponds with the number of days remaining in the offseason or, if no player is currently wearing that number, a player who historically wore that number as a Panther.

This is it, folks. Football is back on the horizon. There are more OTAs in June, training camp begins in July, and the preseason is in August. Check out our full list of important offseason dates here.

This story stream will collect our whole countdown series, so check back if you missed a player profile along the way.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/2025/5/31/24439907/carolina-panthers-2025-season-opener-countdown

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2025 Season Opener Countdown: 98 Days To Go

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

We’re counting down the days until the Panthers open up the 2025 season!

Hello CSR! We’re diving right back into our traditional countdown to the Panthers first game of the NFL season. For today’s countdown, we take a deeper look at number 98; EDGE DJ Wonnum!

EDGE DJ Wonnum​

Wonnum entered the NFL as a 4th round pick during the 2020 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings out of The University of South Carolina. The former Gamecock played 62 games for The Vikings with 31 starts, logging 23 sacks, 171 tackles, 49 QB hits, and 11 pass deflections in that span (per Pro Football Reference). He was a major contributor on that defense, and in both of his seasons with 14 starts he logged 8 sacks each. He suffered a season ending quadriceps injury in late December of 2023, ending his contract year with the Vikings on a sour note.

Then, he came to Carolina in the 2024 Offseason on a 2 year, $12.5 million deal. Unfortunately, Wonnum missed the first half of the season due to some major complications as a result of the surgeries to repair said injury, including a MRSA infection and blood clots that put him through a very scary part of his life. He was able to get back from it, starting 8 games and logging 4 sacks, 37 tackles and 6 QB hits as the Panthers eased him back into the full rotation.

For Carolina, with the release of Jadeveon Clowney, DJ Wonnum is an important veteran edge piece in 2025. His contract gets a bit more expensive as his cap hit jumps from almost $4 million from 2024 to almost $8 million in 2025 (with some void years attached, all per Spotrac), but now that Clowney is off the books, that becomes a lot easier to stomach from a cap perspective. Wonnum should fill the primary edge rusher role as a starter early on while the Panthers figure out how to use the tandem of Patrick Jones and rookies Nic Scourton/Princely Umanmielen, along with their other depth pieces to fill out the edges. A fully healthy Wonnum could be primed for a major bounce back season with the reinforcements Carolina has brought along the edges and on the interior for the defensive line.

Are you excited to see what DJ Wonnum brings to the table in 2025, Panthers fans?

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...son-opener-countdown-98-days-to-go-d-j-wonnum

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Reacts Results: Scourton edges out other rookies in the expectations game

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

The Carolina Panthers have a collection of rookies on defense who could all earn significant playing time on a shallow roster. The Panthers are widely known for having one of the worst defenses in NFL history in 2024. A few free agency signings and the return of a healthy Derrick Brown are unlikely to turn the Panthers into an over night success story. That leaves the door wide open for any of Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen, Lathan Ransom, and Cam Jackson to make a big, early impact.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, most Panthers fans think that the Panthers second pick in the 2025 NFL draft will have the biggest impact on the team this season. The vast majority of y’all think it will be between Scourton and Umanmielen, the team’s second and third round picks respectively.

It may seem basic that the Panthers invested most in their position of greatest need, edge rusher, but basic answers are often how you address obvious problems. The front seven of the Panthers defense was in need of major overhaul this offseason and, after addressing the interior of their defensive line in free agency, the edge was due for the most focus.

This isn’t a problem of tunnel vision or erring towards need over the more popular concept of Best Player Available. The Panthers worked their board to end the draft with the players they could both afford to draft and best improve their team with.

After years of half measures and inconsistencies, it’s been nice to see Dan Morgan and Brandt Tilis work the offseason in such a way as to enter the 2025 season with fewer glaring holes on their roster than they started out with. It’s baby steps, yes, but that’s how we all started walking.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...ic-scourton-princely-umanmielen-rookie-impact

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Brian Asks: We’re kicking off June! Bring your questions!

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Bring us all your questions in the comments for this week’s edition of YOUR Panthers fan mailbag!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Asks, part one of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We’re into June and roughly 3 months away from meaningful Panthers football again, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty to discuss! In the world of the NFL, Saquon Barkley was named the 2025 Madden cover athlete, meaning once again the Panthers did not grace the cover. Shame, I think Bryce Young as the cover athlete would be really fun!

I kid I kid, but it just goes to show that this is the relatively slow season in the NFL world. Not a lot is going on aside from minor trades, such as the 49ers acquiring defensive end Bryce Huff from the Eagles. The Panthers could still stand to add some talent, especially in their secondary, but short of an off the cuff trade like that one, I don’t see it happening until closer to August. And that’s fine!

So, come ask your questions so we can keep our discussion going in the off-season, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off-topic! I’m down for some video game questions if you’d like an idea! Comment down below with your questions, and I’ll have some answers later on this week in part two of the mailbag, Brian Answers.

Thank you so much for the continued participation, and KEEP POUNDING!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...ks-were-kicking-off-june-bring-your-questions

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Social media loves some Bryce Young stats

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Bryce Young’s 2024 comeback story told by a collection of interesting stats and graphs from the internet

After the tumultuous start to Bryce Young’s career, there were very few people left on the planet who still maintained belief that he would be a good NFL quarterback. It’s no exaggeration to say that the first 18 games of his career were cumulatively some of the worst from a first overall pick in NFL history.

A complete rebuild of the offensive coaching staff and offensive line for the Carolina Panthers gave us an offseason of optimism in 2024. The theory was that the Panthers had elevated the offense to a point that evaluators would be able to get a true evaluation of Young. The hope inherent in that theory came crashing down almost instantly after Young’s very first pass attempt of the season was intercepted.

Bryce Young's first pass attempt of the 2024 season is an interception.

: @NFL pic.twitter.com/qy6daPSNNP

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) September 8, 2024​

About 7.5 quarters of football later, Young had been benched and Andy Dalton was set to start for the foreseeable. The media lambasted the organization and effectively eulogized Young’s lost career while fans dialed up photoshopped images of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders in process blue.

But then Young was thrust back into the lead role after Dalton was in a minor car accident and fans feared more of the same was coming. Instead, something seemed to click in a big way.

He went from looking barely competent in the first game, to winning a couple games against poor opponents. Then he took both eventual Super Bowls teams and the NFC South division winner (the Kansas City Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for those of y’all following along at home) to the wire in 3 straight games, followed by shining in the final 3 games of the season to cap it off with his best game as an NFL player.

On the back stretch of the season, Young passed the eye test for most onlookers. But the eye test is not the only thing that matters any more. Now there are a million and one ways to evaluate players based on numbers alone. Spend 15 minutes on the football side of social media and you’re bound to see a new chart, graph or statistic that adds context to Young’s final stretch.

Impressive as they are when you are just scrolling by, taking an in-depth look at them all at once paints the story of just how impressive the sophomore signal caller was to cap the season.

Impressive accuracy​

First of all, a big thanks to Jacob Gibbs of CBS Sports for putting the below tables together and including some corresponding film cut-ups. They tell quite the story of Young’s ability when given time to operate in the pocket.

Bryce Young delivered a 91% catchable ball rate on throws of 5-9 air yards without pressure in 2024.

QB5 out of 39 qualifiers

(Source: @FantasyPtsData) https://t.co/CYgnG3s1kq pic.twitter.com/IJl5wKRJLG

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) May 26, 2025​

In the short area of the field, Young was a standout. While being QB5 in catchable ball rate is great, taking the second and first spots in ‘highly accurate throw % to open receivers’ and ‘highly accurate throw %’ are exactly what you wanted to see from him. Young’s career depends on him being able to thrive in the quick game due to the limited margin for error afforded to him due to his physical tools.

Bryce Young delivered a 71% catchable ball rate on throws of 10-19 air yards without pressure in 2024.

QB25 out of 39 qualifiers

(Source: @FantasyPtsData) https://t.co/uJVdewNMJs pic.twitter.com/aR6sVFXM96

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) May 23, 2025​

It can’t all be sunshine and rainbows, so here’s the black mark on an otherwise impressive set of statistics from here on out. Well, maybe of a more of a gray mark to be honest. The intermediate areas of the field between the 10 and 19 yard were not his forte in 2024, as evidence by the middling numbers in each category. The glass half-full take is that Young’s worst category being the league median is a welcome outcome given how the season started.

Bryce Young delivered a 60% catchable ball rate on throws of 20+ air yards without pressure in 2024.

QB10 out of 33 qualifiers

(Source: @FantasyPtsData)

Young's receivers dropped 11% of these targets, the second-highest rate in the NFL. https://t.co/qf23F7LFYR pic.twitter.com/IM8zFLlB3x

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) May 20, 2025​

The last area of the field is perhaps Young’s most impressive, not because of his final rankings, but rather because the vastness of the comparison between where he started his career to how he finished 2024. For the entirety of 2023 and the first 2 games of 2024, Young looked afraid to target down the field - and when he did it was rarely on-target. In the recap for Young’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, his last game before being benched, I laid out the stats that led to the following conclusion:

Instead of letting plays develop, [Canales] saw an uncomfortable quarterback who threw the ball inaccurately, into tight coverage, over as short of a distance and as soon as possible.

Young went from deep passing being the overwhelming low-point of his game, to top 10 in the league in throwing highly accurate and catchable balls for his receivers down the field. If any set of statistics characterizes Young’s drastic improvement as pocket quarterback in 2024, it’s this set.

Aggressive but efficient​

While Young’s shift towards attacking down the field more consistently is one way Young became more aggressive, it wasn’t the only way.

How often QBs throw to tight windows and their throw open rate on those tight window throws (loosely think of it as throws in tight windows where only the receiver could make play on the ball) pic.twitter.com/xuJb0lS7F2

— Jrfortgang (@throwthedamball) January 7, 2025​

According to the chart, Young was arguably the best quarterback in the NFL when it came to dropping the football into a spot where only his receiver had a chance to get the ball. Young wasn’t scared to target someone who had a defender near them, trusting his guys to make a play while trusting himself not to put the football at risk. While you don’t want your quarterback to feel forced to constantly throw the ball into tight windows, it’s reassuring to know that he’s not going to put it into harms way when they play dictates it.

Young (back as starter) scrambled far more often when facing disruption (47% vs 25%) allowing him to extend disruption plays by an extra 0.6 seconds.

The results for his production against disruption... going from Cousins spot to this pic.twitter.com/9vGpLJiBgb

— Jrfortgang (@throwthedamball) May 12, 2025​

Not only was Young capable of making plays in structure when he wasn’t pressured, he was also able to make the most out of the plays that didn’t go smoothly from the snap. Instead of feeling the pressure and taking the conservative throw-away or dump-off options, Young found ways to extend plays just enough to find the best throw. It takes an aggressive, playmaking mindset for a player to produce an EPA per play on par with Lamar Jackson, Jayden Daniels and Joe Burrow.

It could have been even better​

While there are plenty of stats to go around that tell the story of Young’s personal performance, there’s others floating around the give you an idea of what he was working with.

Most dropped air yards on on-target throws:

1. BRYCE YOUNG - 210
2. Bo Nix - 163
3. Baker Mayfield - 132
4. Derek Carr - 128
5. Geno Smith - 123 https://t.co/FRR7PZzKWt

— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) May 20, 2025​

It’s disconcerting enough to see that Young’s dropped air yards lead the NFL before you realize he played 7 fewer games than most of the other league leaders in the category. Who’s to say what Young’s production would be if Xavier Legette or David Moore found a way to bring in a few more of those deep attempts by Young? Alas, that’s an argument that’s been had many times already. Another year of development for the young receiving group and the addition of Tetairoa McMillan might be just what the doctor ordered.

That’s all I have for you today, Panthers fans. If you have any other interesting stats you’ve come across or want to share your takeaways from the posts I’ve accumulated, make sure to drop them in the comments section below!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...erback-optimism-2025-season-carolina-panthers

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Brian Answers: Summertime Answers roundup

Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

We bring you the answers to your questions this week! And a lot of off topic answers this time!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! As the heat of the summer roles on, the Aaron Rodgers’ of the world finally get signed, and teams head into OTAs, this can be the dead part of the off-season. However, I’m bringing you answers to all your questions every week, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off topic! This week, you all indulged a bit more into the off topic stuff, let’s dive right in. And bring us some more questions next week!

MarloBarksdale99: Which LB leads the team in tackles this year?

Also have you played Expedition 33? After I beat Persona 5 that will be my next RPG I play. Aka, I’m gonna start Expedition 33 and get back to Persona 5 in about 7.3 months.

I think Josey Jewell is a safe bet to lead the team in tackles, though Christian Rozeboom could certainly challenge for that if thrust into meaningful action. I’m still not entirely sure what Rozeboom’s role in the starting defense will be, I don’t think they are starting the season by fully handing off the full time role to Trevin Wallace.

I have not played it yet. I probably will, though when I refer to it as another Paper Mario game, my friends seem to get very upset.

Revshawn: What do you think of the King of the Hill Reboot trailer and the leaks?

I’m actually excited to see it. I think King of the Hill wasn’t quite as appreciated as some of its peers of the genre back in the 90s/early 2000s. I think seeing how the writers adapt to a different political/social environment with those characters should be really fun. I’m excited to see what the full story arc with Bobby is as well.

TLGPanthersFan: Favorite summer activity that you only do in the summer?

Do you think this could possibly be a year where the pundits underestimate the Panthers?

I’m finally making my return to outdoor concerts this year, something I haven’t done in awhile. Also going kayaking for the first time, and I have my own!

I actually think the media is a bit optimistic as a whole about the Panthers. Granted, this is the time of year where most outlets are just looking for new reasons to talk about football during the dead zone, so the Panthers “maybe being good” is something they haven’t had a ton of reason to talk about for the last few seasons. But it seems like them being a .500 or even slightly above .500 team wouldn’t be a shock for most media outlets, or the ones whose opinions I respect anyway. We’ll see how those narratives spin once training camp and the preseason starts though, especially if the offense looks as bad as it did last time around during the preseason games, starters or not.

PantherBlueBlood: Who do you think will be KR this year? I always liked Blackshear but I felt Horn could make a push for that position. Now, today I see Etienne use to return Kicks and has virtually same stats as Horn. Between these three players who do you think is odd man out for the 53 man roster? Or will all three be there.

I think Raheem Blackshear is the odd man out at this point. Despite flashes here and there in his past Panthers seasons, they invested a 4th and 6th rounder in guys who could take those reps and be more dynamic in said role. Blackshear was sniped up off of waivers, so not a ton of investment there. I think Blackshear could make the practice squad but could also be one of those infamous “on speed dial” players the Panthers can call in the event of an injury.

I think the role ends up going to Jimmy Horn Jr as the punt returner and a combination of Horn and Trevor Etienne for kick returns.

GooseCreek: Hi, Brian. The discussions involving Horn and Etienne as returners has me wondering if either/both have ball security issues. I don’t keep up with college football nearly as closely as I used to so do you have any insight on the subject?

I can still remember how I was blasted for panning the Joe Adams pick back in 2012 noting the fact that he fumbles too often. Then, by the third game of that rookie season, the fourth round pick had been benched because of his penchant for fumbles and soon thereafter waived.

I had a hard time finding any statistics on Jimmy Horn Jr in college as far as fumbles go. I took a look at a few draft profiles for him and none of them mentioned a ball security issue, though for his size I could certainly see it MAYBE being a problem. But overall, no red flags I can detect yet. For Trevor Etienne, per FoxSports he was credited with only one fumble lost as a rusher (though he was credited with 4 total fumbles on his career, but only the one lost). As a kick returner, his role slowly diminished up until his final season where he didn’t return any kicks, and as a punt returner, fielding those was rare all throughout his college career.

I don’t think you can glean too much from their college careers as far as ball security issues, as the NFL is a completely different animal and speed. They both should have value at their respective offensive positions so that obviously helps their chances of sticking around. But I don’t think we’ll be able to identify ball security issues until we see them fielding kicks and punts in actual game situations. But if anyone reading had any increased exposure to their return reps, feel free to share in the comments below!

@WTMealey: Ok we’re forming an Ocean’s Eleven with current and former Panthers. Who are the Panthers and what are their skills that will help us pull of a heist? Ok if you can’t come up with eleven even though it is a nice football number?

1. Obviously Luke Kuechly comes to mind as the guy to study the vaults and security patterns/tendencies.
2. Cam Newton’s gotta be the guy you can count on at the poker table in the clutch, and to be able to talk/smile his way out of a bad situation.
3. You gotta have Greg Olsen working the communications, he’s just so eloquent and thoughtful.
4. Steve Smith will rough up somebody when needed.
5. Thomas Davis to rally the troops.
6. Julius Peppers, you always need the silent but deadly type.
7. Chris Gamble, same as Peppers.
8. J.J. Jansen, you always need his comedic relief and veteran experience.
9. Dan Morgan, working deals on the back end but has all the front line experience too.
10. James Bradberry, you always need someone who can fix a toilet on the fly, and he was doing that the night he was drafted!
11. Armanti Edwards, you always need that promising young recruit who will disappear without a trace. (Just kidding Armanti, you know we love you!)

That’s all for this week Panthers fans! Join us again for another edition of the mailbag next week, and KEEP POUNDING!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/2025/6/6/24444076/brian-answers-summertime-answers-roundup