RSS Panthers Team Notes

[Carolina Panthers]

CSR Weekend Warriors: 1/23-1/25

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/the-scratching-post/57914/csr-weekend-warriors-1-23-1-25

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers season in review: The passing offense

We started this review series talking about the Carolina Panthers rushing attack. Now, we move to the other phase of the offense. It’s everybody’s favorite topic to discuss—Bryce Young and the Panthers passing attack.

How it went​

Like pretty much every part of this Panthers team, the passing attack could be defined as “just barely good enough to get by.” They were ranked 26th in DVOA and 25th in estimated points added per pass. There were plenty of promising moments and plenty of things that drove Panthers fans mad.

On the good side is Tetairoa McMillan. The Panthers surprised the NFL world by using their second straight first round pick on a wide receiver, especially given other needs on the roster. But McMillan delivered on his lofty draft status. He’s a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year and a heavy, heavy favorite to win it. He had a 1,000 yard season despite inconsistent quarterback play (more on that later) and added a big play threat that the Panthers have been lacking for a long time.

On the bad side, the other first round pick, Xavier Legette, turned into a nonfactor as the season went on, ultimately losing out on the wide receiver two spot to Jalen Coker, an undrafted free agent from the same draft class. His future in Carolina already looks to be in doubt. His awareness and feel were major problems in his rookie season, and if anything they got worse in his second year (see that weird lateral in the Cowboys game and a number of targets where he seemed completely unaware of where the sideline was).

And then there’s the quarterback. After looking much improved to finish his second season, many were hoping for Bryce Young to make a leap in year three. And if he wasn’t going to do that, you’d almost prefer he completely bomb out to make the picture at quarterback. Instead, Young firmly planted himself right in the middle of those two paths. He topped 200 yards passing just five times in 18 games. He had the same number of games throwing for under 150. By just about every metric, he ranks right around the line for the bottom third of quarterbacks that got significant snaps in the 2025 season. While his deep ball was vastly improved over his first two seasons, and he became a virtuoso escaping pressure, he still has some gaping holes in his game that are hard to build around. He can still be hesitant to attack tighter windows down the field. He has moments where he randomly badly misses his target, almost like a videogame that has predetermined an incoming interception even though there’s no defender near the intended target. He badly struggles hitting intermediate targets.

All of that puts the Panthers in one of the more undesirable places you can be when it comes to quarterback. They have a guy that’s not so bad that you feel compelled to upgrade the position immediately, and he does enough good things that you could convince yourself there’s more meat on the bone in terms of development. But he’s also not good enough to warrant a significant long term investment in with the clock ticking on making such a decision. It’s a similar position that the Giants found themselves in with Daniel Jones, the Dolphins with Tua Tagovailoa, the Cardinals with Kyler Murray, and on and on and on. So what do?

The path forward​

First, the pass catchers. I didn’t talk about the tight ends in the ‘How it went’ section because there really wasn’t much to talk about. The Panthers would do well to find a dynamic player for that room. As for the receivers, the top two spots are locked down by McMillan and Jalen Coker. Xavier Legette hasn’t panned out so far, and the Panthers might be compelled to find a more reliable burner to complement the size and strength of their top two receivers. A good player in that archetype could really push this group of receivers up towards the better groups in the league.

Now what to do about quarterback. The Panthers have already decided to pick up his fifth year option, which gives them two seasons before they’ll be forced to make a decision on his long term future. They’re picking 19th in a draft that’s suddenly not very strong at quarterback, so that’s not a viable option this offseason. It seems like the most obvious path forward is to replace the veteran presence of Andy Dalton with at least one contingency plan at quarterback in case Young’s shortcomings become too much of a burden. The front office would be wise to some deep scouting on mid to late round quarterbacks and take a flyer on a guy with traits but not the production to match it. Cade Klubnik out of Clemson and Drew Allar out of Penn State come to mind. Along with that, with Young on his rookie deal, the team can afford to throw a little extra money out there to try to entice one of the better free agent backups or reclamation projects to come to Carolina with a chance to compete for a starting job. Malik Willis, Kenny Pickett, Zach Wilson, and others could fit that bill.

There probably aren’t any immediate drastic changes coming to the passing game between now and the start of this season, but the Panthers do need to shore some things up and give themselves contingency plans at the quarterback position. Things will have to change at some point for this passing attack to be good enough to compete. That could come from internal development or from outside help. The Panthers need to start stocking up to make sure both options are on the table.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...panthers-season-in-review-the-passing-offense

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers season in review: The rushing offense

With the 2025 season in the rearview, it’s time to reflect on what exactly happened in all of the phases in the game and look at what can and should be done with them going into 2026. We start with my personal favorite part of the game, running the football.

How It Went​

Chuba Hubbard was the team’s feature back in 2024 with Jonathon Brooks hurt and Miles Sanders struggling. He signed a decently large contract for a running back near the end of that season, so the safe assumption was that he’d be the team’s bell cow back in 2025. That Panthers brought that into question by signing Rico Dowdle fresh off a 1,000 yard season. That would lead one to assume that it would be running back by committee, but that didn’t end up to be true either. Hubbard got the lion’s share of the carries to start the season while Dowdle was forced to feed off scraps. Then, Hubbard left the lineup to injury, allowing Dowdle to step in. He took advantage of a couple of weaker matchups to explode for nearly 500 yards of total offense in just two starts. That turned Dowdle into the starting back while Hubbard was left with little work. Eventually the carries evened out to end the season.

As the season went on, it became quite clear that Hubbard was the more effective back, but the coaching staff seemed hesitant to go back on the switch they made midseason. While Dowdle finished with over 1,000 rushing yards, over half of those came in just three games. Dowdle wore out as the season went on and became one of the least effective backs in the league at fighting through contact (based on a chart he himself Tweeted out, curiously enough). Meanwhile Hubbard picked up steam, but he didn’t start getting more work until the last couple of games of the season.

All of that coalesced into a rushing attack that wasn’t as effective as the Panthers would have wanted. They tried to lean on the ground game at several points throughout the season, but the lack of explosiveness most weakness and general lack of consistency proved problematic. When all was said and done, the Panthers finished middle of the pack in yards per carry. However, they struggled to use the ground game to reliably pick up first downs and touchdowns.

The path forward​

Rico Dowdle is a free agent, and the chatter after the season would make it seem he’s unlikely to be back. Dowdle commented that his diminished role at the end of the season would factor into his decision on whether or not he re-signs. He also hired a new agent going into free agency. Dan Morgan and Dave Canales seem to value culture. They made that clear when they cited that as a factor in their decision to give Hubbard a long extension the previous season. Dowdle’s diminishing effectiveness along with his apparent lack of awareness regarding it don’t seem to be the best culture fit. Hubbard is a year younger, under contract, and exactly the type of person the Panthers want. He would seem to be the preferred option between the two.

Waiting in the wings are draft picks from the last two drafts. Jonathon Brooks is still technically a Panther. He’s touched the ball a total of 12 times since his first ACL tear in November 2023 while back at Texas. He’s essentially missed two entire seasons of football with two torn ACLs, so there’s absolutely no way to know what the Panthers have there. But it could be something! Along with Brooks, Travis Etienne will try to break into the backfield after spending most of his rookie season on special teams. He had a couple of nice moments in spot duty earlier in the season.

My guess is Dowdle walks in the hopes of finding greener pastures and more carries. The Panthers go back to relying more on Hubbard while making a minor investment in a free agent running back to hedge against the health and development of Brooks and Etienne.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...panthers-season-in-review-the-rushing-offense

 

[Carolina Panthers]

2025 Playoffs: Conference Championship Sunday open thread

Conference Championships open with the “no good guys” bowl between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos—in potentially arctic conditions—at 3:00 PM ET, 1:00 PM MT today. That will settle the first half of the Super Bowl slate. The second half will be determined immediately after when the Los Angeles Rams take on the Seattle Seahawks at 6:30 PM ET, 3:30 PM PT in Seattle.

This is your open thread to follow along with us for all the action today.

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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...fs-conference-championship-sunday-open-thread

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Final 2025 ratings for the Panthers defense, per Pro Football Focus

The good people at Pro Football Focus spend enormous amounts of time breaking down every player’s performance on every individual play throughout the season. In the end, players can then be given a final rating somewhere between zero (poor) and 100 (elite).

If you want to learn more about PFF’s methodology, you can read their Player Grade overview.

Most of us as fans view PFF ratings this way: “If the grade fits my opinion of a player then it’s credible, but if the grade conflicts with my conclusions then PFF is stupid garbage and should never be trusted.” I’m not advocating for PFF, rather I’m just providing one set of data that’s at least interesting.

Here’s how PFF graded and ranked the Panthers primary defensive players who played at least 300 snaps in 2025.

Name	POS	Grade	POS Rank	Snaps	% Snaps
DI	Derrick Brown	72.9	18 of 131	808	76%
DI	A’Shawn Robinson	63.7	47 of 131	657	62%
DI	Bobby Brown	56.7	73 of 131	351	33%
DI	Tershawn Wharton	43.0	118 of 131	405	38%
Edge	Nic Scourton	68.0	52 of 120	717	68%
Edge	DJ Wonnum	56.7	99 of 120	688	65%
LB	Trevin Wallace	54.2	64 of 89	624	59%
LB	Christian Rozeboom	48.4	75 of 89	823	78%
CB	Mike Jackson	83.5	3 of 113	1041	99%
CB	Jaycee Horn	59.2	67 of 113	955	90%
CB	Chau Smith-Wade	55.7	81 of 113	626	59%
S	Tre’von Moehrig	62.5	55 of 96	990	94%
S	Nick Scott	62.3	57 of 96	1035	98%
S	Lathan Ranson	57.3	75 of 96	336	32%

For the most part, PFF didn’t think much of the individual performance of Carolina’s defensive players. Here are the highlights by position group:

Interior defensive line

Poor Derrick Brown. The guy is an absolute game wrecker in the middle of the line. Not only was he shamefully omitted from the Pro Bowl in 2025, PFF somehow graded him out as just the 18th best player at his position, meaning half of the teams in the NFL have a better interior defensive lineman than Derrick Brown. That’s just crazy. If he played for a team that was on national television every other week (Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, etc.) he would be gushed over by the national media and in the conversation for All-Pro every year.

On the other end of the spectrum, PFF was pretty hard on Tershawn Wharton ranking him No. 118 of 131 players at his position. He was a big-money free agent signing before this season when the Panthers signed him to a 3-year, $45 million contract. He only appeared in nine games in his debut season in Carolina and hopefully he rebounds next year.

Edge rushers

The Panthers seemed to have found something in second-round rookie Nic Scourton. He had 47 tackles, seven tackles for loss, nine quarterback hits, and five sacks in his rookie campaign. He was a defensive mainstay playing 717 snaps and PFF ranked him No. 52 of 120 edge rushers, which is an outstanding result for a second-round rookie.

Linebackers

Not good. Moving on…

Cornerbacks

In the biggest shocker of all, Mike Jackson not had the single best PFF grade on the defense at 83.5, he graded out as the No. 3 corner in the entire NFL! I thought Jackson had a solid season, but an All-Pro season? Color me skeptical.

Any evaluation service that ranks Jaycee Horn as the No. 67 corner in the league should be laughed out of the room. The dude made the Pro Bowl this year, just as he did last year. Another whiff at cornerback for PFF.

Safeties

Both Tre’von Moehrig and Nick Scott graded out around league average for safeties despite both of them racking up more than 100 tackles. While neither of them were impact players who changed games for the Panthers, they were adequate on the back end and solid in run support. Moehrig even posted three sacks and seven quarterback hits on the season, so I think PFF underrated him a bit after a fairly solid season.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...r-the-panthers-defense-per-pro-football-focus

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Rising Stars: Corey Thornton

One of the best stories of the Carolina Panthers training camp and throughout the preseason was the undrafted cornerback from Louisville who kept making a name for himself. Entering the Panthers offseason program as a complete unknown, cornerback Corey Thornton’s road to the 53 man roster had to be earned.

Thornton had the size the Panthers covet with a 6’1 195 lb frame that lends itself way to the physicality the defense requires. When a defensive scheme, like Ejiro Evero’s, that funnels opposing passing games into the short passing attack, cornerbacks who can tackle reliably are imperative to the defense’s success.

From his first preseason game, Thornton showed he wasn’t going to shy away. A highlight WWE-esque tackle made waves on social media for the people who had not been following training camp closely.

Going full @WWE on the tackle

: NFL Network pic.twitter.com/P5cOdM7j9q

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) August 8, 2025

Thornton made the roster, but did not get a jersey very often until Week 5 versus the Miami Dolphins when the Panthers needed someone to jump in at nickelback. Despite having little exposure to the role going back to college, the Panthers turned to the Thornton who played 24 snaps with of which coming in coverage. Thornton produced a 73.2 defensive grade by PFF after allowing 1 catch on 3 targets for 8 yards including a pass breakup.

Corey Thornton #31 first start at nickel cut up vs dolphins#KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/LUUbWiCDTz

— The Real Ball Watcher (@thaRBW) October 8, 2025

This role wasn’t constant for Thornton, though, as he went back to single digit snaps for almost two full months until back-to-back games in Week 11 and 12. He was on the field for more than half of the team’s defensive snaps until an unfortunate injury in the latter contest would take him out for the rest of the season. Thornton was starting to gain traction as the starting nickel and his physical presence brought more to the defense than the alternatives the Panthers were trying to use such as Chau Smith-Wade.

PFF's highest-graded #Panthers on defense v. the Falcons in Week 11: (min. 46 snaps)

DB Corey Thornton – 73.3
S Tre'von Moehrig – 68.4
OLB Nic Scourton – 68.0
CB Mike Jackson – 65.8
S Nick Scott – 63.4

Notable: CB Jaycee Horn – 32.7 pic.twitter.com/tUOwPIssTu

— Edgar Salmingo, Jr. (@PanthersAnalyst) November 17, 2025

According to PFF, Thornton was the 4th highest graded undrafted rookie in the NFL in 2025. While his tackling was consistent, his coverage ability was equally impressive. Thornton’s passer rating allowed was the lowest among rookie cornerbacks who were targeted at least 15 times.

If Thornton can get healthy and continue his upward trajectory when the offseason program begins in earnest in July, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Thornton as the teams best option in the slot.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/carolina-panthers-analysis/57953/rising-stars-corey-thornton

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Ask Brian: Sam Darnold’s in the Super Bowl!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Ask Brian, your weekly Carolina care Panthers fan mail bag for everyone! The Super Bowl has been officially decided, so we’re only two weeks away from the 2025 NFL season officially being in the books and we can move on to the 2026 Free agency period NFL draft preparation. This is the most fun time of the year for many fans as the world truly is our oyster and all the possibilities are open.

With all that in mind, you know the drill. Comment down below with all your questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off-topic! I’ll have my answers for you later on this week, as we continue to push through into the off-season. It should be a fun off-season, stay tuned for coverage of the Panthers recaps of the 2025 NFL season, previews of the free agency action to come, and continued draft coverage all throughout the next several months.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...7950/ask-brian-sam-darnolds-in-the-super-bowl

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Carolina Panthers 2026 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: CJ Allen

Now that the Panthers have officially entered their offseason, we look ahead toward the 2026 NFL Draft. This weekly series will take a closer look at some of the prospects the Carolina Panthers could select in the 2026 iteration of the Draft. In this series, we’ll only be looking at prospects the Panthers could seriously consider. This week our profile will focus on Georgia Bulldogs linebacker CJ Allen.

Bio​

Allen was a four star recruit coming out of high school and did not expect to see the field much his freshman season on Georgia’s vaunted defense. Injuries hit the linebacker corps, however, and he hit the field with dominance, notching 41 tackles overall and earning an SEC Freshman of the Week honor after his performance against Ole Miss. His sophomore campaign was more of the same, as Allen really took hold of the starting spot and defensive anchor for the Bulldogs. This season, he set a career high in total tackles (88) and saw huge jumps in tackles for loss (eight), sacks (3.5), and forced fumbles (two).

Strengths/Weaknesses​

Allen’s biggest strengths are his speed and run defense. He constantly shows a natural understanding of run blocking schemes and has incredible closing speed. He has exceptional block shedding technique and strong hands at the point of attack, allowing him to blow up running plays on a consistent basis. His tackling technique is also strong, and ball carriers rarely get away from Allen once he gets his hands on them. His combination of speed and football IQ have also turned him into an effective blitzer, further adding to his resume.

For all his strengths against the run, Allen does struggle at times against the pass. He only notched one career interception and 10 career passes broken up. While he has improved a bit in zone coverage, his lower body stiffness makes life difficult for him in man coverage against athletic pass catchers. The fact that he has such good instincts against the run makes it possible he could develop a similar feel for route concepts and zone coverage in the future, but man coverage will likely be a weakness moving forward.

Projection​

Allen should be an instant starter depending on the team to draft him, especially considering Georgia’s pro style defensive scheme. He has the sideline to sideline range that modern defenses crave from their off ball linebackers, and his run stopping ability will guarantee him playing time on early downs. More experience in coverage, both man and zone, could help him truly develop into a true three down linebacker.

The Panthers went into last season expecting Josey Jewell to be one of the starters, but that plan was derailed when Jewell unexpectedly had lingering concussion symptoms. While Christian Rozeboom and Trevin Wallace showed flashes, their inconsistencies and overall shortcomings (especially against the run) kept the Panthers defense limited at times. I’m sure Ejiro Evero would not mind if the Panthers decided to upgrade that position group with a player like Allen.

What do you think, Panthers fans? If CJ Allen is available when the Panthers select in the 2026 NFL Draft, should they take him? Sound off in the comments!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...hers-2026-nfl-draft-prospect-profile-cj-allen

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Final 2025 ratings for the Panthers offense, per Pro Football Focus

The good people at Pro Football Focus spend enormous amounts of time breaking down every player’s performance on every individual play throughout the season. In the end, players can then be given a final rating somewhere between zero (poor) and 100 (elite).

If you want to learn more about PFF’s methodology, you can read their Player Grade overview.

Most of us as fans view PFF ratings this way: “If the grade fits my opinion of a player then it’s credible, but if the grade conflicts with my conclusions then PFF is stupid garbage and should never be trusted.” I’m not advocating for PFF, rather I’m just providing one set of data that’s at least interesting.

Here’s how PFF graded and ranked the Panthers primary offensive players who played at least 300 snaps in 2025.

POS	Name	Grade	POS Rank	Snaps	% Snaps
QB	Bryce Young	71.0	23 of 38	964	91%
RB	Chuba Hubbard	69.9	37 of 59	432	41%
RB	Rico Dowdle	63.5	54 of 59	591	56%
WR	Tetairoa McMillan	79.3	20 of 127	925	87%
WR	Jalen Coker	75.4	32 of 127	439	41%
WR	Xavier Legette	52.0	123 of 127	642	61%
TE	Mitchell Evans	66.3	34 of 75	393	37%
TE	Tommy Tremble	62.5	41 of 75	636	60%
TE	Ja’Tavion Sanders	51.6	72 of 75	393	37%
T	Taylor Moton	81.0	13 of 89	901	85%
T	Ikem Ekwonu	70.1	38 of 89	943	89%
G	Damien Lewis	77.7	8 of 80	988	93%
G/C	Austin Corbett	65.4	33 of 80	673	63%
C	Cade Mays	61.0	25 of 38	727	69%

When looking only at PFF grades, it’s pretty apparent why the Panthers were a perfectly average team this season, going 8-9 in the regular season and backing in to the playoffs by virtue of being members of the lowly NFC South. Most of Carolina’s key offensive performers have PFF grades that fall somewhere between “decent” and “good”, with a few outliers on each end of the spectrum. Here are the key takeaways:

Quarterback

It feels like PFF nailed their assessment of Bryce Young. As Panthers fans we continue holding out hope that he’ll “make the leap” at some point, but the third-year quarterback had another below average season in 2025. He’s not a bad quarterback, per se, as the 23rd-ranked signal caller in the league by PFF, but there’s little confidence he will develop into they type of quarterback that can lead Panthers to the promised land one day.

As evaluated by PFF, Young’s grade of 71.0 this year slightly declined from last year’s 74.4.

Running backs

While Rico Dowdle went nuts in Weeks 5-6, memorably rushing for 389 yards in those two glorious weeks, PFF liked Chuba Hubbard’s season best among Carolina’s two running backs. But even then, Chuba graded out as just the 37th best running back in the league

I take umbrage of PFF ranking Rico Dowdle as the 54th of 59 running backs in the league. That’s hogwash. The guy rushed for 0ver 1,000 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per carry, hauled in nearly 300 receiving yards, and scored seven touchdowns. But, sure, he was one of the worst running backs in the league.

Whatevs, PFF.

Wide receiver/Tight end

The Panthers have two outstanding young receivers in rookie Tetairoa McMillan and second-year stud Jalen Coker. PFF ranked Tet among the Top 20 in the league at his position, and Coker came in at 32. Sounds about right.

Xavier Legette, on the other hand, was graded as one of the worst wide receivers in the league, coming in at No. 123 of 127. The 2024 first round pick has had a slow start to his career and if anything took a step back in 2025 with just 35 receptions for 363 yards in 15 games, catching just 54.7% of his targets.

One of the most unexpected success stories from Carolina’s 2025 campaign was the emergence of rookie tight end Mitchell Evans. The fifth-round pick had 19 receptions for 171 yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL season, hauling in 76% of balls thrown his way. He earned PFF’s highest grade this year among the Panthers trio of tight ends, finishing the season No. 34 at his position.

PFF seemed to be awfully harsh on Ja’Tavion Sanders, ranking him among the worst tight ends in the league at No. 72 of 75. While he didn’t light the world on fire with 29 receptions for 190 yards and a touchdown over 13 games, he did catch 85.3% of his targets this year.

Offensive line

Veteran right tackle Taylor Moton recorded the single best PFF season by any player on the Panthers offense at 81.0, placing him No. 13 in the league at his position. It was the second straight season for Moton to have the Panthers highest PFF score on offense. He doesn’t get a lot of praise or Pro Bowl nods, but Moton is a rock.

Damien Lewis finished the season ranked highest at his position by PFF at No. 8 among guards. In 2024 Lewis was the No. 13 guard in the NFL, meaning the investment in the high-priced free agent is paying dividends.

Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu, guard/center Austin Corbett, and center Cade Mays all produced perfectly average seasons as evaluated by PFF.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...r-the-panthers-offense-per-pro-football-focus

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers season in review: The run defense

Last week, we talked about the rushing and passing elements of the Carolina Panthers offense. Both phases were pretty underwhelming, which made for an underwhelming offense on the whole. Surely for a team that made the playoffs, that meant the defense was pretty solid, right? Not really.

How it went​

The Panthers were historically bad defensively in 2024. They gave up an NFL record 534 points, and a big part of that was their inability to stop the run, even when trailing and knowing that teams were just trying to grind clock. They allowed over 3,000 rushing yards on the season at a 5.2 yards per carry clip. Unless they were extra historically bad in 2025, there was nowhere to go but up.

And up they went. They gave up 1,000 fewer yards and limited opponents to 4.4 yards per carry. While neither of those are what you’d consider “good,” they’re okay. And okay is a huge step up from where the Panthers were. A big part of that was the return of Derrick Brown. He missed pretty much all of 2024 after setting a record for tackles by an interior lineman in 2023. His presence alone draws enough attention to open space for others to operate. The front office helped him out by adding some solid pieces along the front to give the group more depth.

So while in a vacuum the Panthers run defense wasn’t all that great in 2025, it moved in the right direction. Now it’s about building on that going into 2026.

The path forward​

This coming offseason will probably look similar to the past ones. The front office should continue to hunt for bargain depth along the front lines to keep bodies at the ready and hope someone pops off. Most of the interior line is under contract, so that’s a good starting point.

The linebackers and edges could use some work. Rookies Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen showed promise at points but neither was dominant quite yet. DJ Wonnum is a free agent, so he’ll need to either be re-signed or replaced. None of them are dominant run stuffers, so that’s something the Panthers need to look for.

The linebackers…yeah. Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom struggled in both phases. They always seemed a step slow to diagnose running lanes and never made their presence felt. The duo combined for a total of 12 tackles for loss. The depth behind them was generally guys that you’d only expect to play special teams. All of that is to say that the linebacker spot needs a whole lot of attention in the spring. Rozeboom is a free agent. The Panthers should try to find an upgrade as a free agent. The position also definitely in play with one of the Panthers higher draft picks. Mel Kiper has them selecting CJ Allen in his first mock draft of the year. Some upgrades there and on the edge, and this run defense can start to look like something resembling good.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...978/panthers-season-in-review-the-run-defense

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Adding Teeth to the Bite: Panthers Roster Holes in the Tight End Room

With the Panthers offseason underway and free agency just a couple months away, let’s take a look at some of the areas on the roster that Dan Morgan and Brandt Tillis have to address this offseason. Instead of looking at the entire roster, we are going to break the list down by position group. For the projected market value, I’ll be using Spotrac’s numbers. If you don’t agree with how much a player might get in free agency, take it up with them, not me. This week’s focus will be on the tight ends.

2025 Performance​

The Panthers did not have a dominant performance from their tight end group in the receiving game once again this season, which has been true for several years. The unit combined for 78 catches on 99 targets, only managing 638 receiving yards (8.1 yards per reception). Tommy Tremble had the group’s best yards per catch average, largely due to an outlier of 54 yards. The most consistent contributor was Mitchell Evans, the rookie. He averaged nine yards per catch with only two 20+ yard receptions, including a long of just 25 yards. Evans also had the lowest average depth of target for the unit at just 3.6 (ignoring James Mitchell’s three targets). JT Sanders might have put up decent numbers had he not missed four games due to injury. He led the tight ends in most per-game stats including targets, receptions, and yards. Evans was also a pleasant surprise in run blocking, earning a 77.4 run blocking grade per PFF, the highest of the three main tight ends.

While this unit has some talent, each player has a specific niche. The group still lacks an overall threat, someone who can be a better receiver than the other three AND a better blocker than the other three. As it stands now, the Panthers often tip their hand based on personnel groupings due to the specific talents each tight end has.

Panthers’ Free Agents (with Spotrac expected market value)​

James Mitchell (n/a)

None of the Panthers top tight ends are free agents, but their depth piece/practice squad guy, James Mitchell, is a restricted free agent. Mitchell will likely receive a tender from the team, and I doubt another team will give up a day three pick to poach him. That being said, Tommy Tremble could be a cap casualty. Releasing Tremble before March 15th would save the Panthers $5.84M in 2026 cap space with just over $2M in dead cap. If the team likes a player in the draft and/or a potential free agent, they could make that type of move.

Other Teams’ Free Agents (with Spotrac expected market value)​

Chig Okonkwo, Titans ($11.8M)
Kyle Pitts, Falcons ($10.8M)
David Njoku, Browns ($10M)
Isaiah Likely, Ravens ($8.8M)
Noah Fant, Bengals ($3.2M)

There are several former first round picks set to hit the open market at the tight end position. The vast majority have not quite lived up to expectations, and each has a glaring hole, or more than one, to their game. Okonkwo was a fourth round pick and is still quite young. He averaged about 50 catches and 500 receiving yards per season with the Titans in spite of their, let’s call it, inconsistent quarterback play. He did not grade out well according to PFF this season (just 59.9 overall) but had a solid year as a pass catcher (67.1). The youth and upside are why he’d likely demand such a high AAV on a contract. Familiar foe Kyle Pitts is a former top ten pick who has played for the division rival Atlanta Falcons for five seasons now. Pitts will likely demand a large contract because he is a big name, still very young, and just put up his best season as a pro (88 catches for 928 yards, 73.6 overall PFF grade).

Njoku is almost 30 years old but did have a Pro Bowl season just a few years ago. That Pro Bowl season plus Cleveland’s quarterback situation will likely help Njoku land a pretty sizeable contract despite a down year with some injury issues. Likely went to Coastal Carolina, so we can claim him as a local kid. Likely is still only 25, but he had a down year this year as he battled a foot injury since the preseason. If healthy, he could get a decent contract on the open market if the Ravens let him test the waters.

A more realistic option (unless the Panthers free up some cap space and really take a swing at this position) would be someone like Noah Fant. Fant is another former first rounder and hasn’t quite hit 30. He would be a similar player to JT Sanders, though, as Fant is a notoriously poor blocker and really only provides value as a receiving threat. His first season in Cincinnati was definitely a downer, likely made worse by Joe Burrow’s injury. The “approaching 30” and down year will likely push Fant’s contract into a more affordable range.

The true targets in free agency for the Panthers should be Taysom Hill from the Saints and Ian Thomas from the Raiders. Just kidding, but could you imagine? The fanbase might literally riot, and not in the Roaring kind of way.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...e-panthers-roster-holes-in-the-tight-end-room

 

[Carolina Panthers]

The Scratching Post: 1/26-1/30

Greetings, internet users. Welcome to The Scratching Post and the new year.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

Join the conversation!​

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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/the-scratching-post/57935/the-scratching-post-1-26-1-30

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers season in review: The pass defense

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 03: Michael Jackson #2 of the Carolina Panthers and Jaycee Horn #8 celebrate in the fourth quarter of their game against the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images) | Getty Images

On Thursday, we looked at the Carolina Panthers run defense. While massively improved from the year prior, it still wasn’t all that great. Now the pass defense on the other hand…it also wasn’t that great.

How it went​

The Panthers have had a pass rush problem for a long time, and it only got worse after they decided to trade away Brian Burns instead of re-signing him. They finished the season with 30 sacks, tied for the third fewest in the league. It’s the fourth straight season in which they’ve finished the bottom quarter of the league in sack production. Nic Scourton and Derrick Brown tied for the team lead in sacks with five, which is not a sack total that should be leading a team. Safety Tre’von Moehrig tied for second on the team in sacks with three, which says about all you need to know about the team’s pass rush productivity. They were seldom able to generate pressure with four man rushed and were heavily reliant on bringing extra bodies to speed up quarterbacks.

Fortunately, the back end of the defense was good enough to hold up reasonably well despite the lack of pass rush. Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson were arguably the best cornerback duo in the NFL, combining for nine interceptions in the regular season (Jackson added a tenth in the playoffs). Outside of a couple of rough outings, particularly against the Saints, Horn was able to deter a lot of targets to his side of the field, and less than half were completed. That meant Mike Jackson was peppered with targets, but he held his water. He was targeted 100 times and only allowed a 75.0 passer rating on those targets. Big money signing Moehrig was better in coverage than I think most people assumed. Nick Scott played. There were times that they could be a little frustrating with how much off coverage they played, but on the whole they held up pretty well given what they were playing behind.

The path forward​

The secondary is probably one area of the team where the Panthers can feel pretty good about where they’re at. They’d probably prefer a younger upgrade over Nick Scott, but Lathan Ransom could be that guy going into year two. Nickel corner is a little bit of a concern, but Chau Smith-Wade wasn’t egregiously terrible for a second year player.

The real upgrades need to come along the front seven. The linebackers Christian Rozeboom and Trevin Wallace were both very shaky in coverage and neither brought much of anything as a blitzer. Positional importance aside, that position might be the most glaring weakness on the roster heading into the offseason.

The pass rush needs more juice as well. Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen had moments as rookies, but they didn’t jump off the page. They certainly didn’t do enough to make the Panthers feel like they’re set on the edge. The interior line would probably look better if the edges were able to get more push. In a perfect world, they’d be able to pull someone out of free agency that will be an immediate difference maker, but difference making pass rushers are tough to find in free agency.

I hope and somewhat expect the Panthers to go heavy on the front seven in the draft. An edge rusher or an interior linebacker with blitz ability should be targets in the early rounds.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...89/panthers-season-in-review-the-pass-defense

 

[Carolina Panthers]

CSR Weekend Warriors: 1/30-2/1

Greetings, Panthers fans. Welcome to the weekend.

Feel free to use this thread to chat about (almost) anything you want: video games, food, movies, non-football sports, you name it. As long as it’s allowed by the site’s ToS, it’s fair game here.

You know the drill.

This is now an open thread

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/the-scratching-post/57938/csr-weekend-warriors-1-30-2-1

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Brian Answers: Jaycee Horn trade scenario, Super Bowl rooting guide, Joe Brady, and MORE!

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn (8) reacts after the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We’re getting through all your burning questions in a week full of winter storms throughout the country. Let’s lock in!

Bruce Guild: You can only keep one of our current starting corners. Who are you keeping and why?

PantherBlueBlood: This will not be popular, but, what do you think about trading Jaycee with his high market value for 1st round pick this year and a third round pick next year. Let’s roll with Thornton & Jackson as our starting corners next year. We held on to Cam too long. It is time to move on from Jaycee too. Note: I love Jaycee

I decided to lump the first two questions together because they basically touch on the same subject. To answer the first one, I’m sorry cap space/draft pick enthusiasts, but I’m keeping Jaycee Horn with basically no questions asked. I know Mike Jackson had himself a stellar campaign in 2025 to build on what was already an impressive 2024 season when he was acquired for pennies on the dollar to be a solid starting cornerback. This is by no means me taking away from Mike Jack, but Jaycee Horn is on a different level. He is a shutdown corner with every tool to thrive in any scheme.

To answer the second question, while the trade in itself isn’t necessarily bad, you’re basically taking the only position with strength on defense and creating a need by trading Horn away. So while that first round pick could be anything (it could even be another Jaycee Horn!), it means you need to then replace Horn, who is already one of maybe 2 or 3 foundational pieces on this defense, and a foundational player for this team as a whole. I also think that by taking Horn out of the equation, the guys around him aren’t going to fair nearly as well. Mike Jackson goes from being a strong CB2 to being the number one guy, and he’d be backed up by Chau Smith-Wade (who I like), and Corey Thornton, who I also like but I don’t know how he fairs being thrown into a 75-90% snap count compared to the rotational snaps he got in 2025. Not to mention, trading Horn as his contract stands doesn’t really help the Panthers a ton in 2026. Maybe its worth revisiting in 2027, but in my opinion, not worth it this off-season.

CasualFanAlso: Any stats on how a back fares after two blow outs of the same knee as Brooks has had?

I don’t really have any official stats on this, because I’m sure there are many running backs with injury problems that never got back to form. Frank Gore is probably one of the few I can remember and both of his major knee injuries happened in college. Its not looking good, but at least Carolina isn’t appearing to put themselves in a position to rely on him coming back and being a bell cow. I’m hoping for the guy, but I am only optimistic at best right now.

KeepPounding88: As someone who likes the Seahawks more than the Patriots, but Maye more than Darnold, who should I root for in the Super Bowl?

I think if that’s where you stand, default to the NFC as your team to root for. Usually if I don’t have any particular reason to root one way or the other, I go for the NFC just because its the Panthers conference. Personally, I would like to see Sam Darnold win a Super Bowl, number one because it would cause chaos among fans of teams that have QBs drafted along side him, and maybe it’ll teach a lesson that we shouldn’t quit on players too soon into their development, especially at that particular position. And no, this isn’t a Bryce Young opinion, in general quarterbacks aren’t coming out of college ready for NFL systems. Maybe a lesson in patience will help.

MadMatInc: Joe Brady new Bills HC. Any thoughts?

The whole Bills situation is weird, but objectively I like the move, at least in the sense of trying to remain competitive. Clearly, Josh Allen works well within the game plan Joe Brady calls, and there shouldn’t be a ton of turnover from a scheme standpoint since Brady likely won’t have much of a hand in the defense, similar to how Carolina is with Dave Canales. I also am just happy for Joe, he really got shafted in Carolina when Matt Rhule was trying to survive in a really bad era of Panthers football. It may not work out for the Bills, but I think its worth a shot before a complete demolition of the coaching staff and/or front office.

@WTMealey: Super bowl party or stay at home. I’m of the mindset that this is the last real football for a loooong time. I want to soak it in not discuss random topics unrelated to the game or random game things like why is that one spitting out his water or why do they have different color shoes meanwhile it’s 3rd and goal with 7 seconds left in the half

Since the Panthers are rarely in the Super Bowl, I personally enjoy going to a Super Bowl party. That’s the best way to enjoy the full experience of the spectacle in my opinion. You get a collection of different fans enjoying the pinnacle of the NFL season each year. Now, I’ve learned my lesson when MY team is in the Super Bowl. I don’t think my friends enjoyed seeing my trauma from the 2015 Super Bowl. When there’s personal stakes on the line, I just stay home. Maybe I’ll get the chance to do that again sometime.

Galadhron: Do you think Darnold throws at the one or do they run it in to win??

I think you dial up the Sam Darnold QB draw, something he did well in Carolina. So, yes?

dayneb12: How do the Panthers handle the salary cap this offseason? There’s only about $9M currently and not a lot of cutable contracts.

They can restructure or give a few extensions to free up cap, but I do think someone like A’Shawn Robinson deserves to be around, but could still be cut just because Carolina has less cap than expected, thanks to making the playoffs and paying out some incentives I don’t think they expected to. They can be creative with the signing bonuses and structure of some free agent contracts as well, since they have a lot more projected cap space next season to play with.

schrodingersblackcat: If you’re Dave Canales, what will you do differently over this off season to ensure we don’t come out of the gate in 2026 looking as embarrassingly unprepared as we have the past two seasons?

What is your approach to preparing Bryce for 2026 knowing he has struggled badly for multiple games at the start of three straight seasons?

I think the easiest way to ensure a faster start is to have as much continuity on offense as possible. This was a very young team going into 2025, and I don’t expect any major changes on offense aside from adding pieces along the offensive line and potentially another receiving threat or two at WR or TE. Obviously, everyone is also going to point to preseason snaps, but I think in general just building on the foundation of what they did well in 2025 will help. I think the same answer applies to Bryce Young, but he really needs to feel comfortable as quickly as possible. I think lean on the run game, and make him focus on the fundamentals and technique. All easier said than done.

schrodingersblackcat: Also, if we lose Evero to another team, do you expect Canales to give the new DC as long a leash as he seems to have given Evero.

I gave you a bonus. Firstly, I don’t expect Ejiro Evero to get signed as a head coach at this point. But if he does, I think two seasons of work isn’t exactly a “long leash”. Evero’s defense had a terrible 2024, but as we’ve gone over many times, that defense as a whole was just bad from a personnel standpoint, really bad. In 2o25, they improved to about average and helped this team win a few games they probably shouldn’t have. If two seasons with improvement in the following year is a long leash, we’re going to cycle through a lot of defensive coordinators.

That’s all for this week, Panthers fans! Join us for another round of questions soon. KEEP POUNDING!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...o-super-bowl-rooting-guide-joe-brady-and-more

 

[Carolina Panthers]

GM Dan Morgan’s 2025 performance: Grading the Adam Thielen trade

Feb 1, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers general manager Dan Morgan speaks to the media during the introductory press conference for new head coach Dave Canales at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers hired Dan Morgan as president of football operations and general manager on January 22, 2024. Morgan is a Panthers “lifer” after spending his seven-year NFL career in Charlotte from 2001 through 2007 then spending years in the Panthers front office.

Let’s take a look back on Morgan’s second season as GM and assess his performance with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight. The way I grade is a “C” signifies “meets expectations”, so anything above or below a “C” means exceeding or failing to meet expectations. This week we’ll assess Morgan’s performance with the trades – er, trade – he engineered this year.

The case for the Adam Thielen trade

Dan Morgan and the Panthers front office only initiated one trade this year which was sending veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen back to his former, long-term team, the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s the summary:

Panthers gave up: 2026 7th round, 2027 5th round

Panthers received: 2026 5th round, 2027 4th round

Morgan made this trade in August before the season began. The Panthers rationale in making the deal was the team had a number of young wide receivers they wanted to develop, including rookies Tetairoa McMillan and Jimmy Horn Jr., plus second year players Xavier Legette, Jalen Coker, and Brycen Tremayne. David Moore was coming off a 2024 season with 32 receptions for 351 yards and three touchdowns to provide some veteran stability.

Plus, at 35, Thielen was a dinosaur in NFL years. He also missed seven games in 2024 with a hamstring injury and his health was a concern. Going back home to Minnesota where he had played for 10 seasons seemed like a nice send-off for a veteran receiver as the Panthers were expected to continue their perpetual rebuild.

What the Panthers received

First off, the Panthers received very little in return for a highly-productive wide receiver.

Where Morgan whiffed is by not generating any additional, new draft picks in the deal.

Moving up from the seventh round to the fifth round this year has very little value. By Day 3 of the draft most teams are just scratching lottery tickets hoping to hit a $20 payout, which is nice but doesn’t change your standard of living. Moving up from the fifth round to the fourth round in two years is okay, I guess, but teams that nail fourth round picks can usually do the same in the fifth.

In other words, the Panthers still have the same amount of lottery tickets to scratch, cross their fingers, and hope for at least a small payout. They’ll just be scratching them a bit sooner.

If Morgan could have generated an additional pick rather than simply moving up a few rounds, then that would have been different.

When the Panthers announced the trade the team said moving up in those rounds is “effectively the value of a fourth-round pick.”

But it’s not an additional fourth-round pick. Getting an additional fourth-round pick for the veteran wideout would have created some real value. Moving up a couple of rounds later in the draft is just “meh.”

The Panthers gave up real value in Adam Thielen

In retrospect, the Panthers offense as a whole and Bryce Young individually missed Adam Thielen this year. They could have used him as they made their surprising rise to the top of weak NFC South and lost in heartbreaking fashion in the Wild Card round.

While it’s easy to dismiss Thielen as just “old”, he had something no other Panthers wide receiver possessed: Undeniable chemistry with Bryce Young.

In his previous two seasons in Carolina Thielen amassed 151 receptions for 1,629 yards while catching 76% of his targets. He often served as the security blanket for the Panthers young, inconsistent quarterback. In all he averaged an impressive 5.3 receptions for 60.3 yards per game in two seasons in Charlotte.

While Tetairoa McMillan emerged a the clear WR1 this year, the Panthers never found their consistent WR2. That’s the role Thielen could have played in Carolina’s run to the postseason. Jalen Coker was the second-leading wide receiver on the team with just 394 receiving yards.

Adam Thielen knew his role and performed it well in Carolina. He was the chain mover. He found open spaces on 3rd-and-6 to give Bryce Young a viable target. He caught 77.4% of his targets in 2024. When Young began panicking in the pocket, which happens often, Thielen was there to calm him.

This year Thielen remained healthy and appeared in 16 games for the Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, his production fell off a cliff to 19 receptions for 186 yards as he struggled to fit both of those offenses.

But he clearly fit in Carolina! He should have been the unmistakable WR2, making the game easier for Bryce Young and opening up routes for Tetairoa McMillan. Even if his per-game production in 2025 fell 15% from 2024’s levels, here’s what he would have produced assuming he played 13 games, missing four games due to potentially being banged up at times given his age:

13 games: 53 receptions (4.1/G), 680 yards (52.3/G), 65.8% catch percentage

It’s all hypothetical, but does Bryce Young develop faster with Adam Thielen in Carolina this past season?

Do the Panthers win more games and stake their claim as the leader of the NFC South?

Does Carolina end up beating the Rams in the Wild Card round?

While we don’t know the answer to those questions, Thielen’s presence was clearly missed in Carolina this past year. Moving up a couple of rounds late in the draft is a small return for a proven, productive player on what became a playoff team. Morgan failed to get additional draft picks in the deal, which would have improved his trade grade in this transaction that seems like a whiff in retrospect.

Grade: D+

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...25-performance-grading-the-adam-thielen-trade

 

[Carolina Panthers]

GM Dan Morgan’s 2025 performance: Grading the free agents

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 10: Tre'von Moehrig #7 of the Carolina Panthers screams during an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium on January 10, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Carolina Panthers hired Dan Morgan as president of football operations and general manager on January 22, 2024. Morgan is a Panthers “lifer” after spending his seven-year NFL career in Charlotte from 2001 through 2007 then spending years in the Panthers front office. Let’s take a look back on Morgan’s second e season as GM. Last week we graded his trades. This week we’ll assess Morgan’s performance with roster construction via free agency during the 2025 free agency period.

Free agency signings

The Panthers front office signed a plethora of guys throughout 2025 so the focus here is to assess how much return they got on their most expensive signings. For this article I’m only focusing on the four players whose annual average salary exceeded $5 million per year.

The grade of each signing will be relative to expectations based on their salary, so the higher the salary, the higher the expectations. A “C” grade means the player met expectations for their contract.

Trevon Moehrig, safety

Contract: 3 years, $50 million ($17 million/year) with $34.5 million guaranteed

Stats: 16 games (16 starts), 103 tackles, 3.0 sacks, 14 tackles for loss; PFF: 50th of 98 safeties

The fifth-year pro had a solid first season in Carolina. He missed just one game, starting all 16 in which he played, and registered over 100 tackles. Not only that, he was in the opponents’ backfield a lot for a safety, racking up 14 tackles for loss and three sacks. He’s not a ball hawking safety who knocks down passes left and wright — he had just two passes defended and no interceptions — but that’s not what he was paid $17 million per season to do. Signing a young, effective safety on a 3-year reasonably affordable deal ($17 million is just 6.4% of the Panthers $264 million salary cap) was a solid signing.

Signing grade: B

Tershawn Wharton, defensive tackle

Contract: 3 years, $45.1 million ($15 million/year) with $30.3 million guaranteed

Stats: 9 games (9 starts), 36 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 2 tackles for loss; PFF: 127th of 134 interior defensive linemen

It was a rough debut season in Carolina for the sixth-year veteran. His injury-plagued season was choppy, playing in Week 1, then next in Week 4, then not again until Week 7. He then played the next seven games before having his season end after Week 13 following another injury. When healthy, he had some impactful games including seven tackles, a sack, and two quarterback hits in a big Week 9 win over the Green Bay Packers followed by another seven-tackle game the following week against the New Orleans Saints. Now, PFF hated his season ranking him 127 of 134 players at his position, but that seems off. Perhaps if he can remain healthy next year he can live up to his $15 million annual salary, but he wasn’t able to do so in 2025.

Signing grade: D+

Patrick Jones, outside linebacker

Contract: 2 years, $15 million ($7.5 million/year) with $10.3 million guaranteed

Stats: 4 games (4 starts), 9 tackles, 1.0 sacks, 2 tackles for loss

After playing out his four-year rookie contract with the Minnesota Vikings and coming off a seven-sack 2024 season, hopes were high in Carolina that Jones could help put some much-needed pressure on the quarterback. But Jones played in the Panthers first two games, missed the next two, played in two more, and was then shut down for the season due to a back injury that required surgery. Here’s to hoping he recovers well and bounces back next year.

Signing grade: Incomplete

Bobby Brown, defensive tackle

Contract: 3 years, $21 million ($7 million/year) with $9.6 million guaranteed

Stats: 17 games (5 starts), 31 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 3 tackles for loss; PFF: 80th of 134

At just $7 million per year with $9.6 million guaranteed, fifth-year defensive tackle Bobby Brown was brought to Carolina for quality depth and to be a situational starter if called up. He did just that in his first season with the team. He was a perfectly adequate, serviceable depth piece on the Panthers defensive line. His $7 million average salary represents just 2.7% of the Panthers salary cap, and his production exceeded that percentage this year.

Signing grade: B

Summary

When factoring out Patrick Jones’ brief season, the remaining three big-time free agents came out just above average.

Something Panthers fans should be excited about for next year is what the defense can look like with a healthy Tershawn Wharton and Patrick Jones. Neither of them are going to wreck games by themselves, but they are capable, competent football players who can improve the team.

In the end, Dan Morgan came out just ahead in his free agent grade.

Overall free agent grade: C+

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...gans-2025-performance-grading-the-free-agents

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Ask Brian: The Super Bowl is almost here

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales on the field in the second quarter in an NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Hello CSR! Welcome to Ask Brian, part one of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! I’m currently on vacation, away from the cold that is sweeping across the United States. I hope you all are staying warm. The NFL is currently closing in on its premier event of the year, and we’re just one stop away from the offseason, where mock drafts thrive and free agency cap gets crunched. It’s a wonderful time of year! Everybody is 0-0, the future looks promising, and we can scheme up every scenario we want! Currently, the Panthers seem to be in a good spot as they haven’t done a ton of upheaval like many of the other teams in the NFL have had to do recently.

You all know the drill. Comment down below with all your questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off topic! I’ll have answers to all your questions and I’ll highlight my favorite responses in the discussion later on this week. Enjoy; stay warm and KEEP POUNDING!

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...58029/ask-brian-the-super-bowl-is-almost-here

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Rising Stars: Jalen Coker

Jan 10, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) reacts after making a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half during the NFC Wild Card Round game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The story of Jalen Coker’s NFL journey so far is all about about opportunities and what you do with them. After all, Coker went undrafted in his rookie year and joined a Panthers team that seemingly had the receiver room already completely set. The Panthers had traded for Diontae Johnson, had Adam Thielen returning off a 1,000 yard season, drafted Xavier Legette in the first round, and Jonathan Mingo who was a top 40 pick a year prior. There wasn’t room for an undrafted free agent from Holy Cross.

After the whole offense’s failure to launch to begin 2024, the receiver room experience a complete overhaul. Johnson and Mingo were traded, Thielen was injured and all of the sudden Coker’s called up from the practice squad and is outperforming a prized first round pick.

Poised to make a leap in his second year, an upper leg injury in late August forced him to start the season on Injured Reserve and watch the opening 6 weeks of the season from the sideline.

And yet, he managed to supplant all his competition again in 2025. He end the year as one not only one of the teams starting receivers, but one of the most respected players on the roster. Once a back-up slot receiver, Coker ended the season as a surefire starting outside receiver with versatility to line-up anywhere. Splitting his snaps equally between the slot and on the outside, this allowed other weapons on the Panthers offense to move around and take advantage of match-ups.

Coker’s outside prowess was well noted as he had stretch of games where he was consistently making plays down the field, providing the Panthers a much needed man-to-man winner when they needed it most.

Not a TD this time but the third straight game Coker has made a huge play as the X receiver on a go route vs man coverage. https://t.co/oCDKeM8Zpp

— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) December 21, 2025

The point cannot be undersold, Coker was as clutch as they come down the stretch of the Panthers playoff run (if you want to call it that). While McMillan was the star and received the most attention, Bryce Young looked for Coker when he absolutely needed to have it.

4th and 3 against the so-called best team in the NFL at the time? 33 yard touchdown.

COKER!!!

: FOX

Jalen Coker | Bryce Young | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/t7OR49pYhv

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) November 30, 2025

Down 9 with 2 minutes to go in a battle to win the division? Huge contested catch for 6 points.

18 for 6

: ESPN pic.twitter.com/98WWHNroPA

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 4, 2026

3rd and 3 near the goal line with minutes left in a playoff games? Touchdown to take the lead as 10 point underdogs

BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM IS GOING CRAZY RN

: FOX pic.twitter.com/X6zj8gaSad

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 11, 2026

Coker’s emergence at the end of the season wasn’t just a couple moments here and there, but rather steady, efficient production despite low volume. Plenty of efficiency metrics have Coker floating in the same ballpark as some of the leagues best.

Jalen Coker showed out in the Wild Card Round, yet he proved to be one of the most efficient WRs in the NFL since Week 10:

+ 1.93 YPRR (24th/77 WRs)
+ 3.71 YPRR vs. man (3rd)
+ 0.092 1st downs/route (26th)
+ 0.16 MTF/Rec (21st)
+ 9 for 9 on contested catch opps (1st)
(per…

— Dataroma (@ffdataroma) January 12, 2026

Still considered on the rise, he had a bit of a coming out party to the NFL world during his first playoff game of his career: 9 catches, 132 yards and a touchdown.

Coker really popped off pic.twitter.com/rB7Q5eMnlQ

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) January 14, 2026

Might be a lofty expectation, but his NFL career so far has shown you that he can be a potential star-in-the-making for the Panthers. It’s hard to quantify just how high a ceiling Coker has, so I guess we’ll just have to watch and find out.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/carolina-panthers-analysis/58016/rising-stars-jalen-coker

 

[Carolina Panthers]

Panthers season in review: The special teams

Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers punter Sam Martin (6) celebrates with Carolina Panthers place kicker Ryan Fitzgerald (10) after a field goal during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

We’ve been doing an audit on the Carolina Panthers 2025 season over the last couple of weeks. First we talked about the run and pass offense, then the run and pass defense. Now we have the ever important but often overlooked third phase of the game, the special teams.

How it went​

The Panthers were just about the same on special teams as they were in every other aspect of their team in 2025—okay but not that great. There were certain things that were very good, and other things that were less good. It all summed up to a unit that was wholly unremarkable but also wasn’t catastrophic, except in the Patriots game.

The one thing the group did well was cover kicks. Rookie Ryan Fitzgerald was one of the pioneers of the dirty kickoffs that became a headache for opposing to returners to field and helped the coverage team swarm to the football. It seemed like the team went away from those kicks as the season went on, but the coverage group still held up. Fitzgerald’s touchback rate was sixth lowest in the league, and the coverage unit allowed the second fewest yards per return.

The punt coverage was pretty good as well, outside of one game. In the Patriots game alone, the unit allowed an 87 yard return for a touchdown and a 61 yard return that set up a second. Those two returns accounted for nearly half of the punt return yards the Panthers ceded all season. Otherwise, Sam Martin did a good job with his directional kicking, and the coverage unit kept returners pretty well contained.

Both of Carolina’s kickers are more accuracy guys than power guys. Fitzgerald struggled with longer kicks this past season, and you could tell that Dave Canales wasn’t always trusting of his rookie kicker from over 50. But inside 50, usually money. He was 22-of-24 on those short to medium kicks, and he made all three of his attempts at game winning kicks. He seems to have the right mentality. Now the leg strength needs to come. Sam Martin is who he is being that he’s about to turn 36, but he was steady as they come and had some phenomenal kicks to pin opponents deep in their own territory. He wasn’t a field flipper, but that’s not something that comes up all that often.

On the return side of things, the Panthers were heavily reliant on rookie Trevor Etienne, and he didn’t do a whole lot. The Panthers were near the bottom of the league in both kick and punt return yardage, and Etienne had that notable muffed punt off his face in the playoff game against the Rams. He shared kickoff duties with an assortment of players, but no one made made a real impact there.

Oh, and another perfect season of snapping from JJ Jansen.

The path forward​

It doesn’t look like there’s going to be a whole lot of notable change in the specialists unit heading into the 2026 season. All of the specialists did their jobs well enough, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them all in the same place next season. However, Sam Martin is a free agent, so the front office could look at other options at that spot both in free agency or in the incoming rookie class for a more long term answer there.

There should be more of a shakeup in the return game. With Rico Dowdle’s impending free agency and likely departure, Etienne could be called into more duty in the running back rotation. That would be a good excuse to free up those returner spots with someone more dynamic, though it’s hard to say what that’ll look like.

Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/ca...4/panthers-season-in-review-the-special-teams