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Brian Answers: Making sense of the moves the Panthers made (and didn’t make) following the 2025 NFL Draft

2025 NFL Draft - Rounds 4-7

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

We address all sorts of post Draft fans questions in this week’s fan mailbag!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! This is an explosive follow up to a very loaded weekend of news following the Panthers highly regarded 2025 NFL Draft class. You all had a lot of questions about what’s next for this team, and I brought answers.

Let’s dive in!

Prickly_Claire: I’ve seen a lot of write-ups of Nic Scourton refer to him as a “three down” player, but is he a three down EDGE or does his skillset present the opportunity to be a guy who can move inside to DE in our scheme in pass rush scenarios?

Commenter Shifty Fish answered this question quite nicely, but to summarize, the Panthers liked Scourton as an every down player for their scheme. Dan Morgan even said in interviews this week they had a first round grade on him. The Panthers plan is to use him as both an edge rusher and as an interior player on passing downs, much like they did with Yetur Gross-Matos in his final year in Carolina in 2023. Only difference here, Nic Scourton was drafted to play that role, where YGM was a holdover from the prior regime.

@WTMealey: The Panthers had a total of 32 sacks last year. I know that isn’t the perfect metric for how well you are getting to the passer, but it surely means something.

What’s your over under number for 2025?

I think an over/under number of 40.5 is solid just off the top of my head. Carolina’s pass rush theoretically shouldn’t be fixed all in one Offseason, especially since they didn’t go out and get someone like Myles Garrett as an example. Getting 41 would have placed them right in the middle of the league in 2024 as far as total sacks are concerned, which compared to bottom 3 in the league for their results from the same year, would be a huge jump in production.

DannyLimes: Given the various puffs of smoke about T-Mac; an old video, reports (Joe P) that the initial visit with us didn’t go well, McShay and others concerns about work ethic… how much is that a concern?

I’ll be honest I’m barely concerned- saw some lazy-ish plays, halfhearted blocking etc but nothing outside of the realms of your average receiver. I am curious as to yours and the group think.

Panthers fans can certainly sound off in the comments about their thoughts, but overall I’m not concerned at all by the pre-Draft headlines about Tetairoa McMillan. The video that circulated about him not enjoying watching film came from his first year in college, and I think most players at that age aren’t going to say they sit around watching film all day. He’s since stated that it was an outdated take and he’s matured since then, I have no reason not to believe him after two incredible final seasons in college. His work ethic concerns mostly came from watching tape with plays he supposedly “took off” in college. Spoiler, but usually is a play isn’t going the wide receivers way on a run or if they aren’t expected to even be targeted on a passing play, coaches don’t generally jump down a guy of T Mac’s caliber’s throat for not going balls to the wall running a route or blocking away from the play. Coaches actually often encourage players to take a breather on those plays.

Not to say it isn’t something to watch, but I’m not worried about it as of this juncture.

Good_Ol_Boy: Two part question:

1) Do we have the resources to land Blackmon?

2) Is he the FS answer that we’re looking for?

  1. The Panthers definitely have the cap space to land Julian Blackmon. However at this point in the off-season, there’s no real rush for a player like him to sign. He’s a veteran, and likely not going to fetch top market safety dollars in free agency following the Draft. The Panthers can afford to pay him, but whether they are the most attractive situation for him is a different matter.
  2. He’d definitely alleviate concerns about the currently thin safety room. He’s probably the best option out there for their free safety problem.

Bruce Guild: I know there are many misses with 1st round wide receivers. Heck we have seen plenty throughout the years with the Panthers.

How often 1st off the board (excluded Hunter) or top ten receivers bust or underperform? I would think there is a higher miss rate at QB but are WR’s taken that high as risky a bet?

We have a lot of time between now and the preseason, so I’ve elected to answer this particular question with its own post. Stay tuned Bruce, I gotchu.

plancos: Which Day 3 pick are you most excited about (irrespective of round)?

Which UDFA are you most excited about (excluding the Kicker)?

I’m actually most excited about DL Cam Jackson. What Carolina lacked last year was true run defenders along the defensive line, and I think Jackson really helps strengthen the rotation Carolina is building on the interior in regards to the run specific help. They drafted Jackson at a spot where they don’t need him to be anything more than the next Colin Cole for him to be a very successful draft pick.

Safeties Trevian Thomas and Isaac Gifford excite me the most, and the main reason is we should see a lot of reps from them during training camp and OTAs to see if they are the next diamonds in the rough.

Carolinamaybenextyears: In the NFC south, how do you think the other team’s defensive coordinators are thinking about facing the Panthers offense? Nightmare fuel? Also, who do you think has a better offense across the board in the nfc south than the Panthers?

I think that really depends on how Bryce Young starts the season. On paper, Carolina’s offense IS improved from 2024. However, we’ve seen slow starts from Bryce in both of his professional seasons. If Carolina comes out with their crap together early, defensive coordinators might actually be scared of this offense. But until Bryce Young proves his progression at the end of 2024 was for real and not a mirage, teams aren’t going to fear the Panthers as more than a strong rush first offense.

The Buccaneers still have a stronger offense on paper. Again, the quarterback play makes the difference here. Same with the Falcons and Michael Penix.

Shifty Fish: What’s the delay on signing Blackmon? Why does this team think it’s some competition on who can do the least about free safety even though they’re the only one playing?

This is complete speculation on my part, so bear with me. But I think Carolina gave Blackmon a totally reasonable offer to sign here when he visited earlier in the off-season. It likely didn’t blow his socks off and probably matched up with the contract numbers that safeties who remain unsigned after the draft end up getting offered, even if he doesn’t necessarily belong in that same tier conversation.

I personally agree that I find their aversion to just locking down that position and being done with frustrating, but I think now we’re playing the post draft free agency game. Carolina might not sign that next safety piece until June or July.

brake23: My guess is they were targeting RJ Harvey as a receiving back and since he was picked earlier than anticipated, they panicked and grab their backup option very early. I know many of us were let down by the selection of Etienne in the 4th. Who would you have liked the team to have picked instead of Etienne at 114?

Probably a safety, an edge rusher, a defensive lineman, a linebacker, or a corner. Take your pick. Dan Morgan clearly felt they were getting some kind of value here, and as many of our commenters have stated, its right within the Seattle MO to draft a late round running back every year. I’m going to let this pick marinate until we see what kind of impact he truly has in the rotation. He’s definitely a complimentary player with both receiving skills and short yardage skills. If Carolina actually runs the ball the way they claimed they would in 2024, this pick might look alright.

KeepPounding88: Realistic expectations for T-Mac in his rookie season?

Dcangio09 answered basically the same-ish numbers I would have, so here it is.

60 receptions
850 yards
7 TDs
I’m going conservative with AT still here and Bryce’s penitent for spreading the ball around. This could change if AT gets traded or injured.

I think the TDs matter more than the yardage for McMillan in his rookie season, as the Panthers have several guys who can get yardage. At wide receiver, T Mac is already their best redzone threat and he hasn’t even caught a pass yet. I think 1k+ yards really justifies his top 10 selection as it would put him up with other highly drafted peers (who were considered successful draft picks), but my expectations are that he doesn’t hit that between Adam Thielen returning as Bryce Young’s favorite target and plenty of expected attention for 2024 rookies Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker.

Snarky_Comet: Is there a chance Pineiro doesn’t get picked up by anyone this season because his asking price is too high?

We’ve clearly moved on. Washington just picked up Matt Gay. I’m sure there’s other kicker-needy teams out there, but the musical chairs has started and spots are starting to be filled. Is there a precedent of a kicker holding out an entire season out for a large contract?

I don’t think Eddy Pineiro has any chance at a kicker market-resetting contract at this point. I don’t think its as much about holding out anymore as simply finding a team that will have him. There’s 32 starting kickers in the NFL, but there’s more than 32 other kickers out there just waiting to be called by an NFL team. There’s a very strong chance Pineiro doesn’t get picked up, but just as strong a chance Carolina brings him back. But I wouldn’t be worried about the money.

DIESEL009: Am I the only one that believes 10 wins and a wildcard spot isn’t an unreasonable expectation for this season?

I don’t think this is an unreasonable expectation at all, even if I took am riding the wave of optimism following a strong free agency and NFL Draft for the Panthers. I’m not quite ready to say I think the Panthers are playoff contenders until I see what the heck all these new pieces on defense look like together, but I’m not going to tell anyone who is feeling warm and fuzzy about it to stop feeling that way. It's easier to feel good about the direction of the team when they’ve come out and told us two offseasons in a row what they felt they needed to fix, and followed a consistent and targeted plan to address it.

RebuildingSince95: Other than T-Mac, XL, Thielen, and Coker, what receivers do you think make the team?

Do you think we might have our answer to replacing Moton on the roster already?

Probably David Moore. I know Panthers fans are going to boo that but he had great chemistry with Bryce Young in 2024 and familiarity with Dave Canales stemming from 2023 and even the prior Seattle Seahawks years. It could certainly change but right now he has a leg up. If the Panthers keep six, I’ll go with Jimmy Horn Jr, rookie 6th rounder. Dave Canales likes to have a speedster/returner type to do fun things with (remember Deven Thompkins?) for designed runs and gadget plays. And they will have practice squad spots available to stash players.

Hunter Renfrow is a great comeback story and I hope Carolina gets the very best out of him that we saw a couple of years ago with the Raiders, but he was out of football all last season, he didn’t even land on a practice squad as a veteran for any team.

edit: Shortly after the posting of this mailbag, it came out from the Panthers that Renfrow was out last season due to auto immune disease. I did not know that answering the question. I hope Hunter rebounds and has himself a great second half to his career. KEEP POUNDING Hunter!

I don’t believe the answer to Taylor Moton is on the roster yet, but they certainly have some depth if he battles injury this season.

Bull123: will Hunter Renfro make the team & become an impact player for us?

will Wallace step up & be the ILB we need?

See above re: Renfrow. As far as Trevon Wallace goes, currently he’s slated to start right alongside Josey Jewell at interior linebacker. The Panthers are still apparently high on Claudin Cherelus and Jacoby Windmon, and they signed Christian Rozeboom in free agency. But I do think its Wallace’s job to lose right now, even if they go with a healthy rotation of Rozeboom to spell him a bit.

MarloBarksdale99: Will Barno make the 53 this year with all the moves we made on defense?

This is a real tough one. I think if the Panthers didn’t take Princely Umanmielen, he probably had a shot. But right now that edge group is very crowded. I think he’s a strong practice squad candidate, but if he does make it, he’s gotta be developing quite nicely.

schrodingersblackcat: Evans seems like a steal in the 5th round. How much do you expect to see him on the field in 2025? Will he see more use as a blocker than target? What does our depth chart look like at TE by the end of the season?

Going to be a Debbie downer here, but right after the Draft (especially one as deep as this one), many players seem like steals. I do like Mitchell Evans as an Ian Thomas replacement, and I think he CAN be that healthy balance between “guy who is definitely going to run a route” and “guy who is definitely blocking” for this offense. I think Tommy Tremble will take precedence over him right away, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a healthy snap count himself in an offense that should run the ball and piggy back play action passes off of it quite a bit.

positivebob: Are you optimistic about going into the season with the current TEs?

I was definitely someone looking for them to potentially take Tyler Warren at 8. I like how things fell, I like that they went ahead and invested in home-grown talent Tommy Tremble after he showed a lot of real progress, and I like that they still added to the room around 2024 4th round pick Ja’Tavion Sanders. I don’t think the room will be in the top of the league conversation as far as specific position rooms, but it doesn’t seem like Dave Canales needs that from his tight end group either. Overall, I’m happy. Could be happier, but you can’t make every position group elite in one Offseason. And they could totally make me eat crow and all fill their roles nicely, we’ll see!

dayneB12: It seems the Panthers were heavily investing in WRs when it comes to UDFAs, signing 3 notable players. I’m all for adding competition, but when the depth is so thin in the secondary, why was WR a major focus, despite addressing it in the draft, when there are big holes at CB and S? While they did make some additions there, none of the players seem to have very high rankings when it comes to UDFAs.

We call day 3 draft picks “dart throws” here at CSR headquarters. UDFA signings are more like throwing darts at a haystack and hoping to find a needle. I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on what positions they looked at in undrafted free agency. Sometimes you find a guy like Jalen Coker who perfectly fits your position of need. Sometimes, you find the Andrew Norwell’s of the world when there’s a plan at that position prior to the season starting.

Carolina actually did the “best player available” thing (or so they say) in the Draft, which meant the team came away looking thin at some positions. They did sign two CBs and two S’s as UDFA’s, and remember after the draft the back end of the roster is basically fluid until the 53 man roster countdown. Your concerns are valid, don’t get me wrong, but let’s give it time.

Join us next week for another edition of our weekly mailbag. We’ll be along the ride all offseason. Keep Pounding!
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...e-and-didnt-make-following-the-2025-nfl-draft
 
NFC South Review: The Bucs shored up their depth with the draft

NFL: NFL Draft

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers only draft three different positions.

We conclude our review of the drafts that the rest of the NFC South had. The Falcons look like they’ve improved their team on paper, while the Saints made a lot of questionable decisions. The Bucs seem to have been a little bit closer to the former than the latter.

The picks:

  • 19: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
  • 53: Benjamin Morrison, CB, Notre Dame
  • 84: Jacob Parrish, CB, Kansas State
  • 121: David Walker, Edge, Central Arkansas
  • 157: Elijah Roberts, Edge, SMU
  • 235: Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon

If there’s one position the Buccaneers seemingly didn’t need, it’s wide receiver. Mike Evans is still one of the best in the business, Chris Godwin is arguably the league’s best number two and should be ready for Week 1, and Jalen McMillan was an impressive rookie. Still, the Bucs went with the top player on their board and added even more talent to that wide receiver room. He creates a lot of redundancy, but that also means there’s a lot of depth, and even more weapons for Baker Mayfield. They went out and added Tez Johnson late, but the rail thin wideout seems more likely to contribute as a returner than a wideout.

Tampa Bay used the middle rounds to bolster their relatively poor defense. Their offense is going to force a lot of teams to throw the ball to keep pace, so they went all in on bolstering the pass defense. Morrison was a highly regarded corner who fell due to injury, and Parrish is okay in his own right. They added a couple of productive edge defenders in the middle rounds who at the very least will add to a deep rotation that is lacking in start power.

The Buccaneers were best team in the NFC South last season, so naturally their roster doesn’t have some of the glaring holes that the rest of the NFC South does. Being in that spot gives them more leeway to get the guys they like regardless of position. None of their rookies are going to be relied on out of the gate unless they play well enough to push out one of the incumbents. That only makes the Bucs more dangerous going into the 2025 season. They have the depth to withstand the attrition of the season and have a few shots of getting guys that will upgrade some of the positions that are already strengths.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...the-bucs-shored-up-their-depth-with-the-draft
 
Reacts Survey: Post-draft win total

NFL: JAN 05 Panthers at Falcons

Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Let's predict the whole season

We talk a lot about how the 2024 Carolina Panthers had one of the worst defenses in league history. The team has done a lot to address that this offseason. A productive free agency, Derrick Brown returning from injury, and a well-received draft class have completely scrambled last season's defensive depth chart.

The Panthers should effectively be seeing six new starters on defense between Patrick Jones II, Tershawn Wharton, Bobby Brown III, Derrick Brown, Christian Rozeboom, and Tre'von Moehrig. There is room for that number to grow depending on the what Dan Morgan's plan is for nickle corner and the other safety spot.

New faces on offense should also have an immediate impact. Namely Tetairoa McMillan and Rico Dowdle should help take pressure off an already talented collection of skill position players. Let's not forget that an ascendant Bryce Young led that 2024 team to a 44-38 OT win over the Atlanta Falcons with Jalen Coker as his leading receiver and Miles Sanders as the team's leading rusher.

This offseason's changes should provide plenty of breathing room for an offense that is expected to grow. Chuba Hubbard should actually get to rest between series now. Coker and Xavier Legette get to share the load of the young passing attack. Adam Thielen should get time to mummify himself with Icy Hot patches between catches.

There is no position where the 2025 Panthers have taken an obvious step backwards compared to their 2024 squad.

With all that in mind and feeling confident that we now know everything we could need to know about the Panthers offseason, let's ask the burning question:

How many games will the Panthers win this coming season?

As always, sound off in the comments to defend your prediction.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Carolina Panthers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...nthers-reacts-survey-post-nfl-draft-win-total
 
Living the American (football) dream: Mapalo Mwansa joins the Panthers through the NFL’s IPP

2025 NFL Draft - Rounds 4-7

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

The Peterborough, England native who learned about American Football by watching Netflix is now an NFL player.

The NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) should sound familiar to Carolina Panthers fans. This program designed to reach international talent allows certain teams to carry 91 players on their roster in the offseason, versus the standard 90, by adding an international prospect.

The IPP is what brought former Panthers defensive end Efe Obada to Carolina back in 2018. Obada had a nice three year run with the Panthers appearing in 42 games with 7.5 sacks. After spending the 2021 season with the Buffalo Bills, Obada has spent the last three years with the Washington Commanders.

As Efe Obada demonstrated, the IPP can work when raw talent is discovered then developed.

The Panthers are hoping to strike gold again after signing linebacker Mapalo “Maz” Mwansa via the IPP.

What do we know about Maz Mwansa?

Based on a brief profile on the Panthers website, Mwansa is a native of Peterborough, England. The 20-year-old has played a number of sports including many British favorites (favourites?) like rugby, soccer, basketball, track and field, and cricket. He reportedly learned about “American football” by watching Netflix programs like “Last Chance U” and “Quarterback”.

The Panthers press release notes that Maz’s LinkedIn profile listed him as an Accountant before his recent career change to NFL player.

I wonder if he can handle debits and credits faster than his 40-yard dash?

And, it should be noted, his 40 time is impressive after running a 4.45 at the CFL combine.

The Panthers website lists Maz at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds.

Mapalo recently spent time playing football for the Nottingham Caesars in the British American Football Association and with the Great Britain National Team, so he does have some practical on-field experience. His talent and athleticism have reportedly flashed during the games, combines, and practices where Panthers scouts evaluated him.

Additional information from the NFL’s website listed him as one of the four “players to watch” at the IPP Pro Day while also nothing that Mwansa has spent time as a powerlifter. He has been on NFL radars in recent months to the point that he was invited to attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay as a representative of the IPP.

Here’s to hoping Mwansa and the Panthers can use the IPP’s roster flexibility and develop him into a viable NFL player. Carolina did it before with Efe Obada.

After Maz makes the 53-man roster, earns All-Pro honors, and leads the Panthers to multiple Super Bowls, the documentary about his life would make quite the Netflix show.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...ina-panthers-nfl-international-player-pathway
 
Brian Asks: Undrafted free agent hype season questions!

2025 NFL Draft - Rounds 2 & 3

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

We bring you another edition of the weekly mailbag. Come ask your questions!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Asks, your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! After giving everyone a week or so to truly digest the 2025 NFL Draft, and the subsequent undrafted free agent class that followed, I’m here to field all your questions as we enter the slow part of the off-season. There will likely be some news here and there as far as roster movement, but for the most part the biggest news ahead is going to be OTAs, training camp, and the preseason. It's going to be a long 3 months.

So, I’m once again bringing you this edition of this weekly mailbag. You know the drill, comment down below with all your burning questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off topic! This week, I’m throwing out the topic of the Panthers UDFA class. Comment down below with questions, observations, or hopes for this group, and I’ll have some answers and highlights later this week.

KEEP POUNDING!
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...ks-undrafted-free-agent-hype-season-questions
 
Panthers Reacts Survey: How confident are you in Carolina's current direction?

2025 NFL Scouting Combine

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Are we starting to believe?

Now that the draft is a couple weeks behind us and we've all had time to absorb the new additions to the Carolina Panthers roster, let's set a baseline for the 2025 season.

Every week in season we'll be asking you if you're confident in the Panthers current direction. This is supposed to be a general trend question and not a "grade the team's last game" scenario. We did pretty well with that down the stretch last season as the Panthers came away from some tough losses looking better than expected behind Bryce Young.

This week will let us know where we are starting off, as a fan base, with regards to our optimism around Young, Dave Canales, and the roster that Dan Morgan has been slowly building.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Carolina Panthers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...-reacts-confidence-survey-2025-may-post-draft
 
Panthers rookies are all healthy entering Rookie Mini Camp

2025 NFL Draft Portraits

Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images

It’s a small, but positive brick in our building wall of optimism

The Carolina Panthers are set to enter their rookie mini camp tomorrow on a much brighter note than last year. All eight of their draft picks are entering their professional careers healthy. This is only worth discussing after last year’s saga with 2024 second round pick Jonathan Brooks.

Brooks, as many Panthers fans sourly recall, was such a big target for new general manager Dan Morgan that the Panthers traded up in the second round to nab him. This rubbed folks the wrong way in two different directions, even though Brooks was widely rated as the best running back in the class. First, he was a running back and folks wanted to know who trades up for those. Second, he was injured.

Brooks was coming off of an ACL tear suffered during his senior year of college and missed the entire offseason and the first ten weeks of the 2024 season. He was then active for three games, carrying the ball nine times, before re-tearing his ACL in Week 13 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He had a successful surgical repair and is expected to miss the entire 2025 season during his recovery.

The Panthers’ 2025 draft class has been widely lauded amongst fans in large part to it not containing any stories like Brooks. The Panthers have one of the shallowest rosters in the league and all eight draft picks from this year have a shot at being significant contributors by the end of the season. That starts tomorrow at rookie mini camp with each of them having the opportunity to participate in the full offseason program.

Last season, the Panthers announced the signing of their complete draft class at the start of rookie mini camp, so be on the look out for that again this year. Here is a reminder of what each rookie contract will look like.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...roa-mcmillan-nic-scourton-princely-umanmielen
 
Five undrafted free agent Panthers to watch at rookie mini camp

NFL: Scouting Combine

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers kick off rookie minicamp today. They released the full list of attendees, which includes the draft picks, 19 undrafted free agents, and 14 tryout players. It’ll be our first opportunity to hear about the rookies in Panthers’ uniforms. We expect a lot of that to be about Tetairoa McMillan and the new edge rushers. But perhaps the most interesting part of camp is hearing about which undrafted players are standing out among their peers.

Last summer we heard a lot about Jalen Coker, and he eventually worked his way onto the roster and became a staple of the Panthers wide receiver group. Here are a few players who could have a similar trajectory starting with this weekend.

Ryan Fitzgerald, kicker​


There’s no better place to start this than with the kicker position. The incumbent is journeyman Matthew Wright, who isn’t a great plan A for the position heading into the season. Fitzgerald was one of the highest rated kickers in this draft class, and it’s somewhat surprising he even made it to undrafted free agency. He made 32 of 34 field goals in his last two collegiate seasons, including a perfect 14 of 14 last season. Look for some early reports on whether or not he’s looking like a legitimate long term solution for the kicker position.

Jared Harrison-Hunte, defensive line​


JHH has he will be affectionately called measured as an athletic freak with a Relative Athletic Score of 9.39. He’s a little on the smaller side for an interior lineman, but he has the quicks and creativity to be a disruptive pass rusher. He has a profile that could look very impressive in a setting with limited contact. He could work his way onto the practice squad and some spot duty in the rotation when injuries pop up during the season.

Jack Henderson, defensive back​


The Panthers barely have any safeties, which makes it the easiest position for an undrafted rookie to steal a spot. Henderson has one of those stories that people always root for. He only had two offers, both FCS schools, after playing just one year of high school football. He eventually transferred to Minnesota, where he featured as a swiss army knife on their defense. He scored a 9.37 RAS, so the physical traits are there. He could be a guy that keeps popping up wherever he’s used and eventually finds a place as a special teamer.

Luke Kandra, guard​


There always seems to be a lineman or two that impresses throughout camp and finds themselves at the fringes of the roster. Kandra is the most highly regarded lineman that the Panthers landed in free agency, and depending on where you look, was a very draftable player. The Panthers don’t have a ton of depth behind their starters, so Kandra could be a name to watch as the offseason progresses.

Muhsin Muhammad III, wide receiver​


Believe it or not, Muhammad is the son of former Panthers great Muhsin Muhammad. He had a strong start to his career at Texas A&M but fizzled out over his last couple of years there. He predictably has a lot of talent and natural receiving ability, but consistency and attention to detail haven’t been there. He’s going to generate a lot of buzz given his lineage, and in the context of other undrafted free agents and tryout players, his talent could shine through. And of course, by rule, we have to fall in love with an undrafted wide receiver during camp.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...at-rookie-mini-camp-muhsin-moose-muhammad-iii
 
The Panthers transaction list prior to rookie mini camp

NFL: Carolina Panthers at Las Vegas Raiders

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Carolina’s front office has been busy as the Panthers roster continues to take shape.

The Carolina Panthers recently cut ties with seven players as they refine the roster following the NFL Draft. Here are the now former Panthers who will be looking for their next opportunity in the league:

Jadeveon Clowney, defensive end. As already covered here at CSR, the Panthers couldn’t find a trade partner for the veteran and instead chose to part ways with him. Coming off a solid season with 5.5 sacks, Carolina’s front office decided retaining him didn’t justify the $8.5 million in salary that was due to him in 2025.

Jordan Matthews, tight end. Matthews should be a familiar name for Panthers fans given his time with the team and his curious NFL journey. After spending eight seasons in the NFL (2014-2021) as a fairly productive wide receiver, Matthews didn’t play in 2022 then reinvented himself as a tight end. He signed with the Panthers in 2023 and saw limited action over the past two years, recording zero receptions on one target.

Andrew Raym, offensive line. Raym was an undrafted rookie free agent last year who appeared in one game for the Panthers.

Dax Milne, wide receiver. Well, darn! As a BYU fan I wanted the former Cougar to latch on with the Panthers. Milne was a seventh round pick in 2021 by the Washington Commanders and in his first two seasons had 15 receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown, plus a host of punt and kick returns. He missed the 2023 season due to injury then joined the Panthers practice squad late last year.

T.J. Luther, wide receiver. Luther has bounced around a bunch of practice squads over the last two seasons but has yet to appear in an NFL game.

Jerrod Clark, defensive tackle. Clark spent 2023 and 2024 with the Los Angeles Chargers without appearing in a game. In January 2025 he signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers.

Popo Aumavae, defensive tackle. The former Oregon Duck joined the Panthers in 2024 as an undrafted free agent and was waived last year due to injury. He is being waived again this year with an injury designation, so hopefully Popo can heal up.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...-jadaveon-clowney-jordan-matthews-andrew-raym
 
Panthers announce jerseys numbers for 2025 rookie class

NFL: NFL Draft

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

RB Trevor Etienne will wear No. 23 while edge rusher Nic Scourton will wear No. 11.

It’s been almost two weeks since the end of the 2025 NFL Draft and the Carolina Panthers have finally announced the jersey numbers for their newest rookie class.

It’s been known for a handful of days now that first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan will be wearing the No. 4. However, he’s been the lone rookie of the class with a number until Friday morning.

Here are the remaining rookies and their corresponding numbers:

  • EDGE Nic Scourton - 11
  • WR Jimmy Horn - 15
  • S Lathan Ransom - 22
  • RB Trevor Etienne - 23
  • EDGE Princely Umanmielan - 33
  • DT Cam’Ron Jackson - 76
  • TE Mitchell Evans - 84

Rookie numbers revealedhttps://t.co/D9UQi2qJS9 pic.twitter.com/WMpEdIuXFY

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 9, 2025​
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The Panthers also officially announced their group of 19 undrafted free agents on Thursday:

  • CB Jatravis Broughton
  • K Ryan Fitzgerald
  • QB Ethan Garbers
  • WR Jacolby George
  • S Isaac Gifford
  • EDGE Jared Harrrison-Hunte
  • S Jack Henderson
  • WR Kobe Hudson
  • OL Luke Kandra
  • OL Steven Losoya
  • RB Kayron Lynch-Adams
  • LB Bam Martin-Scott
  • WR Moose Muhammad III
  • LB Tuasivi Nomura
  • TE Bryce Pierre
  • CB Michael Reid
  • OL Michael Tarquin
  • S Trevian Thomas
  • CB Corey Thornton

We have signed 19 undrafted free agents pic.twitter.com/xa492tJfrn

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 8, 2025​
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...e-nic-scourton-panthers-rookie-jersey-numbers
 
Brian Answers: Answering more follow up questions on the 2025 NFL Draft and the Panthers moves since

2025 NFL Scouting Combine

Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Another edition of part two if this week’s Panthers fan mailbag

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Answers, part two of your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! The Panthers did some stuff this week, releasing several players, including OLB Jadeveon Clowney, as we push on to rookie mini camp in the very near future. The off-season is very much still in swing, and your questions continue to brew as we navigate it. So, let’s dive right into some of your questions from this week’s mailbag!

GooseCreek: There are several sources to see a listing of UDFAs for each team but is there a source to get a definitive listing on invitees for a team’s Rookie Mini-Camp?

Not that I know of. I think the best source you can find is scouring places like Twitter/X to see when somebody gets randomly announced as an invitee to rookie mini-camp. Teams don’t really need to disclose tryout invites since there’s no real contract terms until they actually sign. If someone else has any other info feel free to share down below, but even as recently as Thursday we didn’t get anything other than that there are 14 tryout players coming to camp.

KeepPounding88: Will Canales learn from his mistake last year and give the starters more reps in the preseason?

My broad answer is yes, but it depends on what starters you’re talking about. I think the starting offensive line will still be kept on a very light snap count, same with a guy like Chuba Hubbard on offense. On defense, I can’t see them giving too many snaps to Derrick Brown (if he’s even healthy by then), Jaycee Horn, or Josey Jewell. But Bryce Young should probably see more snaps, and there’s a lot of younger guys set to see significant snap counts at other positions. I think we’ll see more of them.

@WTMealey: Ok football question

Regular season game decent weather do you ever leave early and what are the parameters for that decision?

I have a friend who ALWAYS leaves early to beat traffic and I don’t understand why he goes at all.

For the Panthers home games specifically, I would never leave early unless the game is WELL out of reach. However, at other stadiums (MetLife Stadium being one out of my experiences), leaving early does make sense. That place was a nightmare to get out of in 2008 and I imagine it only has gotten worse since then.

storybook: Which 2nd-year player do you think will be most important for the Panthers in 2025?

I’ll give you my “safe” answer and my “let’s have some fun” answer, in that order:

  • LB Trevin Wallace: no matter how you feel about his pre-draft profile and rookie season, it appears he has the inside track to starting opposite the earlier mentioned Jewell at inside linebacker. I think Christian Rozeboom will be used to spell him in run-heavy situations, but overall Wallace seems like he’s going to see a significant role in the Panthers defense. Whether or not he takes a major step forward could be a massive storyline for this defense.
  • S Demani Richardson: I know the Panthers just released Jadeveon Clowney literally the day before this piece airs, which opened up some cap space for the Panthers to go spending in post-draft free agency, but right now Richardson is slated to have a role with the starters too. If the Panthers do nothing, he will likely be sharing snaps with rookie Lathan Ransom opposite Trevon Moehrig. But even if they do sign someone, Richardson does factor into the top 4 of the rotation. And currently, he’s the only safety on the roster who is familiar with the scheme. He might still play more than people think no matter what the Panthers do with the recently freedom up money.

RebuildingSince95: Has David Tepper ever made a comment regarding changing the field back to grass? Do you think he will ever consider it?

Aside from articles from 2022 and the most recent NFLPA survey indicating Panthers players would prefer grass, there’s really nothing indicating this change is coming any time soon. Maybe that changes if the Panthers suddenly become contenders again, but I doubt it. Unfortunately, the stadium houses a lot more events than just Panthers games, and Tepper is a business man.

Revshawn: Who would win in a fight? The 2015 Super Bowl Carolina Panthers roster or a silverback gorilla?

That Panthers defensive line might give the gorilla a run for its money. I guess it depends on whether the battleground is Panthers friendly, or a very poorly taken care of Levi’s stadium in early February.

Diesel009: I don’t post as often but is anyone else feeling like Mitchell Evans could be sneaky good for us? I’m intrigued to see his production with a starting caliber NFL QB.

I don’t want to get too hyped yet about Evans until we see some preseason snaps, but he could very easily be the Panthers Ian Thomas replacement for this offense, and that would be a good thing on his 5th round pick rookie contract.

And finally, some comment highlights:

Temujin07: Cowboys had to pivot because the Panthers took T-Mac. Just a reminder Dan traded Mingo to the Cowboys for a 4th lol


Full trade: The #Cowboys traded a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder to the #Steelers in exchange for WR George Pickens and a 2027 sixth-round pick. pic.twitter.com/YGaK5itS4s

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) May 7, 2025​
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This was very easily one of Dan Morgan’s best trades. Obviously, trading Jonathan Mingo, a highly drafted second round pick, for a fourth round pick less than two seasons later is a net loss, but there are many scenarios where teams get nothing. And this trade by the Cowboys this week made it look even better.

And, in a response to this post by Temujin07 about the Panthers potential interest in OT Armand Membou:

ericbuck: They called me a mad man. Brian, I hope you are thankful this didn’t happen because I would have been be so insufferable haha

Shut up, Meg.

Join us next week for another edition of the Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! KEEP POUNDING!
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...rolina-panthers-george-pickens-jonathon-mingo
 
Reacts Results: Panthers fan optimism verges on hubris

Carolina Panthers v Jacksonville Jaguars

Photo by Courtney Culbreath/Getty Images

Everything is going right for the Panthers this offseason. Somehow that feels wrong.

The Carolina Panthers and their fans have been in an emotionally abusive relationship for many, many years. The team has parlayed the heights of their successes in the Jake Delhomme and Cam Newton eras into lifelong love from innocent Carolinians who just wanted to feel recognized on the national stage. Despite woeful leadership at almost every single step along the way, Panthers fans have raised their hopes year after year.

We finally got out act together near the end of the Matt Rhule era and approached both the Frank Reich and Dave Canales hires with an increasing amount of skepticism. Yes, there was optimism, but few and far between were the fans convinced of the Panthers imminent ascension to the upper echelons of the NFL. Even now, after an offseason of good news days, fans are predicting only a moderate increase over last seasons win total. It’s encouraging to see folks take an emotionally guarded stance towards their favorite franchise.



It is with all of that in mind that I am struggling to analyze the result of last week’s Reacts poll. 93% of fans are confident that the Carolina Panthers are trending in the right direction. It’s not that the team isn’t or that fans lack reasons to believe after a relatively strong season (and, yes, “relatively” is doing an obscene amount of work in this sentence). It’s more that so many people agreeing on the current state of things instead of bickering over UDFAs or sniping at managerial decisions that have only been half made public is a jarring change of pace for us.

Maybe things are all coming up Black and Blue right now. Maybe this is as high as our favorite poverty franchise’s pride gets to rise before its inevitable fall. All I know is that I won’t feel comfortable feeling positive about the direction of the Panthers until this confidence number plummets to the 60s or 40s after the team’s traditional opening day loss. We’ll figure out who the Panthers will be predicted to lose to later this week when the full NFL schedule is released.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...ptimism-verges-on-hubris-nfl-schedule-release
 
Brian Asks: Mid-May edition of the fan mailbag

2025 NFL Draft Portraits

Photo by Logan Bowles/Getty Images

Bring us your burning Offseason questions!

Hello CSR! Welcome to Brian Asks, your weekly Panthers fan mailbag for everyone! We are one week removed from rookie mini camp, as the Panthers fielded their 2025 NFL Draft class, their undrafted free agent class, along with some tryout players. The hype remains real around some of these guys, especially wide receivers Tetairoa McMillan and Jimmy Horn Jr. Wide receivers tend to really shine during the early parts of the off-season, as without pads or real plays being called, the best things we can watch are the receivers catching passes. So, in this week’s topic of the week, what are you excited about for the Panthers as we continue to move forward in the off-season programs?

To recap, Brian Asks is YOUR place to ask all your burning questions, whether they be Panthers related, football related, or even completely off topic! Can’t think of anything? Great! We got our topic of the week for you to respond to! Comment down below with all your questions and discussion, and I’ll answer questions and highlight some of my favorite responses later on in the week in part two; Brian Answers.

Throw down your questions below, and KEEP POUNDING!
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/2025/5/13/24429001/brian-asks-mid-may-edition-of-the-fan-mailbag
 
Predicting Carolina Panthers primetime games in 2025

NFL: Carolina Panthers at Philadelphia Eagles

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Every team gets at least one standalone game. We try to guess which one the Panthers get.

Every NFL team gets at least one standalone game each year. That had generally been associated with every team getting a primetime game, but the NFL bucked that trend by not giving one particular team any night games. That team—the Carolina Panthers. Their lone standalone game was an early morning battle with the hapless Giants.

The NFL schedule gets released in full on Wednesday night. We already know all of match-ups that’ll take place during the season, but now we get the dates and times and networks for those games. They’re truly riveting bits of information that are totally worth the entire week’s worth of coverage the NFL and their partners devote to it. And we’re going to contribute.

While the Panthers still weren’t good last season, they finished the season strong. That finish and a well managed offseason have generated a little bit of buzz around Carolina, especially relative to how unwatchable they were in 2023 and unexciting they were going into 2024.

I looked at last year’s distribution of primetime games to try to get a feel for how the NFL tends to divvy them up. Unsurprisingly, teams coming off strong seasons or with compelling stories dominate the nighttime game schedule, but the less heralded teams will get a bone or two thrown their way. The Panthers are in a cluster of teams at +10000 to win the Super Bowl, putting them in a tier that is a bit above the NFL’s cellar dwellers. There seems to be some excitement about the emergence of Bryce Young down the stretch last season. With all that said, I think the Panthers will get two primetime games in 2025.

Now for the opponents. One of them will probably be a divisional game since the NFL likes to spice up a meeting between less marketable teams by making sure there’s a rivalry component to it. Last season’s finale between the Panthers and Falcons was an electric factory as the Panthers quashed any hope the Falcons had to make the playoffs. A rematch of that showdown seems like a natural fit for a Thursday night game in the middle of the season.

The Panthers don’t have a great slate of opponents to pick from for a second featured game. A meeting between Young and CJ Stroud or Caleb Williams would be a good draw, but the Panthers don’t play either of those teams this season. Matchups with Trevor Lawrence or Drake Maye would feature a similar storyline, but that’s a lot of bad team to put into one standalone game. However, you could slide one of those games in as a Monday Night game when they have the overlapping windows early in the season. We will go Panthers vs Patriots in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXVIII as one of the Monday Night doubleheaders.

This will probably all be terribly wrong when the schedule actually comes out. But maybe it won’t be.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...ing-carolina-panthers-primetime-games-in-2025
 
Panthers 2025 schedule tracker: News, rumors, leaks, and analysis

Carolina Panthers v Atlanta Falcons

Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images

Your home for Panthers 2025 regular season schedule news

The 2025 NFL regular season schedule will be announced tonight in a prime time broadcast event on NFL Network, NFL+, and the NFL app at 8:00 PM ET. We already know who the Carolina Panthers will be playing next year, now we get to learn when they will play them.

So far we know that the regular season will open with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, September 4th at 8:20 PM ET on NBC. The Panthers are rumored, as I hoped, to open the season in Jacksonville.

They have also had a Monday Night Football match up in San Francisco leak. If true, it could be their first prime time game since 2023. And it just so happens to be at the future site of Super Bowl LX.

It’s Super Bowl season, kids, let’s all buckle up. But until then, keep it here for any developing rumors or announcements of the Carolina Panthers 2025 regular season schedule.

Schedule Leaks:​

  • Week 1: at Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, September 7th
  • Week 2: TBA
  • Week 3: TBA
  • Week 4: at New England Patriots, Sunday, September 28th
  • Week 5: vs Miami Dolphins, Sunday, October 5th
  • Week 6: TBA
  • Week 7: TBA
  • Week 8: TBA
  • Week 9: at Green Bay Packers, Sunday, November 2nd
  • Week 10: TBA
  • Week 11: TBA
  • Week 12: at San Francisco 49ers, Monday, November 24th
  • Week 13: TBA
  • Week 14: TBA
  • Week 15: TBA
  • Week 16: TBA
  • Week 17: TBA
  • Week 18: TBA

Panthers’ 2025 opponents:​

Home​

Away​


Thanks to the NFL’s 17-game schedule, the Panthers have one extra away game this season. They technically had one extra home game last season, that was played in Munich, Germany against the New York Giants. A full list of each team’s home and away opponents can be found here.

International Games​


This is a calmer year than last for the Carolina Panthers. Rumors swirled for weeks about who the Panthers would face in their first ever game in Munich and about when that game would occur. This season, the Panthers are not expected to play an international game.

The home teams for each game were announced well in advance, leaving the Panthers only two opportunities for international games on their schedule. They could technically be traveling to London to face either the Jets or the Jaguars. However those games are heavily rumored to feature the Broncos and the Rams, respectively.

Here is the information we have so far on which games will be played abroad. Bold teams are confirmed, italicized teams are rumored.

London:​

Berlin:​

Madrid:​

Dublin:​

São Paulo:​

Super Bowl Odds​


The Carolina Panthers may be considered long shots to make the Super Bowl, but that’s not stopping FanDuel from offering odds on our favorite team’s post season prospects. The full suite of odds can be seen here, but make sure you check out Carolina’s odds against each potential AFC opponent. My favorite is the Jets vs the Panthers at +450,000.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...ews-rumors-leaks-analysis-international-games
 
Carolina Panthers 2025 official regular season schedule

Carolina Panthers v Jacksonville Jaguars

Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

Here is your full schedule for the upcoming season

The 2025 NFL regular season schedule is now official. The Carolina Panthers are opening their season with an auspicious start against the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road. Bigger news, perhaps, is that the Panthers will be getting their closest thing to a prime time game since 2023. Let’s take a look at the full release:

2025 Panthers schedule​

  • Week 1: at Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, September 7th at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 2: at Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, September 14th at 1:05 PM ET
  • Week 3: vs Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, September 21st at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 4: at New England Patriots, Sunday, September 28th at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 5: vs Miami Dolphins, Sunday, October 5th at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 6: vs Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, October 12th at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 7: at New York Jets, Sunday, October 19th at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 8: vs Buffalo Bills, Sunday, October 26th at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 9: at Green Bay Packers, Sunday, November 2nd at 12:00 PM ET
  • Week 10: vs New Orleans Saints, Sunday, November 9th at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 11: at Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, November 16th at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 12: at San Francisco 49ers, Monday, November 24th at 5:15 PM ET
  • Week 13: vs Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, November 30th at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 14: BYE WEEK
  • Week 15: at New Orleans Saints, Sunday, December 14th at 3:25 PM ET
  • Week 16: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, December 21st at 1:00 PM ET
  • Week 17: vs Seattle Seahawks, date and time TBA
  • Week 18: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, January 4th 2026, time TBA

Instant analysis​


We’ll get deeper into the weeds of the schedule over the coming days, but there are a few things that jump out at us right away. First and foremost, this will be the third season that the Panthers have opened their regular season against Jacksonville. The other two seasons were 2003 and 2015. This is likely little more than a funny historical quirk, but you better believe we are going to ride the superstition behind this situation into the ground.

The real challenges of this schedule are two-fold:

First, they start with three out of their first four games on the road. That’s going to be an interesting set of circumstances for a team that is young and trying to get their feet under them. Primarily, that’s a coaching challenge for second year head coach Dave Canales.

Second, five of their six divisional games are between Weeks 10 and 18. The Panthers are likely to be deep in the hunt for the NFC South crown through the end of the season. The NFC South is a historically weak and chaotic division. It doesn’t matter how good or bad the Panthers are this season. They will be legitimately and not just hilariously relevant to post season conversations far later than they have been used to since 2017.

Stay tuned for more analysis as we dig into the 2025 season in the coming days, weeks, and months.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...mes-times-bye-nfc-south-monday-night-football
 
Previewing the Panthers schedule: Weeks 1 through 6

New York Jets v Carolina Panthers

Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images

The Panthers have three very distinct segments of their schedule. We go through them one by one.

The Carolina Panthers’ schedule can kind of be divided into three clear segments, both because 18 is divisible by three and because each of those segments has its own common thread that runs through it.

The first part of the Panthers schedule is the easiest part. Here are the games:


None of the six teams the Panthers play in the opening stretch of the season had a winning record last season. The Cardinals, Falcons, and Dolphins all tied for the best record of the group at 8-9. The collective record of those six teams was 39-63. It’s a new season with new versions of every team, but none of those look so drastically different from last season that you’d expect them to be an unwinnable game.

The Jaguars shocked the NFL by trading up to select Travis Hunter. We’ll have no idea how he’ll be deployed when the teams open the season, but I can’t imagine he alone is going to do much to help what was one of the worst teams in the league last season. It’s a chance for the Panthers to start the season on the right foot. It’s also a meeting between the past two Buccaneers offensive coordinators and the Etienne brothers, which I’m sure will get the juices flowing.

The Cardinals looked like a good team for parts of last year but fell off the wagon down the stretch as they are wont to do. The Panthers always seem to handle the Cardinals well.

Speaking of teams the Panthers can handle, they’ll try to make it two in a row over the Michael Penix-led Falcons. It’ll be the home opener, so it’s another game the Panthers can be optimistic about.

The Patriots were uncharacteristically dysfunctional last season, and that resulted in the dismissal of head coach Jerod Mayo after just one year in charge. They replaced him with a good head coach in Mike Vrabel, but this is still not a good roster and it’s going to take time for Vrabel’s impact to be felt. Again, a good chance for the Panthers to steal a win.

The Panthers return home to face a Dolphins team that boat raced them last time the teams met. However, they’ve kind of simmered down after being one of the hottest teams in the league a couple of seasons ago. They’ve been so decimated by injuries that it’s hard to know what this team is really supposed to look like.

The Panthers wrap up the first third of the season with the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys had a disastrous 2024 season and are probably better now than last season’s 7-10 record. This is definitely the toughest game on paper in the first segment of the season. But on the bright side, next up is the New York Jets.

The Panthers themselves aren’t a good team, so they’re definitely not going to win all of these games. That said, they got about as soft as an opening month and a half as they could have asked for. It’s a good chance to build some momentum, and if the Panthers can do that, it’ll help them potentially steal some games against the significantly more difficult run of teams coming up in the next part of the schedule.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...-carolina-panthers-schedule-weeks-1-through-6
 
Previewing the Panthers schedule: Weeks 7 through 12

NFL: Carolina Panthers-Training Camp

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Panthers follow an easy stretch of schedule with an equally brutal one.

The Carolina Panthers schedule can be divided into three segments, both because 18 is divisible by three and because there are three distinct segments that each have a common thread running through them. The first segment of the season is the easiest and gives the Panthers a chance at some early momentum. That momentum will be vital to help them through the next stretch of the season, which is almost as difficult as the first part is easy.

First, here are the games:


There is a little bit of bleed over that keeps this from being a perfect division. The Jets game is a sort of continuation of the easy part of the schedule while on the other end, the difficult run of games continues to Week 13 against the Rams.

First up, the Jets should be another winnable game assuming the Panthers have gotten off to a decent start. The organization is in flux after the disastrous Aaron Rodgers show. They’re turning to Justin Fields and quarterback and will be heavily dependent on an old school formula of defense and running the football to be successful. If the Panthers offense can put some points on the board, they can take this one.

That’s followed by back to back games against teams that’ll probably get a few Super Bowl predictions. Both the Bills and Packers are top 10 in Super Bowl odds, and both are minus money to make the playoffs. The Panthers at least get the Bills at home, but that’s still probably the toughest game on the schedule. I don’t know how this defense slows down Josh Allen. And then they have to travel to Lambeau to try and slow down Jordan Love and the Packers. They’ll be hard pressed to take either of those games.

They get a brief respite with the Saints and Falcons, but divisional match-ups always have the potential to get squirrely. The Falcons think they’ll be better than last season, and the Panthers will have to play them on the road during this tough span of games. The Saints game at home feels like the only soft spot, but that makes it an easy letdown spot coming off games against the Bills and Packers.

The second six week segment wraps up with a Monday Night Football meeting in San Francisco. The 49ers had a down year last year, but I don’t think many people expect that to carry over to this season. The game is on the road and the Panthers have struggled in prime time in recent years. This game has loss written all over it.

Bonus: it’s in the next segment, but the week after the 49ers game features another playoff team from last season in the Rams. From Weeks 8 through 13, four of the Panthers six games are against teams in the top 10 in Super Bowl odds (Bills, Packers, 49ers, and Rams). The momentum we talked about as being oh so important in the first part of the season is vital to help the Panthers simply stay afloat through the middle of the season. If they can just manage a couple of wins through this section of the schedule, they can position themselves to make some moves over the home stretch.
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Source: https://www.catscratchreader.com/20...carolina-panthers-schedule-weeks-7-through-12
 
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