This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/Cyberjag on 2025-07-22 13:59:05+00:00.

Carolina Panthers

Division: NFC South

It’s that time of year again! After a season of lows and lowers, we actually ended 2024 on a bit of a high note.

Last year at this time we had a new coaching staff led by Dave Canales, a new GM in Dan Morgan, and a first overall draft pick that we were really, really worried about in Bryce Young. The season started with a couple of blowout losses that included an injury to our best defensive player and the benching of our quarterback. We did win a game in week three, but that glimmer of hope was wiped out the next week with a loss to the Bengals and then three straight beatdowns.

At that point, we were 1-6 with a historically bad defense, an offense that was mediocre at best, and not a lot of hope. Then our quarterback got injured in a car accident, so we had to turn back to Bryce Young again.

Somehow that turned out to be a good thing. When he returned, he looked like a completely different player. This post isn’t going to get deep into the Bryce Young experience, but he looked like a legitimate NFL starter, and he improved every week. After a loss in Denver, he put together back to back wins against the Saints and Giants. Then we went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs, Eagles, and Bucs, losing all three but bringing all three down to the wire.

We finished the year well, winning two of our final three games. During that span, I think Young removed any doubt the coaching staff may have had about his ability to play in the league. But the defense was an unholy mess, finishing last in several categories.

We’re not a good team yet, but there’s a lot of cautious optimism in Carolina. We all remember the train wreck that Canales and Morgan inherited, it was one that resulted in the NFL’s worst record. But this year, we have a fairly easy schedule and a lot of July optimism. This is the time of year when every draft pick is a steal, our free agents are all going to have career years in Carolina, and our opponents are going to be terrible. It’s a fun time to be a fan.

So without further adieu, let’s look at the 2025 Carolina Panthers!

Coaching Changes

While there were no major changes in the coaching staff, there have been a few. Passing Game Coordinator Nate Carroll is now doing his thing in Las Vegas. Outside linebackers coach Tem Lukabu is now in Jacksonville. Our secondary coach, Bert Watts, is gone as well, as are Defensive assistant Mayur Chaudhari and Defensive quality control coach Bobby Maffei.

Most of their replacements are guys you have probably never heard of, with the possible exception of Renaldo Hill, who is our new Secondary coach. That’s a clear upgrade over Watts, in an area where we need it.

Our biggest Front Office acquisition this past offseason is Brandt Tilis, Executive Vice President of Football Operations. He comes from Kansas City, where he spent the last 14 years in Salary Cap roles before assuming the role of Vice President of Football Operations from 2021-23. He’s been working with Dan Morgan on scouting, the salary cap, and analytics, and the two of them teamed up to put together a draft that already looks to be one of the best we’ve had in years.

Free Agency

In his first offseason, Morgan attacked the offense, rebuilding the line and bringing in help at Wide Receiver. Our offensive line went from one of the League’s worst to a top ten unit. Bryce Young went from being considered a complete bust to someone who looks like he could be a legitimate Franchise Quarterback. And the WR room went from Adam Thielen and the JAGs to one with a lot of promise for 2025. It took a while, but the results began to show, not only in how Young played, but also in our running game.

Now Morgan is going after the defense. We will have at least five new starters on that side of the ball, and one of our best players is returning from injury. Needless to say, Panthers Nation can’t wait to see the results.

Departures

Player Position New Team Comments
Xavier Woods SS Titans Woods was our starter at Strong Safety for the last three years. In his first year he had six passes defended, 86 tackles, and a 63.5 PFF grade. His 2023 season was pretty damned good, with two interceptions, seven passes defended, 61 tackles, and an 80.3 PFF grade. Unfortunately, in 2024 he regressed. He recorded three interceptions, six passes defensed, and 72 tackles but he was also part of a historically bad defense and only earned a PFF grade of 57.0. It was time to move on, and maybe he will recapture his 2023 form with the Titans.
Jordan Fuller FS Falcons Fuller was our other starting Safety last year, and it speaks volumes that neither he nor Woods was re-signed. He was only healthy for nine games, and really didn’t do much to impress anyone while he was here. Maybe he will do better in Atlanta, but as a Panthers fan I hope that he starts for them and continues his mediocre level of play.
Sam Franklin Jr. S Broncos It’s pretty clear that the Panthers’ coaching staff didn’t think too much of the Safety room, because even the backups weren’t brought back. Franklin probably could have gotten another contract here, but instead he signed with the Broncos. Denver got a great Special Teams player in him, and he will be missed.
Dane Jackson CB Bills Jackson was cut after just one season with the Panthers as an injury hindered his early adjustments to the team. He was the plan at Cornerback until Mike Jackson showed out, and Chau Smith-Wade took over at the Slot Corner. So he’s back on the Bills now.
Caleb Farley CB UFA This one kind of sucks, as Farley is from Maiden, NC and was considered somewhat of a hometown guy. Despite his physical tools, he has battled injuries his entire career and didn’t perform well when we took a shot on him mid-season last year. He gave up 84.6 percent of his targets and a 134.5 passer rating when targeted, so while he could maybe get another chance in Carolina, it’s not likely.
Jadeveon Clowney OLB UFA Clowney was cut after just one season in Carolina in a move that was a little surprising but which makes sense. His departure clears enough cap space to sign another starting safety if we need one. It also means more playing time for our two rookie edge defenders.
Shaq Thompson LB Bills This is a bit sad, as Thompson has played his entire career in Carolina. But Father Time is undefeated, and he’s on the wrong side of 30. Injuries have caught up with him; he’s only played in five games for the past two years. He’s in Buffalo now, maybe he can stay healthy for them.
Ian Thomas TE Raiders Ian Thomas is now the Raiders’ problem, although they might not think of him that way. He’s a good blocker, but what most of us remember him for was his inexplicable contract that he never played up to. He’s also good for dropping a few critical passes a year. His best season was as a rookie, when he caught 36 balls for 333 yards. Needless to say, he didn’t exactly fill Greg Olsen’s shoes, and while he’s a decent player, most Carolina fans are glad he’s gone.
Miles Sanders RB Cowboys Miles Sanders showed flashes during his tenure as a Panther, but wasn’t consistent and did not live up to his hefty contract. Maybe a change of scenery will be good for him. We did nab the Cowboys’ top rusher, so this is almost like some sort of weird trade. If you think of it that way, it sure looks like the Panthers came out on top.
Johnny Hekker P Titans Hecker was once the league’s best Punter, but those days are long gone and most of them were for the Rams anyway. This is a loss, but he’s pretty replaceable and while I’m not happy to see him go, I’m not sad either. He will probably give Tennessee a couple of decent years before retiring.
Eddy Pineiro K UFA If you’re an NFL kicker who can’t reliably go past 50 yards, you need to be deadly accurate, and Pineiro saw a dip in percentages in both extra point attempts and field goals. He fell from 93.8% to 85% on PATs and 94.3% to 86.2% on field goals. So this is no surprise, really.

Gone but not discussed: Lonnie Johnson Jr., Cam Gill, Chandler Wooten, Feleipe Franks, Jordan Matthews, Mike Boone, Velus Jones, and Deven Thompkins. They’re all basically practice squad guys who we looked at for depth.

Arrivals

Player Position Last Team Comments
Trevon Moehrig S Raiders Moehrig started the 2024 season with the Raiders at Free Safety, but an injury to Marcus Epps resulted in him playing closer to the Line of Scrimmage where he pretty much explo…

Content cut off. Read original on old.reddit.com/…/2025_offseason_review_carolina_p…